Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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Registration Underway for 2025 YMCA Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge

Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge Starting November 17

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, 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 17 and November 23)
Week 8 (some time between January 5 and January 9)

There will also be optional weigh-in:
Week 4 (some time between December 12 and December 14)

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 Hospital YMCA

Cost: $30

PLEASE NOTE: Registration closes on November 16.

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YMCA Staff Profile: Meet JETS Assistant Head Swim Coach Manny Arriola

The JETS YMCA Swim Team, one of the area’s most historic youth swimming clubs, is a year-round competitive swimming program that offers instruction and training for swimmers, ages six and up. This fall, we were excited to welcome Manny Arriola as the team’s assistant head swim coach. Manny has been a familiar face in YMCA aquatics programs for the past three years, and brings a wide range of instructional experience to his new role. You can learn more about him in the Q&A below.

Q: Can you describe your background in aquatics and past experience with the YMCA?

My swimming journey began when I was nine years old. I swam for the Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club (CWAC) until I started high school. I then became a member of the swim and water polo teams at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.

I started my coaching career in September 2023 as an assistant for the JETS, and I have enjoyed working with all the amazing staff and coaches I have met during my time here. I have learned a lot about coaching from all of them. In addition to working with the JETS, I previously served as head lifeguard at the Galowich Family YMCA, which allowed me to teach training classes to prospective lifeguards. I have also worked with swimmers as a private swim instructor. 

Q: Why are you passionate about the JETS program?

With my competitive swimming background, I’ve always had a strong desire to stay connected to the sport. I gained countless life lessons as a swimmer and becoming a coach has given me the chance to give back to the community. Coaching for the JETS has given me a new perspective and allowed me to help shape the next generation of swimmers, both in the pool and in their day-to-day lives. What makes this experience even more meaningful is that I share the core values of the JETS and the YMCA as a whole. Supporting swimmers and their growth – physically, mentally, and emotionally – has been incredibly fulfilling. I’m truly grateful to be part of a community that reflects the values I believe in, and I’m proud to represent both the JETS and the YMCA

Q: What are the most important things parents/swimmers should know about the benefits of YMCA aquatics programming?

One important thing for parents and swimmers to understand is that YMCA aquatics programs go far beyond teaching swim lessons, they also help instill valuable life skills along the way.  From the earliest days of learning to float, to developing resilience after a tough race, every step becomes part of a meaningful Y story- one filled with growth, encouragement, and achievement. We also emphasize that our programs are inclusive, welcoming swimmers of all ages and skill levels. And, with the dedicated work of our instructors and directors, swimming at the Y is truly life-changing. It’s inspiring to witness how the Y transforms beginners into confident swimmers and more confident individuals overall.

Q: What is your overall coaching philosophy? 

I believe coaching goes beyond teaching technique; it’s about being a mentor and a positive influence. My coaching philosophy centers on empowering swimmers for personal growth in addition to athletic development. As a coach, I strive to instill the core values of the YMCA while helping swimmers build confidence, character, and resilience. Swimming uniquely combines individual achievement with team unity, offering a space where athletes learn to push themselves independently while supporting and growing alongside their teammates. Swimmers have the opportunity to meet new people, form friendships, and have fun – all while learning new skills. My goal is for swimmers to one day look back and recognize how much they improved not only as athletes, but as individuals. It’s this balance that makes the sport, and the coaching role, so meaningful.

Q: What are things to watch from the JETS during the fall/winter season?

With more than 200 swimmers, this is the largest the JETS team has ever been and we are so proud to expand our reach throughout the communities we serve. The launch of the JETS program at the Morris Hospital YMCA is a huge development. Welcoming a wave of new swimmers from Morris and the surrounding communities of Grundy County has been a great step forward for the program. Another milestone on the horizon is the anticipated opening of the new Village of Shorewood YMCA next spring, which will continue the expansion of the JETS program. The prospect of bringing in new swimmers and hosting more meets has generated a lot of enthusiasm among swimmers and families alike. It’s truly an exciting time to be a part of the JETS.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time outside the Y?

I have a variety of hobbies, but swimming remains one of my favorite ways to relax during my free time.  I still swim recreationally during my time off. If I had to choose my favorite swim strokes, I would pick backstroke and freestyle, but my favorite events overall are the individual medleys. I also enjoy reading, especially philosophy books and comic books, which I enjoy for their thought-provoking ideas and creative storytelling.

We are so excited to have Manny helping lead our JETS! To learn more about YMCA aquatics programs, click here.

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2026 YMCA Gala Slated for February 28

Sponsorship Opportunities Coming Soon

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA will host its annual Gala on Saturday, February 28, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. Festivities for the Y’s marquee fundraising event, which is generously presented by Midland States Bank, will include dinner, silent and live auctions, exciting raffles, and entertainment.

As the YMCA prepares to celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2026, this unforgettable evening will help to kick off our Centennial Celebration, highlighting the Y’s enduring impact in our community and the generous donors who help bring our mission to life each and every day. Now in its 18th year, the YMCA Gala has raised more than $2 million to benefit children, adults, and families living in our community. Funds raised from the 2026 Gala will benefit the Y’s Mission Strong Fund, which helps to ensure that no one is turned away from the YMCA due to the inability to pay.

Tickets for the 2026 YMCA Gala will go on sale in January. Exciting sponsorship opportunities for the Gala will be available beginning October 14.

