Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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Registration Underway for YMCA Ho, Ho, Hold Your Weight Challenge

Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge Starting November 16

Our 8-week Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge will help you get in shape and keep the weight off during the holiday season. We have a great plan to help you adopt healthy eating and exercise habits while saying ‘No’ to those tempting holiday cravings.

Are you up for the challenge?

If you can maintain your weight within 2 pounds for 8 weeks (November 18-January 8), you will receive a $20 YMCA credit that can be used towards any fitness program, including personal training. If you gain more than 2 pounds during this eight-week challenge, your fee will be donated in your name to the Y’s Mission Strong Fund.

There will be two mandatory weigh-ins:
Week 1 (some time between November 18 and November 21)
Week 8 (some time between January 4 and January 8)

There will also be optional weigh-in:
Week 4 (some time between December 14 and December 19)

As part of this fun-filled Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge, you will receive:

  • A one-of-a-kind YMCA Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge T-shirt
  • Weekly emails with workout tips, healthy holiday recipes and special fitness challenges, designed specifically for challenge participants

Let’s have a little fun this holiday season. Together, we will help you celebrate the holiday season happy and healthy!

Registration is now open. Select your branch below and sign up today!

C.W. Avery Family YMCA

Galowich Family YMCA

Morris Community YMCA

Smith Family YMCA

Cost: $25

Morris Community YMCA Receives $5,250 Grant from Ottawa Savings Bank

Although the Y has been challenged to adapt the way it serves the community during the COVID-19 public health crisis, it has remained dedicated to working with local partners to promote health and wellness for area residents. Through its commitment to encouraging members of all ages to embrace healthy living, the Y provides an array of programs for seniors ranging from fitness classes to social activities. These efforts are made possible through the generosity of organizations like Ottawa Savings Bank, which recently awarded a $5,250 grant to the Morris Community YMCA in support of the YMCA Mission Strong Fund. 

This generous grant was donated through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Targeted Impact Fund, which was created to provide relief for populations hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These funds will provide assistance to multiple Y initiatives, including:

  • Providing much-needed financial assistance for children, families and seniors who are experiencing hardship due to COVID-19.
  • Providing valuable health and wellness programming for seniors and YMCA community members.
  • Implementing facility enhancements and new safety and social distancing guidelines at our YMCA locations.

The Y would like to thank Ottawa Savings Bank for this donation and the role it will play in providing important services to community members this fall. 

To learn more about the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund or to pledge your support, please click here. 

Pictured in top photo: (L-R) Morris Community YMCA Health and Wellness Director Jamie Nelson, Morris Community YMCA Executive Director Missy Durkin, Ottawa Savings Bank President and CEO Craig Hepner, Ottawa Savings Bank Retail Manager Tamara Dahl, and Ottawa Savings Bank Retail Teller Amanda Tully. 

Be the Good and Support the YMCA Mission Strong Fund Today

Because the health and safety of our YMCA community is our top priority, volunteers from the Y’s BE THE GOOD Gala Committee, in partnership with Y staff, made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 event, which was originally slated for this weekend.

Like you, we are very disappointed that we won’t be celebrating together at this year’s Gala, but we are looking forward to the day when we can all gather together again in our best attire to showcase the Y’s work in our community, and celebrate the generous donors who help make our mission come alive each and every day. 

Like many non-profit organizations, the Y has experienced substantial financial losses and unforeseen expenses as a result of COVID-19. To ensure that the Y’s mission can continue to thrive and help those in our community who need it most, we need the support of charitable giving more than ever. 

At past Galas, donors, like you, have generously supported the Y by purchasing tickets, raising their paddle, and purchasing live and silent auction items. Although we won’t be gathering in person at the Gala this year, we are encouraging members of the community to show their support for the YMCA by making a charitable gift to the Mission Strong Fund. A donation, in any amount, will help to change the lives of people living right here in our community.

Please take a few minutes to watch the video below, which highlights the work the Y has been doing in our community during these unprecedented times.

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at our 2021 BE THE GOOD Gala, which will be held on Saturday, October 30, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. It will surely be a night to remember.

Until then, we hope that you will consider making a donation to the Y’s Mission Strong Fund. Anyone who makes a charitable gift of $300 or more between October 21 and Sunday, October 25, 2020, will be entered in a drawing to win two tickets to our 2021 Gala.

Thank you again for your generous support of the YMCA.

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Healthy Lifestyles Happen Here: Debbie Dorf’s Story

Although the Y has had to adapt its programming in recent months, we remain dedicated to supporting a lifetime of healthy living. And since reopening our doors this summer, we have been honored to welcome back passionate members like Debbie Dorf. 

Originally a member of a Y in Sycamore, Debbie has been a member of the C.W. Avery Family YMCA for over a year. She is a 12-year colon cancer survivor and said that being able to find an outlet for physical activity is an important factor in staying healthy.

