Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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Let Your Talent Shine: 2022 YMCA Holiday Card Design Contest

The YMCA’s Holiday Card Design Contest is back! Open to Y Members, ages 6-12, the contest is the perfect opportunity for kids to let their artistic talents shine and help spread a little cheer this upcoming holiday season.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download an entry form and print it out. Entry forms are also available at the Y’s Front Desk.

2. Grab some crayons, markers and colored pencils and draw a picture that depicts your favorite things about the holidays and the winter season. From snowmen to Christmas trees, to candy canes and snowflakes, we can’t wait to see your original designs!

3. Complete the entry form and drop it off at the Y.

We will select our three favorite designs—one from each age group—to be featured on the Y’s holiday card.

Age Groups

  • Ages 6-7
  • Ages 8-9
  • Ages 10-12

Each of our winners will receive a YMCA Sweatshirt and other exciting prizes.

Download Entry Form

The deadline to enter is Friday, November 4.

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C.W. Avery Family YMCA Masters Swim Team Members Earn State Championships

Nine members of the C.W. Avery Family YMCA’s masters swim team took home state championships at the 2022 Illinois Senior Olympics on September 17 in Springfield.

Swimmers who came home with finalist medals included Head Coach Ann Emmrich, Karen Spangler, John Wesolowski, Chris Drillenburg, John Hernandez, Erin Stuedemann, Laurie Biskie, Susan Towne and Mike Burcham.

Team members are now qualified for the national Senior Olympics competition. We wish them all the best of luck!

Do you have an interest in swimming? Join the Masters Swim Club! Open to Y members, ages 18 and over, team practices are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 a.m.-6 a.m. and 6:15 a.m.-7:15 a.m., as well as Sundays from 7 a.m.-8 a.m. Swim Club members who choose to compete in meets can do so in one of 12 different age groups. For more information, please contact the C.W. Avery YMCA at (815) 267-8600.

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C.W. Avery Family YMCA Advisory Council Set to Host Celebrity Bartender Event

The C.W. Avery Family YMCA’s Advisory Council is excited to host a special Celebrity Bartender Event this October! Join us as we raised awareness and funds for the YMCA Mission Strong Fund. All tips and 10 percent of food, drink and carry-out sales during the event will benefit the Y. Stop by to see some of your favorite Y friends and support a great cause!

Date:
Thursday, October 20

Time:
5-7:30 p.m.

Location:
Khaos Brewcade & Kitchen
12337 S. Illinois Route 59, Suite #155
Plainfield, IL 60585

Schedule of Bartenders

5-5:30 p.m.: Stephen Blount, Bruce Kurschner, Joe LaGiglia, Marcus Rembert
5:30-6 p.m: Tracey Rae Crowe, Cally Larson, Tasha Marsagalia, Brian Wojowski
6-6:30 p.m.: Kristen Derengowski, Elizabeth Matthews, Maria Romero, Katelyn Tsatsafoulis
6:30-7 p.m.: Dr. Stacey DiBetteto, Jennifer Lewis, Shannon Stawikowski, Yonika Willis
7-7:30 p.m.: John Argoudelis Lisa Behounek, Harry Benton, Katy Leclair

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Heritage Club Celebration Honors Planned Giving to the Greater Joliet Area YMCA

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Longtime Y supporters Kevin and Mary Olson graciously hosted the Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s 2022 Heritage Club luncheon at their beautiful Morris home on Saturday, September 10. More than 40 guests attended the event, which celebrated charitable giving at the YMCA and recognized those donors who have chosen to make a legacy gift to the YMCA.

Heritage Club membership is granted to those individuals who have included a gift for the YMCA in their will or estate plans. Many Heritage Club members have also generously established a named endowment fund or supported the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund, which helps to ensure that no one is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay.  

Message of Thanks

The afternoon began with Greater Joliet Area YMCA Board of Directors Chairman Guy Christensen welcoming those in attendance and thanking them for their continued support of the Y’s mission. Christensen noted how excited the YMCA was to see the Heritage Club event return for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic. Christensen then invited Endowment Development Committee Volunteer Jackie Bersano to give an invocation before lunch was served.

