Community Health — Greater Joliet Area YMCA

Always Here For Our Community: Members Invited to Participate in Daily Prayer Calls

March 18, 2020

At the Y, we remain dedicated to providing support for the mind, body and spirit of our members and individuals living in our communities. In keeping with our mission, and to support our community during these very uncertain times, the Y will begin hosting daily prayer calls.

Prayer calls will be held Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m. and will be led by a member of the Y’s staff team. To participate, please follow the steps below. Please note the meeting ID number has changed from prior calls:

Dial (312) 626-6799
When prompted, enter the meeting ID of 623-283-850 and then press #
When prompted for a participant number, press #

If you would like to submit a message of prayer you can do so by clicking here.

We thank you for your continued support of the Y.

Keeping You Informed: Local Food Distribution Sites

March 18, 2020

LAST UPDATED: March 18, 3:30 p.m.

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA wants to help keep the community informed about food distribution available at various schools and pantries throughout the area. A breakdown of important information can be found below. Please note: All information is subject to change. Individuals should contact their local school or food pantry officials with any additional questions.

Joliet Public Schools District 86

Joliet Public Schools District 86 will provide FREE Grab and Go Meals to any child under the age of 18 years old from Tuesday, March 17 through Friday, March 20 2020, as well as Monday, March 30, 2020. The meals will be available for curbside pick-up at District 86 Junior High Schools for all District 86 Students from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Children are encouraged to be in the car when picking up the meals.

-Dirksen (Midland Avenue side parking lot-horseshoe, Door #18)
-Gompers (Briggs Street parking lot, Door #27)
-Hufford (Ingalls Avenue parking lot, Door #26)
-Washington (Richards Street parking lot, Door #24)

Plainfield School District 202

Free meals will be available for any child 18 years and younger. Families will be able to come in, grab a meal and go at the following times:

• 7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast and Lunch meals may be picked up

• 12-1 p.m.: Lunch meals only may be picked up

• If you are not able to pick up a meal, please call (815) 577- 4046.

Meals can be picked up at your corresponding home high school. Please enter through the assigned door.

Families should pick up meals at the locations below based on student’s home school:

Plainfield South High School 7800 W Caton Farm Road, Plainfield (Door N)
-Ridge Elementary, Charles Reed Elementary, Meadow View Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary Aux Sable Middle School, Drauden Point Middle School

Plainfield North High School 12005 S 248th Street, Plainfield (Door N)
-Freedom Elementary, Eagle Pointe Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Walker’s Grove Elementary, Heritage Grove Middle School, Ira Jones Middle School

Plainfield Central High School 24120 W Fort Beggs Drive, Plainfield (Door A)
-Central Elementary, Riverview Elementary, Wesmere Elementary, Grand Prairie Elementary, Crystal Lawns Elementary, Creekside Elementary, Timber Ridge Middle School, Indian Trail Middle School,Plainfield Academy, Bonnie McBeth Learning Center and Ina Brixey Learning Center

Plainfield East High School 12001 S. Naperville Road, Plainfield (Door N)
-Eichelberger Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Creekside Elementary, and Lakewood Falls Elementary, John F. Kennedy Middle School

Spanish Version

Call (815) 577-4046 if you cannot pick up a meal.

Morris School District 54

Free lunches will be provided for ALL children in Morris (18 years of age and under). If you would like to receive a lunch for your kids, please fill out this form. YOU MUST FILL OUT THE FORM SEPARATELY FOR EACH CHILD YOU ARE REQUESTING A LUNCH. If you cannot fill out the form for any reason, you may call the office at (815) 942-0056 to place your order. All orders need to be in by 10 am in order to be ready for that day’s pick-up. You may order for multiple days on the form or on your phone call.

Lunch Pick-Up will be each day from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Morris Grade School. Please come to Door 24 to pick-up the lunch. If you have any questions or additional needs, please contact your school administrator.

Fairmont School District 89

Fairmont School will be delivering breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Thursday to the following locations:

-Fairmont School Parking Lot – 1:00 p.m.
-Corner of Princeton Ave. & Green Garden – 12:40 p.m.
-Church parking lot at Corner of Bruce & Green Garden – 1:20 p.m.
-Mt. Ebel Church Parking Lot – 1:30 p.m.

Elwood School District 203

Joliet Township High School has offered to serve the Elwood School students a free daily grab and go lunch during the five days of mandated closure, March 17-20 and March 30. LUNCH SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE DURING SPRING BREAK.