“Exercise is a big deal. That’s the best medicine for me. After doing chemotherapy, I have osteoporosis. The strength training I can do is really important,” said Debbie.

She also said the variety of fitness offerings is one of the most attractive things about the Y.

“You never lose when you go to the Y. You can go to a class, use the machines in the fitness center or use the track. We have a family plus membership and I can take my grandkids swimming. It’s a really good situation for us,” she said. 

Debbie stops by the Y almost every day and is a regular in multiple Y fitness classes. 

“The thing I like the most is all the different classes. I feel like every class is something I can learn from. They have helped with my balance and coordination. It has made exercise fun,” she said. 

Debbie also credits the Y’s overall commitment to community health and safety for helping her feel comfortable using the facility after the Y’s summer reopening.

“The Y has fantastic teachers and the cleanest facility I’ve ever been in. The people at the front counter are terrific people. The Y has set really high standards and lives up to them,” she said. 

We thank Debbie for her continued support of the Y.

To learn more about group exercise classes at the Y, check out the fitness schedules of your local branch by clicking here. 

Smith Family YMCA Partners with Lewis University for Kid Zone PLUS Health and Wellness Presentations

Although the YMCA’s Kid Zone PLUS programs have had to adapt this fall in the wake of the COVID-19 public health crisis, providing valuable learning experiences for children remains at the forefront of the Y’s mission. That is why the Smith Family YMCA is excited to partner with Lewis University for a series of health and wellness presentations designed to teach children in Kid Zone PLUS about the importance of healthy living. 

In all, more than 60 students in Lewis University’s nursing undergraduate program will be on-hand during the fall semester to lead nine weeks of interactive sessions at the Y. Themes for the presentations will feature a wide range of topics, including resiliency, self-esteem, personal hygiene, and safety tips, among others.

“These are first semester juniors in our Health Promotion Across a Lifespan class,” Assistant Professor of Nursing and Health Professionals and Director of Clinical Partnership Jane Trainor said. “It really is a win-win because it fits in with the course objectives and the mission of the university. It gives the nursing students an opportunity to connect with kids and hopefully the kids learn something new each visit.”

“Our Kid Zone PLUS program is focused on developing well-rounded kids that have an understanding of what it means to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Greater Joliet Area YMCA Youth Development Operations Director Erin Lightbody said. “It’s important that these sessions not only cover nutrition and tips for physical health, but also how to identify and manage emotional health.”

Trainor said the presentations offer a two-way street of educational value, as communicating these topics provides the nursing students with invaluable field experience. 

“A big part of a nurse’s role in the community is being an educator, trying to make sure patients get information correctly. This is a great beginning level to help get that message out. They also get hands-on experience and research into the developmental stages of kids,” she said. 

Lewis junior Cindy Rubio said that being able to help in the real world has been refreshing after a spring semester that was altered by the COVID-19 health crisis.

“We’ve been doing most of our learning from the books and online so it feels good to finally be able to go out and help people. To do what nurses do and get experience,” Rubio said. 

Trainor also said the activities have strengthened the partnership between Lewis University and the Y. 

“We have been so appreciative to use this space because the students didn’t get the same opportunities that we normally would have had available to them, whether it was at the hospital or anywhere else. For the Y to give us this opportunity is just fantastic,” she said.

 

J-Power USA Donates $5,000 to YMCA Kid Zone PLUS

Through its commitment to youth development, the Y nurtures the potential of every child in its Kid Zone PLUS programs by incorporating the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility in a resource-rich environment for children in grades K-8. Although the current public health crisis has presented new challenges, the Y has worked diligently with its partner school districts to adapt its child care programs to meet the needs of families in Will and Grundy Counties. These efforts are made possible through the generosity of organizations like J-Power USA, which recently provided a $5,000 donation in support of the YMCA Mission Strong Fund and Kid Zone PLUS. 

The Mission Strong Fund was established to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the YMCA in the wake of our COVID-19 related closure and aid continued community service efforts after our reopening. By supporting Mission Strong, the donation will provide assistance to multiple Greater Joliet Area YMCA youth development initiatives including:

  • Providing much-needed financial assistance for Kid Zone PLUS families who are experiencing hardships due to COVID-19.
  • Adapting our youth programs to incorporate lower staff-to-child ratios to meet social distancing guidelines.
  • Implementing new safety guidelines in our child care and youth enrichment programs.

The Y would like to thank J-Power USA for this donation and the role it will play in providing important services to students and families this school year. 

To learn more about the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund or to pledge your support, please click here. 

Pictured in top photo: (L-R) Greater Joliet Area YMCA Youth Development Operations Director Erin Lightbody, Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Katy Leclair, J Power Assistant Director of Corporate Communication and Public Relations Joyce Bae, Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Jim Watts, Smith Family YMCA Executive Director Donnie Chestnutt, Smith Family YMCA Youth, Family and Outreach Director Catie Wallis, and Smith Family YMCA Membership Director Aracely Rubio.

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