- Celebrating a Successful 2026 Summer Camp Season at the YMCA
As we prepare to celebrate the unofficial end of summer this Labor Day weekend, the Y is taking a look back at the 2026 YMCA Summer Camp Season! It was another amazing summer filled with friendship, learning, and meaningful life experiences for everyone involved! We’d like to thank all of our camp families for spending the summer with us here at the YMCA and wish everyone all the best during the new school year.
We’d also like to thank all of our wonderful community partners who opened their doors and their hearts, allowing us to provide much-needed summer child care at locations throughout Will and Grundy Counties.
Finally, we’d like to thank our top-notch summer camp team for their boundless enthusiasm, compassion, and creativity. Their hard work and tireless dedication helped to ensure that each of our campers had a summer full of fun and adventures.
As we take a look back at the summer that was, let’s take a closer look at YMCA Summer Camp ‘By the Numbers:’
Eight Summer Day Camp Locations
With a little help from our friends, this year we hosted summer day camp at our YMCA facilities and at offsite locations throughout the community. Thank you, Salvation Army Joliet Corps Community Center, Messiah Lutheran Church, Plainfield School District 202, and Valley View School District 365U for opening your doors and helping us serve kids in our community this summer.Two Teen REACH Summer Camp Locations
We want to thank our partners at the Salvation Army and Joliet Junior College for helping us provide a free summer day camp program for 6th-8th grade students in Joliet, allowing campers access to life skills education, mentorship/career exploration, STEAM, and service learning activities.33 Summer Day Camp Volunteers
Student volunteers from local high schools, as well as volunteers from Catholic Charities of Joliet and Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, were a pivotal resource in our camp programs this summer. These wonderful volunteers provided assistance to Y staff and helped to ensure campers participated in a wide range of learning opportunities. We are proud to say that during the 2026 summer camp season, our incredible team of summer camp volunteers provided more than 1,600 hours of assistance in our camp programs.More than 300 Counselors
YMCA summer camp programs would not be possible without the dedication, versatility, and inspiring leadership of our camp staff team.More than 4,000 “Go Blue” Swim Lessons Taught
We are so thankful for the efforts of the aquatics teams at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA, Morris Hospital YMCA, and Village of Shorewood YMCA for helping campers learn the important life skill of swimming. You can learn more about the “Go Blue” initiative by visiting our blog.More Than $205,000 Raised by the Y’s Mission Strong Campaign
At the Y, nobody is turned away due to the inability to pay. And, this summer, 1 out of every 2 campers who attended summer day camp programs at the YMCA received financial assistance through our Mission Strong Fund. This was made possible thanks to precious funds gifted by generous donors.Thank you all again for a wonderful Summer Camp season! We look forward to seeing campers back at the YMCA next summer. Camp registration for the summer of 2027 will get underway next March!
- 2026 “Go Blue” Water Safety Program Helps Summer Day Campers Learn Important Life Skills
As America’s most trusted swim lesson instructor, the YMCA has been teaching kids how to swim for more than 100 years. Swim lessons at the YMCA help kids stay fit, healthy, and strong when they spend time in and around water. But, most importantly, they gain confidence and learn vital water safety skills that will last a lifetime.The YMCA’s Swim Lesson Curriculum is based on a continuum that focuses on a skill-based progression that builds confidence and supports skill development swimmers of all ages. This summer, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA was proud to once again provide swim lessons through our “Go Blue” initiative.
The “Go Blue” Water Safety Program was offered as a part of summer day camp activities at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA, Morris Hospital YMCA, and Village of Shorewood Family YMCA. At the start of the summer, campers completed mandatory swim tests before entering the pool and, based on their swimming abilities, received a red, yellow, or blue wristband. To “Go Blue” meant that swimmers had enough strength, skill, and confidence to pass the YMCA’s blue swim test, which included jumping into the deep end of the pool, treading water, and swimming the length of the pool using a front crawl stroke without stopping.
To improve their swimming skills, all red and yellow wristband campers participated in 15-minute swim lessons each week with the goal of “Going Blue” by the end of summer.
This year’s program served 767 campers and provided 4,345 swim lessons over the course of the summer. Here are the exciting results!
Start of Summer End of Summer Red Swimmers 31.68% 25.68% Yellow Swimmers 36.90% 23.86% Blue Swimmers 31.42% 50.46% During the first week of summer camp, only one third of the campers attained the highest swim level when tested. By the end of the final week of testing, more than half the campers had gone ‘Blue.’ Additionally, 46 campers that were previously required to wear life jackets when using YMCA pools as red level swimmers improved to a swim level where a life jacket was no longer needed.
We would like to thank the staff members on our amazing YMCA aquatics teams as well as the generous efforts of volunteer swim instructors for helping children learn these life-saving skills this summer.
- Celebrating a Century of Community: Greater Joliet Area YMCA Proud to Highlight Volunteers This September
Throughout the month of September, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA will be counting down to the Y’s 100th anniversary on September 29 by spotlighting the incredible volunteers who have helped shape our Y and strengthen our community. These individuals have been invited to share some of their favorite memories and moments from their Y experience, as well as what the Y means to them and the communities it serves.Be sure to follow along on our social media pages as we highlight these amazing volunters:
Facebook
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
Joliet Community YMCA
Morris Hospital YMCA
Village of Shorewood YMCAInstagram
LinkedIn
- Celebrate the Y’s Centennial with Special Fab 50 Events
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2026 and there are plenty of ways to join in on the fun during special Fab 50 events this month! All events are free and open to the community. Space is limited and registration is required. See details below.Village of Shorewood YMCA
Centennial Potluck
Tuesday, September 15
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.The Y will be providing the main dish and attendees are invited to bring a side dish/dessert of their choice. Stop by for fun, fellowship, and an exploration of 100 years of Y memories.
Morris Hospital YMCA
Centennial BINGO
Tuesday, September 15
11 a.m.-NoonStop by for fun rounds of centennial themed BINGO as well as fellowship and an exploration of 100 years of Y memories. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
Centennial Potluck
Wednesday, September 23
10:30 a.m.-NoonThe Y will be providing the main dish of chicken. Attendees are invited to bring a side dish/dessert of their choice. A sign-up sheet to bring a dish will be shared at Fab 50 social hour gatherings leading up to the event. Activities will also include 1920’s themed games of BINGO and ‘The Price is Right.’
- Stronger Today Because of Yesterday: Greater Joliet Area YMCA Unveils History Wall
In celebration of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s Centennial Anniversary in 2026, the Y unveiled a new history wall within the Village of Shorewood YMCA this week. This installation celebrates the visionary leaders, pivotal moments, and enduring milestones that have guided the Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s journey and deepened its impact across the community over the past 100 years.
We remain deeply grateful to the members, employees, volunteers, donors and community partners whose dedication to the Y’s mission and the residents of Will and Grundy Counties made this historic milestone possible. As we begin our second century of service, we remain guided by our mission, inspired by our history, and committed to strengthening our community and transforming lives for generations to come.
C.W. Avery, Central City, Galowich, Morris
