At age 36, Angie Manheim, a mother of five from New Lenox, was diagnosed with arthritis. Year by year, her condition worsened, and by age 50, her mobility had decreased significantly. Her kids, Angie recalled, had to take care of her.
“I couldn’t do anything for myself,” she said. “It’s been a long, hard ride, believe me.”
While on a family vacation in the Lake of the Ozarks, Angie made a life-changing discovery: Swimming relieved the pain. Suddenly, her joints were no longer stiff.
Luckily, back home, a brand new YMCA had just been built—the Smith Family YMCA on Briggs Street—complete with a swimming pool. When she returned, signing up was a no-brainer. Angie began using the pool regularly and her health steadily improved.
“After about eight months, the staff saw how it helped me and asked me if I’d run a class,” Angie said.
Despite having any prior experience teaching, she agreed.
“My first group had 12 people,” she said. “I would just go through the motions I had gone through, and before you know it I had over 60 people.”
That was 37 years ago. Today, the class, now known as Rusty Hinges, remains an incredibly popular program among seniors who have arthritis and other ailments. Angie, at 87-years-old, still leads class three days a week. [Read more…]
Members of the 
In an effort to educate campers about bullying, Staley Da Bear, the official mascot of the Chicago Bears, paid a visit to the Galowich Family YMCA. Staley and an emcee led an anti-bullying demonstration known as “Bear Down on Bullies”—where campers engaged in hands-on activities to learn about the importance of respect and how to deal with and prevent bullying.
We 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.
All 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.
For 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.