To learn about this year’s event, please contact:

EVENT INFORMATION
Dori Fugate
Volunteer and Special Events Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (815) 782-0502

SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION
Donnie Chestnutt
Mission Advancement Director
Email: dchestnutt@jolietymca.org
Phone: (815) 782-0800

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Spreading Holiday Cheer: Pack-the-Truck Christmas Toy Collection Drive

BENEFITTING TOYS FOR TOTS

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA is teaming up with the United Parcel Service (UPS) to host a Christmas Toy Collection Drive to ensure every kid in our community has a toy to open this holiday season!

Help us make the holiday season a little brighter for families in need in our community by donating a new, unwrapped toy for a child, ages 17 and younger. We will also be collecting donations of gift wrap and bows.

This festive morning will include a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Members of the Plainfield Fire and Police Department will also be onsite to support this event.

Make your plans to join us!

Date: Saturday, November 15
Time: 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Location: 
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
15120 Wallin Drive
Plainfield, IL 60544

For more information about Toys For Tots in our area, click here.

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Strong Teams, Strong Kids: RJ Williams’s Y Story

At just ten years old, RJ Williams may not be the longest tenured Y member, but in the world of YMCA youth sports, he’s already a seasoned veteran.

“I think we started him with basketball skills at three years old,” RJ’s dad Robert said. “He did junior YBL and then after two years, I started coaching his teams. Now we’re ready for another season.”

In addition to basketball, RJ has participated in the YMCA’s flag football and soccer leagues. 

“There is a lot of cheering and I love being with my teammates,” RJ said. “I’ve learned new passing and shooting techniques from my coaches. They help me when I don’t know how to do something.”

Robert said that Y sports programs have allowed RJ to develop skills off the court as well.

“I remember bringing him into basketball in the early days and he was so shy,” Robert said. “After a couple years, he started to be recognized by the coaches and his ability to make friends improved. He’s built up a camaraderie with his teammates, as well as lifelong friendships.”

YMCA Youth Basketball League participant RJ Williams and his father Robert.

Robert believes the Y’s emphasis on promoting teamwork and the life lessons that can be learned from sports helps instill a positive self-image in players like RJ.

“You can see what the Y is about as an organization and everyone can benefit from it,” Robert said. “It’s all about character building and family building. Seeing kids be in Y programs and progress in all aspects of life is the key.”

YMCA youth sports programs teach kids the fundamentals of the game, while reinforcing the organization’s core character values- caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

RJ’s mom, Ebonie, believes that it was these values, which he learned at the Y, that helped him to recently advance to the quarterfinals of Colossal Impact’s Youth Athlete of the Year Competition, which benefited the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Why Not You Foundation for youth empowerment.

“RJ was very proud to represent our YMCA community,” Ebonie said. “The Y has played such a huge role in his growth as an athlete and a kid.”

And for kids thinking about playing sports at the Y, RJ’s message is simple.

“You’re going to have a lot of fun here,” he said.

The Y thanks the Williams family for their continued support of YMCA programs.

If you would like to sign up for the upcoming YBL season, today is the final day of our 2025 YBL Sale! Families who register using promo code YBLSALE2025 will save $10! Learn more and register today by clicking here.

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer basketball coach this winter, you can sign up by clicking here.

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Bringing Families Together: Marvin and Cannon Evans’ Y Story

For YMCA member Marvin Evans, Youth Basketball League (YBL) Saturdays at the Y are about more than just the numbers on the scoreboard. For him, the true value lies in sharing a love of the game that has been passed down through three generations of his family.

“Basketball has always been important in our family,” Marvin said. “Back in the 60s, both my dad and my uncle Roger Powell played at the YMCA, and I’ve been around the Y since I was a kid. As I grew older I went into the army and when I came back home and had kids, I wanted to get them involved in the game as well.”

Marvin, who serves as a volunteer coach for his son Cannon’s high school division team, said that the Y makes a significant impact in the community because it opens the door to players of all abilities.

“Not every kid is going to have the skill set to play on a high school team or in college, but everyone can play at the YMCA. And that’s really important to me,” he said. “I played at Joliet Central during my freshman and sophomore years of high school, but didn’t make the cut my junior and senior years. The good thing was I could always go to the Y and play basketball. That’s where I developed all my skills. Now I’m helping kids in similar situations.”

Marvin said that YMCA basketball not only keeps players like Cannon active on the court, but it builds character skills that will help in any facet of life. 

“Cannon really enjoys being a part of the team and I think that’s what keeps him going. It has really helped build his confidence. And I’ve seen with all the players, everyone out here is laughing and learning to play as a team,” he said. 

Cannon said the highlight of his experience in YBL was a deep run in last season’s league tournament.

“I remember getting third place in the tournament last year. We were short a few players and still made it that far. It was a lot of fun,” he said.

Ultimately, Marvin said he’s most proud to play a role in creating a positive community space for youth.

“I always see the joy in the kids when they are here at the Y. It’s always a place with smiles. It’s a family environment where kids can interact and be themselves.”

The Y would like to thank the Evans family for their continued support of the Y.

If you would like to sign up for the upcoming YBL season, now is the perfect time! Families who register by October 6 using promo code YBLSALE2025 will save $10! Learn more and register today by clicking here.

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer coach this winter, you can sign up to volunteer by clicking here.

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United Way