C.W. Avery, Central City, Galowich, Morris
As we continue to celebrate National Water Safety Month, and with our Summer 1 programming session just around the corner, the Y is excited to remind members of our Swim Lesson Selector tool. Available online, this tool is a must-try for parents who are interested in enrolling their children in YMCA swim lessons.
By answering short “yes-or-no” questions—and in some cases, by watching a short video—the Swim Lesson Selector can help you quickly identify which swim stage is right for your child.
Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children ages five to 14, with children from communities of color at greatest risk. With National Water Safety Month in May and summer around the corner, it’s a great time for parents to remember the importance of ensuring their children are equipped with essential water safety skills. YMCA swimming lessons help reduce the risk of childhood drowning, develop a lifelong love for swimming and provide children from underserved areas greater access to water safety programs.
Before letting your children hit the water this summer, remember these few tips to ensure it’s an enjoyable and safe experience.
Learning how to swim also has multiple benefits beyond the ability to enjoy water safely. It helps children strive for physical achievement, promotes healthy living and builds their confidence. Enroll in Y swimming lessons today!
Summer Day Camp Swimming Lessons
Standard Swimming Lessons
One-Week Swimming Lessons
For the first time, the McGaw YMCA and the Greater Joliet Area YMCA joined forces to send more than 70 Y Achievers high school students on a three-day Spring Break College Tour to seven schools in Tennessee.
The recent tour brought together more than 70 high school students from the two organizations who participate in the Y Achievers program. Y Achievers provides an essential safety net for high school students at risk of not completing high school or continuing on to higher education. Many of those who participate are the first in their families to consider attending college.
The students were immersed in a variety of higher learning institutions to broaden their understanding of possible options. They spent time at private schools like Christian Brothers University, public universities such as Tennesee State, and Historically Black Colleges & Universities like Fisk University.
“The college bus tour is the highlight of the year for our Teen Achievers,” said Maurice Fears, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s Executive Director of Teen and Young Adult Advancement. “The experiences these young people gain over a three to four day span can be life-changing. This year’s trip was made even more special because they got to share this milestone trip with new friends and fellow Achievers from the McGaw YMCA.”
Plus, the two Y Achievers groups got to broaden their friendships by getting to know each other through group “off the record” discussions where they shared their worries, and hopes, for college.
“It gave the students an opportunity to build community together,” said Jace Smith, manager of the McGaw YMCA Y Achievers. “They may come from different parts of Illinois, but they’re experiencing some of the same challenges.”
While freshmen through seniors went on the trip, seeing colleges up close was particularly inspiring for the juniors, who returned facing SAT tests and the prospect of college applications.
McGaw Y Achiever Kirkland Codd, said he learned the most not from college tour guides or professors, but from the students themselves. At each of the seven Tennessee colleges they visited, the Achievers had to approach a student and ask them about their freshman experience.
“The websites don’t always give you the full truth,” Kirkland said, “but the students let us know from their perspective. They kept saying, ‘You really got to stay on top of your books or else you’ll fall behind.’”
The McGaw YMCA (www.mcgawymca.org) is a cause-driven, charitable organization that seeks to strengthen community with a focus on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Through a continuum of programs, the McGaw YMCA has positively impacted the Evanston community for more than 130 years.
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has been serving families—regardless of age, income or background—from throughout Will County and its surrounding areas since 1928. A mainstay in the Joliet community for more than 85 years, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health, and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests.
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Y has earned this top distinction. According to Charity Navigator, only seven percent of the charities they evaluate have ever received five or more consecutive 4-star ratings.
As one of the area’s leading nonprofit charities, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA is committed to strengthening local communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. A mainstay in the Joliet community for more than 85 years, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health, and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. Through its financial assistance and scholarship program, the Y works to fulfill its mission of ensuring that its programs are available to everyone and no one is turned away due to the inability to pay.
“The Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds the Joliet Y to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity when they decide to support the Y.”
Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These Accountability & Transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. On June 1, 2016, they upgraded their methodology for rating each charity’s’ financial health with CN 2.1. These enhancements further substantiate the financial health of each four star charity.
Prepare this stuffed cherry tomato recipe as an appetizer for your next social gathering or as a simple springtime snack. On a warm spring day, this dish is a home run!
Serving Size: 4 Pieces
Calories: 88, Protein 2g, Fat: 8g, Total Carbohydrate: 4g, Sodium: 391g
Ingredients
Instructions
Source: foodnetwork.com
“Healthy at Home” is a series of healthy recipes curated by Morris Hospital Clinical Dietitian Liz Fischer.
On a milestone night that celebrated its tenth anniversary, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA Giving Gala raised more than $140,000 in support of the Y’s scholarship fund—the most in event history. Held Feb. 25 at the elegant Bolingbrook Golf Club, the annual fundraising event featured dinner, live entertainment and opportunities to bid on an assortment of silent and live auction items.
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has been serving families, regardless of age, income or background, from throughout Will County and its surrounding areas for more than 85 years. Since its inception, the Giving Gala has raised more than $740,000 to benefit families within those communities, helping to ensure that that no one is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay.