Lunches are available at:
– Joliet Central High School outside the main entrance from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
-Joliet West High School outside door #6 (near the cafeteria) from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

If the state mandated closure is continued past March 31, Elwood School will offer a grab and go lunch at their home facility, however, a tentative participation count is needed. Families are encouraged to complete the survery on the district website regarding the possible grab and go lunch program.

Troy School District 30-C

Troy CCSD 30-C will be offering both “grab and go” breakfast and lunch bags through our food service provider to all Troy community children under the age of 18. Pickup time is from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at the locations listed below:
–Craughwell Door #4 (front of building)
-Heritage Trail Door #5 (east side of building)
-TMS Door #3 (front of building)

Rockdale School District 84

Rockdale School District 84 is planning to provide meals for any child 18 years old and younger during the school closure, Tuesday, March 17th through Friday, March 20th and Monday, March 30th. Students will pick up both a breakfast and a lunch at the same time between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will not be provided during Spring Break, March 23rd-27th . Both meals will be picked up at the same time each day on Connell Avenue at the crosswalk. Parents and students are encouraged to turn from Meadow Avenue and proceed north on Connell Avenue up to the crosswalk where staff will be waiting to hand both meals to parents or students.

Laraway School District 70-C

Laraway School District will have daily breakfast and lunch pickups at the Oak Valley School (now the National Hook Up of Black Women Headquarters) for any child 18 years old and younger during the school closure. The address is 1705 Richards Street in Joliet.

Students can pick up the current day’s lunch as well as the next day’s breakfast. The meals will be cold, grab & go options. Families should check the Laraway website www.laraway70c.org for changes or updates.

Minooka School District 111

Meals will be provided as needed for students on Wednesday, March 18th for pick up between the hours of 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Pick up will be at MCHS South Campus: 26655 W. Eames Street / Channahon, Illinois 60410 in the front of the building. There will be staff available to assist you during the pick up time. Meal packages will consist of meals for a number of days.

Union School District 81

More information will be posted when it becomes available.

Local Food Pantries

Please call ahead

Location Name	Adddress	City	Zip	Phone Number
Second Baptist Blessing Table and Food Pantry	156 S Joliet Street	Joliet	60436	815-726-3731 x 115
Blessing Bench Pantry	55 W Benton Street	Joliet	60432	815-722-4800
H.E.A.L Riverwalk Food Pantry	350 North Broadway	Joliet	60435	815-770-5672
Morningstar Mission	350 E Washington Street	Joliet	60433	815-722-5780
Spanish Community Center*	309 N Eastern Ave	Joliet	60432	815-727-3683
Sacred Heart – Family Table Soup Kitchen	329 S Ottawa Street	Joliet	60436	815-722-0295
Christ Temple Food Pantry	212 Richards Street	Joliet	60433	815-722-3505
Glory Tabernacle	459 N Ottawa St.	Joliet	60432	815-722-1350
St. John the Baptist Food Pantry	260 Division Street	Joliet	60435	815-727-1143
New Testament Fellowship	515 N Scott	Joliet	60432	815-774-0662
Salvation Army Joliet	300 Third Ave	Joliet	60433	815-726-4834
Warren Sharpe Community Center	454 S Joliet St	Joliet	60436	815-722-2727
Daybreak Shepherd’s Table	611 E Cass Street	Joliet	60432	815-774-4663
St. Patrick’s Food Pantry	710 W Marion Street	Joliet	60436	815-727-4746
Will County Baptist Temple	625 McDonough Street	Joliet	60436	815-726-4127
Life Spring/Iglesia Bethania Church Pantry	1000 Hacker Avenue	Joliet	60432	815-436-7633
Ridgewood United Community Pantry	301 Fairbanks Ave.	Joliet	60432	815-722-2383
Lively Hope Church Of God	308 N. Midland	Joliet	60435	815-741-2377
Lebanon Dist. Laymen Min Soup Kitchen	402 Singleton Place	Joliet	60436	815-723-9445
Forest Park Community Center	1017 Woodruff Road	Joliet	60432	815-727-7898
Fellowship Bible – Joliet	122 Morris Street	Joliet	60436	815-205-3005
Family Outreach Program Inc	1701 N Larkin Ave	Crest Hill	60403	815-730-9567
Calvary Church Pantry	129 W. Benton	Naperville	60540	630-851-7000
Plainfield Area Interfaith FP	22525 W Lockport St	Plainfield	60544	815-439-8394
Green Harvest Food Pantry	25448 Ruff St	Plainfield	60585	630-416-1109
St. John Lutheran Church	2650 Plainfield Road	Joliet	60435	815-439-2320
Harvest Baptist Food Pantry	5315 Douglas Road	Oswego	60543	630-554-3858
We Care of Romeoville	219 Arlington Drive	Romeoville	60446	815-919-3233
Romeoville Community Pantry	2 Belmont Drive	Romeoville	60446	815-570-9772
Love Fellowship Baptist Church	730 N. Independence Blvd	Romeoville	60046	815-886-8420
Soul Food Pantry	2800 Black Road	Joliet	60435	815-725-6835
Restoration Christian Church	114 Channahon Street	Shorewood	60404	815-513-0228
4KIDS Sake Food Pantry	192 Lily Cache Ln.	Bolingbrook	60490	630-945-1317
Lockport Fish Food Pantry	604 E 9th Street	Lockport	60441	815-588-3543
First Baptist Church Pantry	800 Thornton	Lockport	60441	815-838-4004
Fairmont Food Pantry	525 Barry Avenue	Lockport	60441	815-723-3577
New Testament Fellowship	515 N Scott	Joliet	60432	815-774-0662
We Care of Grundy County, Inc.	530 Bedford Rd.	Morris	60450	815-942-6389
Saratoga Tower	1700 Newton Place	Morris	60450	No number listed
Coal City Food Pantry	6805 E McArdle Road	Coal City	60416	815-216-3288
Minooka Bible Church	412 N Wabena Avenue	Minooka	60447	815-467-2205

