Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

C.W. Avery, Central City, Galowich, Morris

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Big News Out of Morris: Temporary Location Announced

IMG_1544We have great news to share with our local supporters now that it’s official! Last night, the Morris City Council approved a lease agreement with the Morris Community YMCA to occupy the former city hall located at 320 Wauponsee Street.

This will become the first physical presence for the Y in Grundy County, and we are looking forward to introducing a variety of new programs to the community from within the walls of this space.

This milestone marks the first of many steps toward the progress of opening a full YMCA facility to serve the residents of Morris and Grundy County. We appreciate your support of our programs and are excited to have a new home base to serve our members and volunteers.

Over the next several months we hope to share more updates about our future plans. In the meantime, if you’d like to provide feedback on the Morris Community YMCA, please contact Operations Director Missy Durkin via email at [email protected].

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Campers Volunteer at Sunny Hill Nursing Home

10582907_693766350676965_6395060137579952404_oAll summer long, a group of Galowich YMCA campers has been volunteering at Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Joliet. Twice per month, 25 campers (in grades 6-8) and four Y staffers have visited the facility to keep the residents company and have some fun along the way.

“After their first day there, they loved it,” Youth and Family Manager Lynette Soto said, with an emphasis on the word ‘loved’. “They wanted to keep going back. They were always asking me ‘Miss Lynette, when are we going back?’”

When they returned, Miss Lynette noticed the children’s social skills were thriving more than ever.

“They would go up to residents and introduce themselves,” she said. “Their confidence went through the roof. There was no coaching by the counselors or myself. They just recognized that this was serious and this was something big that they were doing.”

In late June, the campers crafted colorful banners to decorate the facility in preparation for Independence Day. Towards the end of July, they had an outdoor party that included a variety of games and some refreshments.

“Our last time there, in August, we are putting on a show for them,” Miss Lynette said. “The kids want to do a talent show. They want to do a dance. Some kids want to do some tricks they know how to do. Some kids want to sing.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” she said.

View more photos here.

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Sue Lee’s Swan Song: Bidding Farewell to a YMCA Ambassador

macrisFor more than a decade, Sue Lee of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has embodied the spirit and mission of the YMCA to the fullest. She has been instrumental to the Y’s growth in many different roles: As a swim team parent, as a board member and as the Y’s Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving. Sue’s tenure as a staff member, however, will soon come to a bittersweet end when she retires at the end of July.

Sue’s family, friends and colleagues came together Thursday at the Gathering Room of the Jacob Henry Mansion Estate in Joliet, to celebrate her illustrious career and share praise for her dedicated work. Hors d’oeuvres were served, drinks were poured and commemorative cookies were made for the 70 guests that attended.

Guests included a number of volunteers, staff and friends of the Y, including President and CEO of the Joliet YMCA, Jim Watts, and YMCA Annual Campaign Co-Chairs, Christopher Parker and Nick Macris.

During an emotional farewell speech, Sue graciously thanked colleagues, co-workers and, of course, her family. Her husband, Michael, and two daughters, Christina and Missy, were in attendance.  Afterward, many attendees shared stories and gave thanks to the guest of honor.

Sue, who has led a number of successful fundraising campaigns for the Y, will be greatly missed. Although she insists that when she isn’t spending time with her family, she will continue to be an ambassador for the Y as a volunteer.

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All Smiles at Summer Day Camp

IMG_9938Smiles are wider—and shinier—than ever at YMCA summer day camp this week. Thanks to the folks with Will County Community Health Services, campers at the Smith and Central City YMCAs received free dental service on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The county’s dental van, which resembles that of a tour bus, took temporary real estate at our camps, providing teeth cleanings for 26 Smith campers and 16 Central City campers.

Inside the dental bus, it felt just like a normal dentist office—perhaps even less intimidating. When you walked through the door, there was a small waiting area with a TV on the wall. To the left, there were two dental chairs complete with all the usual tools and accessories needed to provide a thorough cleaning.

The dental staff was both patient and friendly. We are very grateful our campers were given such an excellent opportunity!

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Free Summer Food Program at the Y

Summer Day Camp just got a whole lot better.

Thanks to a multi-million dollar grant from the Walmart Foundation, campers at the Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs in Joliet will receive free lunch each day.

The free Summer Food Program, a nationwide initiative to combat childhood hunger, provides nutritious meals and snacks to keep kids healthy, active and well-nourished all summer long.

Supplied by the Northern Illinois Food Bank, menu items include everything from grilled chicken salad to “pizza stackers.”

Research shows that more than 30 million children in low-income communities receive free or reduced-cost meals during the school year, but only 2.3 million continued to have access to free meals during summer. Ys across the country are well-positioned to tackle this issue as part of their robust summer programming for youth. With more than 1,100 summer food program sites nationwide, the Y will serve 5 million healthy meals and snacks to 150,000 kids this summer.

“At the Y, we are dedicated to ensuring that kids don’t go hungry and they have access to daily nutrition all year round, especially during the summer months when hunger can have negative effects on youth development,” said Stacey McDaniel, spokesperson for the Year-Round Food Program at YMCA of the USA. “If kids are hungry, they can’t focus and if they’re not active and learning they are at risk of the ‘summer slide’. The Y and the Walmart Foundation are working to ensure that kids have the nutrition they need for positive physical, academic and character development.”

The Y is committed to nurturing the physical, mental and social-emotional development of youth and is working to ensure that all kids have access to nutritious meals, so they can continue to be healthy and thrive when out of school. The YMCA’s Summer Food Program, now in its fourth year, is part of a year-round effort to fight child hunger in partnership with the Walmart Foundation. In 2013, the Y provided a total of 7.5 million meals to children across the country through Afterschool and Summer Food Programs.

“The summer months can be a challenging time for families as they try to ensure their children have access to regular, healthy meals while they’re out of school,” said Julie Gehrki, senior director of the Walmart Foundation. “We are proud to continue partnering with the Y this year to help even more kids and teens across the United States benefit from meal programs in their hometowns, so they can enjoy healthy, happy summers.”

For more information, check out the US News coverage of this program.

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Morris YMCA Fishing Camp

We had more than 50 campers attend our Fishing Camp this past week. What an amazing turnout! Throughout the week, kids caught plenty of fish, while special guests like Morris Mayor Richard Kopczick and Joliet YMCA President and CEO Jim Watts stopped for some fun, too. One thing’s for sure—we’re already looking forward to next year! See highlights by watching the video below.

Morris YMCA Fishing Camp

Update: Steve Rogers of the Morris Daily Herald wrote an excellent column about our Fishing Camp.

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United Way