Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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All Together Better: Member Appreciation Week


BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THE Y
November 23-November 30

In appreciation of our fantastic members, the YMCA encourages you to invite your friends and family to join you at the Y for free during Thanksgiving week. This is the perfect opportunity for you to share the Y experience with the special people in your life.

Guests ages 18 and over must present a valid photo I.D., and sign in at the Membership Desk. Up to 6 guests are invited to join you per visit. Thanksgiving week guests will not count against members’ annual guest pass totals.

Please note: In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, all branches of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA will be closed on Thursday, November 28.

Changing Lives Through Giving

In today’s fast-paced world, it is so important to find time to slow down and enjoy the company of the people we are blessed to know and love. So often, we get caught in the hustle of our everyday lives, and before we know it, we are getting ready to turn the page on the calendar for the new year ahead. The holiday season is the perfect time for gratitude and reflection, and we want to thank everyone who plays a part in helping the Y serve our community.

At a time when many people are considering year-end gifts, we invite you to make a contribution to the YMCA. Your gift will support our BE THE GOOD Annual Campaign, which helps to ensure that no one is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay. Please know that your gift this holiday season will help change the lives of people living right here in our community including:

  • Children learning to swim and feel safe around water, as well as building life-long friendships in summer camp and through our before and after school programs
  • Teens becoming equipped for life after high school while participating in college readiness and career training programs
  • Families finding time to connect and spend quality time together
  • Seniors becoming physically stronger and experiencing a sense of community

You can stop by your local Y to pledge your gift or submit a gift online. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all gifts to the YMCA are tax-deductible.

In appreciation, anyone who makes a charitable gift of $50 or more from November 15 through December 31 will have a chance to win a free 6-month family membership for themselves along with a free 6-month family membership to gift to a friend.

Thank you for your careful consideration to support the Y and its mission. Donate to the Y today!

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Inducted Into Project Acclaim’s Hall of Pride


The Greater Joliet Area YMCA was inducted in Project Acclaim’s Hall of Pride at their annual banquet on Thursday, November 7. The theme of this year’s banquet was Joliet Renaissance: Celebrating Our Rich History, Embracing Our Bright Future, which reflected the work of the honorees and their impact on the community.

Project Acclaim, formerly Project Pride, was founded by Reverend James E. Allen in 1985 during a troubled period in the Joliet area.  Allen formed the organization alongside a group of downtown clergymen to highlight the positive aspects of Joliet, which included the establishment of Joliet’s Hall of Pride.  Since its establishment, approximately 140 individuals and organizations have been inducted into the Hall of Pride.

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 90 years, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health, and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. At the Y, no one is ever turned away due to the inability to pay. Last year, the Y provided nearly $1.5 million in scholarship assistance to children, families, and seniors who otherwise would not have been able to experience Y programming. Partnerships with the United Way of Will and Grundy Counties, as well as donations and grants from area individuals, businesses, and organizations allowed the Y to provide assistance to over 9,100 individuals in the greater Joliet area last year.

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Named 2019 Top Workplace by Chicago Tribune

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has been awarded a 2019 Top Workplaces honor by the Chicago Tribune. A four-time Top Workplace honoree, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has been serving families in Will, Grundy and Kendall Counties for more than 90 years.

The Top Workplaces list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“The Top Workplaces award is about much more than recognition and celebration,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “Our research also shows that these organizations achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. It just goes to show that being intentional about culture delivers bottom-line results.”

“Being recognized as a Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune for the fourth time is an incredible honor for our YMCA,” said President and CEO James Watts. “Our staff team is our greatest asset, and it is truly a privilege to work alongside them each and every day. With the support of our dedicated community volunteers, we have worked very hard to build a staff culture where we can have fun and get a lot done while furthering the Y’s mission in the communities we serve,” added Watts.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has nearly 500 full and part-time staff who work at four locations in Will and Grundy Counties. Driven by its mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health, and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. But, most importantly, its doors are open to everyone, regardless of age, income or background. At the Y, no one is ever turned away due to the inability to pay.

Meet Healthy Living and Senior Activities Coordinator Cindy Moss

The Y promotes a lifetime of healthy living and in recent years, the Y has introduced many new programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of older adults. The Y’s Blood-Pressure Self-Monitoring and Diabetes Self-Management programs are geared toward helping individuals improve their day-to-day health, while our Fab 50 Program gives seniors an opportunity to participate in exciting activities while staying engaged in the community. 

