Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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Greater Joliet Area YMCA Offering Workshop on Careers in Health Sciences on September 29

 The Greater Joliet Area YMCA will host a free workshop for area residents and young adults looking to learn more about pursuing careers in the healthcare industry. 

Description:

Guest speakers will include representatives from Joliet Junior College and the Will County Workforce Development. 

In addition to listening to engaging guest speakers, participants will have the opportunity to meet with a variety of healthcare professionals and academic providers. Attendees will also learn more about scholarship opportunities, tuition reimbursement programs, and educational pathways for careers in the healthcare industry. Refreshments will be served, and a number of door prizes and raffles will also be available.

Cost:
Free and open to the community

Time:
6-7:30 p.m.

Location:
Joliet Junior College, Room U-1024
1215 Houbolt Road
Joliet, IL 60431 

REGISTER TODAY

To learn more about this event, please contact: 

Stephen Franklin
Teen REACH and Teen Achievers Program Director
[email protected]
(815) 726-3939, ext. 315

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2022 Morris Community YMCA Coloring Contest

Calling all Y Kids! To celebrate this very fun time of year in Grundy County, the Morris Community YMCA is holding a special Coloring Contest! Open to kids, ages 4-12, this is the perfect opportunity to let your artistic talents shine.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download the official entry form below.

Coloring Contest Form

2. Grab your crayons, markers or colored pencils and color away!

3. Drop it off at the Membership Desk of the Morris Community YMCA or give it to your Kid Zone counselor.

4. All entries must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Friday, September 30. Contest is open to children ages 4-12. One winner will be selected in each of the following age groups:

Ages 4-5
Ages 6-7
Ages 8-9
Ages 10-12

PLEASE NOTE: One entry per child, but multiple children per household are allowed. Submitted artwork becomes the property of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. Official Entry Form must be signed by a parent or guardian, 18 years or older.

Good luck!

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Updated Kids Corner Location and Hours at the Galowich Family YMCA

Healthy parents are happy parents, and the Galowich Family YMCA offers free drop-in child care for up to two hours (per day per child) while you make time for yourself to get fit. Our Kids Corner supervised playroom has permanently relocated to the former multipurpose room located to the right of the main lobby. Updated hours are as follows:

Monday-Wednesday
5-7 p.m.

Saturday
9-11 a.m.

There is no need to call ahead. Parents must remain in the Y while their children are in the supervised playrooms. PLEASE NOTE: Kids Corner is open to children ages 6 months-9 years old.

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Greater Joliet Area YMCA Summer Volunteer Program Thrives During 2022 Camp Season

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s summer volunteer program helps young adults gain meaningful work experience while providing extra care to our summer campers. We are proud to say that during the 2022 Summer Camp season, our incredible group of 25 volunteers provided more than 1,600 hours of assistance across our YMCA’s 10 campsites in Will and Grundy Counties. 

“Our summer camp volunteer program has been incredibly successful and we want to thank our staff team for providing ongoing support to our volunteers this summer,” Volunteer and Community Engagement Director Dori Fugate said. “By seamlessly integrating our volunteers into summer camp programs, teens in our community were given opportunities to build new skills, take on new challenges, make new friends and just have fun, all of which are key as we develop our future leaders.”

Volunteers not only helped in day-to-day summer camp activities, but also lent a hand in the Y’s summer pre-school and sports camps.

“Children who attend YMCA summer camps participate in a wide range of learning opportunities, and volunteers play a pivotal role in delivering these educational activities throughout the summer,” Youth Development Operations Director Erin Lightbody said.

The summer volunteer program has also kept past YMCA campers connected to an overarching Y experience. Among this year’s volunteers were multiple former Y campers and, in some cases, past volunteers made a transition to the Y staff team.

“We had one individual who attended summer camp from elementary school through eighth grade, became a camp volunteer, and this year we hired him to work part-time on our Youth and Family team,” Galowich Family YMCA Youth and Family Director Catie Wallis said. “It’s just so inspiring.”

Fugate noted that the Y is flexible to the needs and availability of volunteers and that the program’s overarching goal is to help young adults maintain a connection with the community.

“Volunteering is such a great way to have a positive influence on our youth and goes a long way for our volunteers when they get ready to embark on college and enter the workforce in the future,” Fugate said. “I hope that our teens gain a sense of purpose when they volunteer and know that they’re making a difference in the lives of others within our Y and within our community.”

To sign up for our summer volunteer program, click here. Learn more about other ways you can volunteer at the Y by visiting our volunteer webpage.

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Help the Greater Joliet Area YMCA Plan for its Next 100 Years

At the Y, strengthening community is our cause. We believe that lasting personal and social change can only come about when we all work together to invest in our kids, our health, and our neighbors.

In 2026, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA will celebrate 100 years of serving our community. As we layout our organization’s long range strategic vision for the next five years and plan to commemorate this milestone, we are reaching out to YMCA supporters to identify the most critical needs facing residents living in our community. This input will help us to understand how we can continue to introduce new programs and services to best serve the next generation of residents in Will and Grundy Counties.

To gather feedback, we have designed a short electronic survey. Responses to this online survey are not individually tracked and will be kept confidential. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, and the results will be compiled into an executive summary that will be shared with our YMCA community.

The survey will remain open through Friday, September 16.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

We are so grateful for the continued support of our Y community and we look forward to working together.

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LyondellBasell Donates $4,000 to YMCA Mission Strong Fund

Every day the YMCA affirms its commitment to making a positive impact in the community. Y programs provide opportunities for all generations, ensuring that every individual feels a sense of belonging. And as a non-profit, community-based organization, the YMCA relies on the generosity of its members and the support of charitable giving to provide services and financial assistance for children, adults and families living in our community.

That is why the YMCA would like to thank LyondellBasell, which recently provided a $4,000 donation in support of the YMCA Mission Strong Fund, helping ensure that nobody is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay. 

To learn more about the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund, please click here. To show your support by making a donation, please click here. 

Pictured above (L-R): Morris Community YMCA Operations Director Jamie Heitman, Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin, LyondellBasell Communications Advisor Megan Borchers, and Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair. 

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