Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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Campers Volunteer at Sunny Hill Nursing Home

10582907_693766350676965_6395060137579952404_oAll 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.

“After their first day there, they loved it,” Youth and Family Manager Lynette Soto said, with an emphasis on the word ‘loved’. “They wanted to keep going back. They were always asking me ‘Miss Lynette, when are we going back?’”

When they returned, Miss Lynette noticed the children’s social skills were thriving more than ever.

“They would go up to residents and introduce themselves,” she said. “Their confidence went through the roof. There was no coaching by the counselors or myself. They just recognized that this was serious and this was something big that they were doing.”

In late June, the campers crafted colorful banners to decorate the facility in preparation for Independence Day. Towards the end of July, they had an outdoor party that included a variety of games and some refreshments.

“Our last time there, in August, we are putting on a show for them,” Miss Lynette said. “The kids want to do a talent show. They want to do a dance. Some kids want to do some tricks they know how to do. Some kids want to sing.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” she said.

View more photos here.

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My Y Memory: Michele Brown

IMG_7525In this photo, I was probably about eight-years-old, and my brother was about six. My mom signed us up for a week of day camp (like Galowich’s), where you went every day for a week. Our camp was at an actual campsite, though. We were bused from a local grade school to the campsite each day. I remember playing a lot of outdoor games, especially capture the flag. I was pretty little, so I remember being disappointed that I was captured so early in the game.

I vividly remember making a plaster of paris casts of animal footprints in the ground. I made a deer print casting. It was one of my favorite things I did that week. On the last night, we had an overnight, complete with campfire, stories, songs and s’mores.  I remember feeling very grown-up and independent when I walked around the campsite in the dark with my flashlight. I’ve always loved campfires, and I’m sure it started with that first one. My brother and I only went that one week, but I never forgot it.

I’ve sent all three of my girls to a sleep-away camp when they were younger. In two weeks, my youngest child, my 12-year-old son Josh, is going to YMCA Camp Benson for the second time. He had a great experience last year, and this year he’s old enough to do a few more things he couldn’t do last year. I hope to continue to send him in the years to come.

Michele Brown is the Membership Director for the Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs.

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A Giver Who Keeps On Giving

IMG_6977Mynne Schmidt, who is simply known as Sis around the Y, is a sweet woman with a big heart and an even bigger passion for swimming.

“I’ve been a swimmer for most of my life,” Sis said. “I learned to swim at five-years-old in the DuPage River. It put me onto a lifetime of swimming.”

For more than a decade, Sis has been a generous donor at the YMCA, where she’s had a membership since 1998. Each year, she donates at least $1,000 to benefit those who need membership and program scholarships. Recently, Sis decided to add to her legacy by giving an endowment of $10,000.

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Top 5 Reasons You Should Join the Y

2014-06-27_AOF_16523_RGBThe Staff

At the Y, you’re more than just a customer—you’re a friend. Furthermore, you’re a part of a strong community. Our staff is the piece that binds that community together, helping you achieve your goals and encouraging you every step along the way. That’s what sets the Y apart. We’re willing to go the distance to help our members learn, grow and thrive.

The Cause

The YMCA is more than just a gym. It’s a cause. As a nonprofit organization, we raise funds and provide assistance to those who need it most. At the Y, no one is turned away due to the inability to pay. And because of that, families can come to the Y for much-needed before school and after school programs, summer camps, youth sports, group fitness classes and swim lessons.

The Programs

Catering to all ages, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA offers a seemingly infinite amount of programs taught by hard-working, dedicated individuals. For health enthusiasts, we offer group fitness classes and private personal training sessions. For youngsters, we have youth sports leagues, swim lessons and a wide variety of camps. For seniors, we offer low-impact fitness and aquatic classes and much more! With so many offerings, we are sure to have programs and classes that fit your family’s needs and busy schedules.

The Facilities

Aside from a gymnasium, each of our facilities has a wellness center ideal for any workout routine, a lap pool for swim enthusiasts and a supervised playroom for before and after school needs. The Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs have all of the aforementioned amenities, along with a racquetball court. The C.W. Avery Family YMCA, the largest of our three branches, includes a renovated, state-of-the-art wellness center, an indoor running track and a family aquatic center with a water park, among many other amenities.

The Results

As mentioned before, we’re here to help you achieve your goals. Join our Y family and you’ll see the results! When you walk out the door, you’ll feel a sense of pride, accomplishment and pure joy.

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The Y’s resident grandmother

7777grandmateddybearsKnown for her maternal charm and endless hugs, Judith Kirkeeng, one of the Galowich Family Y’s most beloved members, often goes by Grandma Judy.

Grandma Judy is a charming, lovable woman who was born and raised in Joliet. She’s a regular at the Y, where she participates in one or two classes every morning—rain, snow or sunshine.

“The Y is kind of like my home,” she says, while drinking coffee after a Friday morning Zumba session. “This is an everyday thing for me.”

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Member Profile: John Vessel

imageClimbing To The Top

Sometimes the best stories are the most simple. Take John Vessel, for example, a Galowich Family YMCA member. John, the humble guy that he is, insists his story is “nothing elaborate or anything.” In a span of seven months, John, at age 44, lost over 60 pounds, and gradually worked his way to top physical form. He says his routine is pretty basic: He lifts weights and does some cardio. Not much more to it.

Like I said, John is a humble guy.

In late 2012, he realized he needed to live a healthier lifestyle, and put his Y membership to use.

“I thought, ‘I’ve got to give this a shot. I’m not getting any younger,’” he said.

John started swimming up to a mile a day—before ditching the lap pool for the wellness center, where he could do his cardio and listen to his iPod (“I couldn’t have done it without music.”).

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