GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

Together We Can Create a Better Us

Every day, the Y gives our community the support it needs to learn, grow and thrive. From before and after school care to sports programs, senior fitness classes lessons to swim lessons, everything we do helps strengthen our neighborhood and the people who live here.

But keeping Will and Grundy Counties great is a full-time job. Every day our community faces new challenges to create a greater need for the work we do. And we need your help to do it. Your gift can help our community and everyone in it shine.

For a better you. For a better community. For a better country.

The Y. For a better us.

MAKE AN ONLINE CONTRIBUTION

One Stride at a Time

Dawn Sprengel always loved to swim, but never considered herself a swimmer. That began to change last year when the C.W. Avery Family YMCA challenged members to “Swim to Chicago” (or 38.5 miles) in 90 days. Despite some initial hesitation, Dawn decided to give it a shot.

“I was scared to do the challenge because I didn’t think I could,” she said. “I kept putting it off and ended up starting late. I was thinking, ’Will I be able to do this?’”

She soon found out the answer was yes. No-doubt-about-it, 100-percent yes.

Dawn ended up finishing the challenge with weeks to spare, and lost several pounds along the way. Her photo was later included in a local Weight Watchers publication because of it. (In the photo, Dawn sports a big smile and an “I Swam to Chicago” t-shirt).

As it turns out, Dawn has a knack for challenges—especially when it involves swimming. Since January of this year, Dawn has been taking on the Y’s latest challenge: To swim 100 miles before the year ends.

So far, she hasn’t lost her stride one bit. On average, Dawn swims up to two miles per visit—the equivalent of 132 lengths of the pool.

As of today, she is halfway to the 100-mile mark and about 12 pounds lighter than when she started. At this pace, she’s on target to complete the challenge by June.

This summer, Dawn says, she will explore some other options to keep her busy. Right now she’s considering training for a triathlon or joining the Y’s Masters Swimming program.

“I love the Y because it’s home,” she said. “It just fits into so many different parts of my life. You feel like you belong there no matter what. It’s my rock.”

Dawn and her husband have two boys, ages four and six, who have taken YMCA swimming lessons since they each were six-months-old.

“It’s funny because [my family] never went to the Y growing up. But I really have a strong connection to the Y,” she said. “I want my kids to grow up being YMCA kids.”

Member. Employee. Volunteer.

Like all good friendships, Marc Gorsch’s history with the Y was built upon loyalty and longevity.

Growing up in Burlington, Iowa, he spent some of his formative years at the YMCA in town, learning to swim and play sports such as basketball, baseball and football.

During his college days, he split time between studying at Western Illinois University and working for the Y in Monmouth, Ill. As Youth Basketball Director, he was in charge of organizing their Youth Basketball League.

Marc’s latest venture with the Y is to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. In this role, he will work closely with fellow volunteers, as well as the Y’s leadership team, to shape the organization’s strategic vision.

“Our goal is to continue to move the Y forward,” Marc said of the new opportunity. “We’ve built a really good base over the years. Now we have an opportunity to build a new facility in Morris. We’ve got room for expansion at Avery. It’s all a part of our plan to help grow the Y’s programs and services.”

A banker at Hometown National Bank, Marc originally got his start with the Greater Joliet Area YMCA in 2011, when he joined the Budget and Finance Committee. He and his family are active members at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA in Plainfield.

Are you looking to take an active role in bringing about meaningful, enduring change right in your own neighborhood? The Y is for you!

The generosity of others is at the core of the Y’s existence. It is only through the support of our hundreds of thousands of volunteers and public and private donors that we are able to give back to the communities we serve.

To begin volunteering at the Y, please contact your local branch today:

C.W. Avery Family YMCA
Dori Fugate, Member Engagement Champion
[email protected]
(815) 267-8600, ext. 210

Central City YMCA
Maurice Fears, Executive Director
[email protected]
(815) 726-3939, ext. 413

Galowich Family YMCA
Anna Miller, Member Engagement Champion
[email protected]
(815) 726-3939, ext. 433

Morris Community YMCA
Missy Durkin, Executive Director
[email protected]
(815) 513-8080, ext. 510

Smith Family YMCA
Anna Miller, Member Engagement Champion
[email protected]
(815) 726-3939, ext. 433

Back in November, we presented our members with a challenge that would not only promote healthy eating and exercise habits during the holiday season, but also encourage them to say ‘No’ to tempting holiday cravings.

In other words, we asked them to Ho, Ho, Ho…Hold Their Weight!

As a part of the challenge, each participant received:

• An exclusive t-shirt (pictured).
• Three weigh-ins: During Week 1 and Week 8 (mandatory) and Week 4 (optional).
• Weekly emails with workout tips, healthy holiday recipes and special fitness challenges.

Participants were asked to maintain their weight within two pounds over an eight-week period. If they succeeded, they would receive their money back in the form of a YMCA voucher. If they did not, their $20 fee would be donated to the Y’s Annual Campaign.

When it was all said and done, a total of 141 members successfully completed the challenge—many of whom decided to donate their fees anyway—resulting in a total contribution of $2,520 to the Y’s Annual Campaign.

J.P. Fox’s Story

J.P. Fox and his family joined the C.W. Avery Family YMCA many years ago thanks to the financial assistance they received from the Y’s scholarship program.

Ever since, J.P. has spent countless hours within the confines of our pool—first for swim lessons, then as a Porpoise Club swimmer, and now as a YMCA lifeguard.

The Y, J.P. says, has become his home away from home. The people inside have become his second family.

At the 2011 Giving Gala, J.P.’s mother Jackie spoke about the impact the Y had on her family, inspiring many guests to make a donation to the Y’s scholarship fund.

Nearly five years removed from that night, J.P., now 17, decided to pay it forward with a contribution of his own. Recently, he made a very generous donation to the Y’s Annual Campaign.

“I was once part of a family that needed a scholarship to go here,” he said. “I feel like it’s my time to give back to the Y and help people who need it. Hopefully they will get the same opportunities I did. To have a second home and family.”

You, too, can make an impact in the life of a YMCA family. To make an end-of-the-year charitable donation to the Y, text GJAYMCA to 566-51 or visit our Annual Campaign webpage.

Tickets for the ninth annual Giving Gala will go on sale in early January 2016. To learn more about the Giving Gala, please click here.