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YMCA has Hollywood advocate

Citrus County Chronicle - 7/20/2017

Cheryl Hines loves what the YMCA of Citrus County is doing for her family.

So much so that the Emmy-nominated actress, known for her role in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," played for the local YMCA branch on "Hollywood Game Night," which airs this evening on NBC.

Hines said she will donate her winnings to the local facility, where her nephew - 14-year-old Michael Hines, who has cerebral palsy - attends summer camp.

"I was really excited to play for you guys because all I hear is amazing things about that facility and the way everyone is treating my nephew, Michael," Hines told YMCA Operations Director David Reed in a phone interview with Reed and a Chronicle reporter.

"Michael is an amazing teenager, but he has so many challenges in his life, yet he's one of the happiest kids I know," Hines said. "I have a special bond with him because he's such a sweet soul and he's very joyful."

Reed thanked Hines for naming the YMCA as the beneficiary of her potential game show winnings, and asked her how the YMCA branch has helped her family.

"You can't really quantify happiness," Hines replied. "It's hard to even talk about it because it's very personal to people, but when my family talks about this Y, they talk about the happiness that they experienced there, and that is priceless."

Michael's parents, Chris (Hines' brother) and April Hines, moved to Crystal River from Orlando and were looking for an organization that could facilitate their son's special needs, Hines said.

"It was a big move for them because they have to take special care of Michael because he has special needs," Hines said. "When they found the YMCA there, they were so happy."

"They send me pictures and they tell me how excited Michael is to go there all the time and how great the staff is to Michael and to my family," Hines continued.

Hines said it's hard for Michael to talk about his time at YMCA'sCamp Rousseau at Crystal River Middle School.

"Michael doesn't go to great lengths to explain what goes on there, but even mentioning the YMCA he gets excited and starts smiling and will tell me what happened and his favorite people," Hines said. "I don't always know what he's talking about, but I know it makes him happy."

Hines said the YMCA means a lot to Michael's parents as well.

"Lot of people have kids without special needs, and they know it's hard being a parent, and when you have a child with special needs, it's unbelievably challenging " Hines said. "For my brother and sister-in-law to be excited about taking my nephew to the Y, it means the world to me."

Hines, who was born in Miami, grew up in Tallahassee, where she was an aerobics teacher at the YMCA there.

"Just kicking it old school, and I had a great time there," Hines said, adding she plans to check out the YMCA where she lives in Los Angeles.

Hines said she tries to keep in touch with her family and communities in Florida.

"It's very important to stay connected to your roots," she said. "I feel like I grew up in Florida, and I was raised by my family and community in Tallahassee, so I will always be connected with them.

"It's fun for me to go on 'Hollywood Game Night' because it's a fun show, but it also makes me happy that I can do it for the local Y," Hines said. "It's good for people to be more aware of their own local YMCAs because they add so much more to the communities."

Reed said Hines willingness to donate her game show winnings to the YMCA branch demonstrates how successful its staff and programs are.

"It shows the value of the programs we're running every day," Reed said. "We have some good staff and some good quality programing going on, and Michael's obviously happy."

Tune into NBC at 8 p.m. to watch Hines compete on "Hollywood Game Night."

Contact Chronicle reporter Buster Thompson at 352-564-2916 or bthompson@chronicleonline.com.