Celebration of Charitable Giving

Following lunch, Endowment Development Committee Chair Susan Lee gave a speech recognizing Heritage Club member Paul Gantzert for his many contributions to the Y. Gantzert, a longtime Y supporter, created an endowment fund to provide scholarships to the Y for families living in our community.

Lee also welcomed a surprise guest in William Macias. Macias detailed the impact Gantzert has had on his life. As a child, Macias participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. Following a harrowing experience around water, Macias said that Gantzert encouraged him to learn to swim and made sure that he was able to attend swim lessons at the Y. The two men have remained friends to this day.

Ensure a Brighter Future

Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair then spoke about the Y’s Safety Around Water program, which provides free swim lessons to children in Joliet and the surrounding communities.

During the 2022 summer camp season alone, the Y provided more than 1,000 swim lessons through the Safety Around Water program to children from local community organizations, including the Harvey Brooks Foundation and the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development (iLEAD), among others. This fall, students in Joliet District 86, Troy District 30C, and Fairmont School District 89, as well as children from the Boys and Girls Club of Joliet, will participate in free swim lessons through Safety Around Water.

Leclair thanked the local community agencies and schools which have partnered with the Y to help children learn this valuable life skill, and credited the support of endowment funds and other planned giving support for the continued success of the program.

An Invitation for Impact  

Endowment Development Committee Volunteer Donna Zanzola closed the celebration by reiterating the Y’s appreciation for those donors who have generously made legacy gifts to the Y over the years. The YMCA’s doors continue to expand with open arms and it is through gifts like those provided by Heritage Club members that make this possible. 

To learn more about Heritage Club membership and the Y’s endowment fund, please visit https://www.jolietymca.org/giving/planned-giving/

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First Federal Savings Bank Donates $25,000 to Morris Community YMCA Capital Campaign

The Morris Community YMCA’s Capital Campaign, which is raising funds to develop a new 50,000-square-foot YMCA and healthcare center adjacent to Morris Grade School, is excited to announce a generous $25,000 gift from First Federal Savings Bank, which will be recognized in the future full facility. 

For more than a decade, the Morris Community YMCA has been serving residents in Grundy County by offering programs in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. To further grow its impact in the community, the Y announced plans in 2018 for the development of a new full-facility in partnership with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers. While the YMCA hopes to open this new facility within the next several years, the size, scope, and timing will ultimately be determined by the generosity of the community in support of this project.

“We are honored to receive this generous donation from First Federal Savings Bank” Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin said. “The support we see from community organizations continues to energize us as we plan for the future of our Y.”

To learn more about the Morris Community YMCA’s Capital Campaign, please contact Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin at (815) 513-8080 or visit www.jolietymca.org.

Pictured above (left to right): Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair, Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin, First Federal Savings Bank Morris Branch Manager Danielle Sumner, First Federal Savings Bank President and CEO Konnni Rodeghier, and Morris Capital Campaign Leadership Corporate Cabinet Co-Chair John Sparrow.

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SOCU Donates $50,000 to Morris Community YMCA Capital Campaign

The Morris Community YMCA’s Capital Campaign, which is raising funds to develop a new 50,000-square-foot YMCA and healthcare center adjacent to Morris Grade School, is excited to announce a generous $50,000 gift from Streator Onized Credit Union (SOCU), which will be recognized in the future full facility. 

For more than a decade, the Morris Community YMCA has been serving residents in Grundy County by offering programs in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. To further grow its impact in the community, the Y announced plans in 2018 for the development of a new full-facility in partnership with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers. While the YMCA hopes to open this new facility within the next several years, the size, scope, and timing will ultimately be determined by the generosity of the community in support of this project.

“We are incredibly grateful the support of local organizations like SOCU,” Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin said. “We look forward to the impact this gift will have on shaping the future of our planned facility.”

To learn more about the Morris Community YMCA’s Capital Campaign, please contact Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin at (815) 513-8080 or visit www.jolietymca.org.

Pictured above (left to right): Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin, SOCU Morris Branch Manager Dayna Manegold, SOCU Chief Executive Officer Doug Patterson, and Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair.

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