*Hosting a food pantry every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its office, 309 N Eastern Ave, Joliet. Just bring an ID of any kind (student ID/state ID/Daybreak Shelter ID, etc).

Let’s Work Together: Important Public Health Information from the YMCA

March 4, 2020

As you likely are aware, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to closely monitor an outbreak of a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. This virus was first detected in China, and continues to expand in various locations throughout the world, including cities in the United States. It is important to note that the CDC has shared that currently the health risk to the general public from coronavirus is considered low.

The health and well-being of our members is our utmost priority. In an effort to support you, our staff, and our communities, we have been in contact with our local health department and area hospitals, and will continue to monitor updates from the CDC and local, state and federal health departments in the coming weeks and months.

In the event this virus becomes a significant threat to our YMCA community, we will follow protocols put into place by the CDC and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). At this time, the best way to protect against coronavirus is by taking the same daily precautions one would follow to avoid getting sick.

Here are some simple things that you can do to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy:

The 3 C’s

Clean: Please wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Cover: Please cover your mouth with a tissue or your sleeve if you cough or sneeze.
Contain: If your child is sick, please keep him/her home until he/she is free of a fever and other symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of symptom-reducing medicines. Please follow normal absence reporting procedures to notify your child’s program site if they will not be in attendance.

With the recent increase in media coverage about the coronavirus, some children may be asking questions and sharing concerns about COVID-19. These tips may provide a helpful starting point for discussions with your family. We have also included some additional resources below:

ADDITIONAL COVID-19 RESOURCES

Illinois Department of Public Health: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/

World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/

At the Y, we believe in the power of community, and the importance of neighbors helping neighbors. In challenging times, we have the opportunity to work together to make our community stronger. We will continue to monitor and share further updates in the event that new information directly impacts our YMCA community.

Friendships Happen Here: Kelley and Hannah’s Story

February 28, 2020

Kelley Getzelman (left) and Hannah Chapman (right) gave birth to sons Bishop and Teddy last fall after participating in the Prenatal Exercise Class at the Morris Community YMCA.

Fitness classes at the Y not only can help improve your physical health, they are also a great way to meet new people and share valuable life experiences. For Kelley Getzelman and Hannah Chapman, the Prenatal Exercise Class held at the Morris Community YMCA not only allowed the soon-to-be-mothers to stay active during their pregnancies, it provided the foundation for a new friendship.

Kelley moved to Marseilles last summer and attended her first Prenatal Exercise Class at the Y in June. Hannah, who also lives in Marseilles, had already been attending classes for a few weeks when they met. They soon found that they shared many things in common.