At the helm of these important programs at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA is Cindy Moss, Healthy Living and Senior Activities Coordinator. Moss has been connected to the Y for over a decade and continues to enjoy her time working with our members. You can get to know more about her from the Q&A below:

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Moss: I’ve been working for the Y for 13 years. I started out in aquatics teaching swim lessons and things progressed from there. I started teaching the medically based classes and ultimately became the Healthy Living and Senior Activities Coordinator. I love it. I work with seniors and it’s one of my favorite things to do. I love the camaraderie of the Fab 50 program.

Q: What are the most rewarding things about your job?

Moss: I love what our programs bring out in people. It’s incredible when you can see someone who is struggling with their health reach out and make the effort to change. When you see their positive outcomes it makes everything we do worth it.

Q: How do you view your role in the program?

Moss: I definitely see myself as a facilitator. I’m the helping hand to guide someone and be there as a supportive friend when people need one. Especially with seniors, they might not have a lot of outside support. When they are here, they are like family. They rally around each other.

Q: What are some of the moments during your time with the Y that stand out?

Moss: We had an individual graduate from our Take Charge of Your Diabetes program and she said if it wasn’t for the program she would still be taking medications, feeling sick and be unable to do as much as she has. She’s now taking more fitness classes and can actually go on vacations. 

We also have a program where the seniors interact with our Pint-Size Pupils. Our Fab 50 group will come in and read to the kids, and then the kids will sing and do performances for the seniors. One of our members, Leon, is 95 years old and loves coming in every day.

Q: What do you like to do outside of the Y?

Moss: I love to spend time with my husband and daughter. I enjoy FaceTiming with my son, he’s in the Marine Corps. I also love my dog. My husband and I enjoy going on walks with her. 

If you have any questions about the healthy living or senior programs offered at the Y, you can contact Cindy at (815) 782-0509 [email protected] 

Staying Active for Life: Stretch and Tone Fitness Class Benefits Seniors

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA is focused on serving the community and supporting a lifetime of healthy living. We also take pride in the partnerships we have built over the years to help achieve those goals. One of our newest partnerships, recently formed with Senior Services of Will County, has helped to introduce new fitness opportunities for area seniors.

Last year, Senior Services of Will County Executive Director Barry Kolanowski met with Y officials to discuss ways the two organizations might be able to work together to provide assistance and programming for seniors. From these conversations, it was determined one of the areas where combining resources would be most useful was through a Stretch and Tone Fitness Class.  

The class, which serves individuals 55 and older and emphasizes cardiovascular activity, flexibility and muscle toning, has now been taught by YMCA instructors at the Senior Services building since June.

“Having a class that is run by somebody who is a professional in that area gives seniors more encouragement to attend, and when they attend the class we reduce social isolation that can also occur for seniors,” Kolanowski said.  

Alissa Koenig, Health and Wellness Director for the Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs, has relished her time working as one of the class instructors.  

“It’s about giving seniors more opportunities. When they take this class they also find out what else the Y has to offer,” Koenig said. “When I speak to them many don’t know that we don’t turn anyone away due to the inability to pay.”

Koenig says she tries to take class participants on an adventure with movements coordinated to mimic real life scenarios. 

“One day we went to ‘the beach’. We went through parking the car, walking through the sand with high knees, and playing with imaginary beach balls. And these were all movements participants could add weights to,” Koenig said. “I’ve taught classes where we’ve ‘brought home the groceries’. We squatted, lifted them up, and simulated putting them away. It’s all about function.”

For someone like Elouise McNair, who has been attending classes since July, these exercises and continued positive reinforcement has led to great results.

“A girlfriend of mine talked me into coming. I’m a retiree and this gets me out of the house. I’ve lost a ton of weight, over 20 pounds,” McNair said. 

And her improvements have gone beyond muscles alone.

“I just like the exercise. I’m an aesmatic and I’ve been able to improve my breathing,” McNair said.

Koenig said she has noticed the wide range of positive steps participants are experiencing. 

“We’re definitely trying to maintain their quality of life. We’re seeing flexibility come back, we’re seeing balance come back. Many individuals have seen their blood pressure go down. And their spirits have improved,” she said. 

Kolanowksi said the partnership between Senior Services and the YMCA is in a position to grow. 

“We’re helping the Y identify the needs of the current aging population and in this case it is our first formal use of the Y in a class setting. We’re extraordinarily thankful for the results,” he said. 

The Stretch and Tone Fitness class runs at the Senior Services of Will County building on Tuesdays from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and is free to Y Facility Members.

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