“We wound up having a bunch of connections. I work with Hannah’s mom, both our husbands are named Adam, and we live like 10 minutes apart,” Kelley said.

Hannah said that she and Kelley went out for coffee after attending their first class together and were able to provide support for each other during an important time in their lives.

“We both really didn’t know anyone else who was pregnant at the time,” Hannah said. “And with this being the first baby for both of us, we were terrified and excited at the same time. It was really nice to have somebody to bounce thoughts off of.”

Gaining a friend coincided with a learning experience to maintain strong health during pregnancy.

“The class was very educational. Before I started working out, I was terrified that everything I might do would hurt the baby,” Kelley said. “Once the class starts you realize that there is plenty of stuff that you can do and you don’t have to be scared.”

Hannah said instructors Leigh Anne and Lisa found the right balance between allowing participants to go at their own pace while providing important tips.

“You still have abs even when you are pregnant. You can’t see them, but they exist. I loved working with the kettlebells and I always joked that I would bring a yoga ball into the delivery room,” Hannah said.

Hannah’s son Teddy was born on October 31 while Kelley gave birth to a son of her own, Bishop, on November 6. The healthy boys are kindling a friendship that parallels the one their moms continue to share.

“Having been new to this whole area, being able to come in and meet people like Hannah has been very welcoming. And the boys even share a babysitter now,” Kelley said.

And it would not have happened without the help of the Y.

“The class is an awesome community resource from a social standpoint, let alone from a health standpoint,” Hannah said. “I can’t imagine going through pregnancy and not having this exercise outlet again.”

The Prenatal Exercise Class is made possible through a partnership with Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers. It is free and open to the community and runs on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:25-6:15 p.m. To learn more and to confirm future class times, please contact the Y at (815) 513-8080.

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Partnering with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois to Host February Blood Drives

February 13, 2020

In the United States someone needs donated blood every two seconds and a single blood donation can save up to 3 lives! That is why the Greater Joliet Area YMCA is excited to partner with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois to host a set of blood drives this February. Versiti will be collecting blood donations on the following dates:

Monday, February 24
Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: C.W. Avery Family YMCA
Schedule an Appointment

Wednesday, February 26
Time: 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Smith Family YMCA
Schedule an Appointment

Thursday, February 27
Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location Galowich Family YMCA
Schedule an Appointment

Appointments are recommended but walk-ins will still be welcome. Photo ID is required. Donors are encouraged to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water prior to giving blood. Donors will also receive a $10 Colonial Cafe Coupon (while supplies last). If you have any questions, please contact:

Adriana Garcia
YMCA Human Resources Generalist
(815) 782-0817
[email protected]mca.org

Always Here for You: Military Family Month

November 11, 2019

November is Military Family Month. As a leading community-based organization, the YMCA is dedicated to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA offers the following tips to help children of military families cope while loved ones serve overseas:

Avoid the Countdown

Try not to focus on the expected homecoming date of a loved one serving overseas as these dates can change. Instead, emphasize how your loved one will be home once the work is done.

Give a Geography Lesson

Consider using maps and books to help teach your children about the place or region where their loved one is stationed. This can help to empower children and provide them with some comfort.

Family Ties that Bind

To help your child stay connected to their loved one during separation, try building a holiday care package. And, be sure to take advantage of services like United Through Reading that videotapes a parent reading their child’s favorite book. Or, you may want to consider the Armed Services YMCA’s Operation Kid Comfort program, which provides a personally handcrafted quilt or pillow.

Monitor the Media

News stories can scare or alarm children. Be sure to keep an eye on their media exposure and be prepared to answer questions prompted by what they see and hear.

Take Advantage of the Internet

Facebook, Skype and other chat services are a great way for your child to keep in touch with their loved one in real-time. This also allows your child to see that their loved one is safe while providing important bonding time.

Find Time for You

When a loved one is away, the remaining caregiver takes on the brunt of the family responsibilities. This can be stressful, and many Ys offer discounted membership opportunities for active military personnel. The Greater Joliet Area YMCA offers a $0 Joiner’s Fee and a complimentary one month adult or family membership for those with an active military card. To learn more about our Military Outreach program, please contact Volunteer and Community Engagement Director Dori Fugate at (815) 267-8600, ext. 210 or via email at [email protected].

Thank you to those who have dedicated themselves to serving our country. We are grateful for your service.