Opening day for the Morris Hospital YMCA is less than a month away! And, as we prepare to welcome the community to this wonderful new facility, we invite you to take a look the membership welcome packet below to learn more about what the YMCA can do for you and your family!
Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Village of Shorewood YMCA Scheduled for November 21
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA announced today that it will hold a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Village of Shorewood YMCA from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 21. Open to the community, this celebration will be held at the site of the future facility, which will be located at 1801 W. Jefferson Street in Shorewood.
Located along the thriving Route 52 corridor, the new nearly 60,000-square-foot YMCA, which is being built in partnership with the Village of Shorewood, will feature a wellness center, gymnasium, an eight-lane lap pool, group exercise studios, community rooms, and outdoor spaces for summer camps and youth sports programs. Upon opening, the new facility will also serve as the home for the Y’s Regional Office, which provides support and leadership to all YMCA branches and program sites in Will and Grundy Counties. It is anticipated that the new Village of Shorewood YMCA will open its doors to the community in spring 2026.
Guests attending the Groundbreaking Ceremony are encouraged to park at the Shorewood Village Hall, which is located on the north side of Jefferson Street at 1 Towne Center Boulevard. Complimentary shuttles will be available to transport guests to and from the Groundbreaking site. Community Service Officers will also be onsite assisting guests crossing the street at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Wynstone Drive.
To learn more about the Village of Shorewood YMCA, please contact Executive Director Trisha Dust at (815) 744-3939 or visit www.jolietymca.org.
Celebrate the Holiday Season at the YMCA
Ho, Ho, Ho! This holiday season, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has a series of festive activities planned for you and your family. Come ready to spread joy and cheer and join us in a winter wonderland of fun!
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
Kids’ Night Out: Friendsgiving
Date: Friday, November 22
Time: 6:30-9 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
YMCA Kids’ Night Out is the perfect way for kids to have fun with their friends on a Friday night! Join us for a variety of Thanksgiving themed activities, games, sports, movies, and arts & crafts! Pizza and drinks will also be provided.
Cost: $15 for Facility Members, $30 for Community Members
PLEASE NOTE: Registration is required at least 48 hours in advance.
Holidays Around the World
Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
Join us for an evening highlighting holiday traditions around the world, including traditional holiday crafts, games, letters to Santa, reindeer food, bounce houses, a hot chocolate bar, and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus! Families can also donate an item to our Winter Clothing Drive for a chance to win a prize!
Cost: Free and open to the community. Registration is required.
Kids’ Night Out: Holiday Pajama Palooza
Date: Friday, December 13
Time: 6:30-9 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
YMCA Kids’ Night Out is the perfect way for kids to have fun with their friends on a Friday night! Join us for a variety of activities such as games, sports, movies, and arts & crafts. Pizza and drinks will also be provided. Don’t forget to wear your most festive pajamas!
Cost: $15 for Facility Members, $30 for Community Members
PLEASE NOTE: Registration is required at least 48 hours in advance.
Family Fitness Friday: Family Reindeer Games
Friday, December 20
6-7 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
These family oriented group fitness classes will help you and your family create healthy habits and have fun together! Celebrate the season with fun health and wellness activities fit for all ages! Open to ages 4 and up.
Cost: Free and open to the community,
Noon Year’s Eve Pool Party
Tuesday, December 31
10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
Back by popular demand! Make your plans to join us as we usher in the new year with a family-friendly party in the Y’s indoor waterpark. Festivities will include open swim, music, crafts, games, refreshments, and a New Year’s ‘countdown’ at noon.
Cost: $20, Open to Facility Members only.
PLEASE NOTE: Space is limited and registration is required.
Morris Community YMCA
Kids’ Night Out: Holiday Fun
Date: Friday, December 6
Time: 5:30-8 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
YMCA Kids’ Night Out is the perfect way for kids to have fun with their friends on a Friday night! Join us for a variety of holiday themed activities, games, arts, crafts and a movie!
Cost: $15 for Facility Members, $30 for Community Members
PLEASE NOTE: Registration is required at least 48 hours in advance.
Galowich Family YMCA
Winter Wonderland at the YMCA
Date: Friday, December 13
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
Santa Claus is coming to town and making a special stop at the Galowich Family YMCA! Enjoy making reindeer food, interacting with Santa, ornament decorating, and more.
Cost: Free and open to the community
PLEASE NOTE: Reservations are available in 30 minute time slots from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a picture with Santa. Registration is required.
Noon Year’s Eve Pool Party
Tuesday, December 31
10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
REGISTER TODAY
Make your plans to join us as we usher in the new year with a family-friendly party in the lap pool. Festivities will include open swim, music, crafts, games, refreshments, and a New Year’s ‘countdown’ at noon.
Cost: $20 for Facility Members, $30 for Community Members
PLEASE NOTE: Space is limited and registration is required.
2024 Heritage Club Celebration Honors Planned Giving to the Greater Joliet Area YMCA
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA hosted its 2024 Heritage Club Dinner at Mistwood Golf Club on Thursday, October 10. Held annually, this evening celebrates charitable giving at the YMCA and recognizes those donors who have chosen to make a legacy gift to the Y.
Heritage Club membership is granted to those individuals who have included a gift for the YMCA in their will or estate plans. Many Heritage Club members have also generously established a named endowment fund or supported the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund, which helps to ensure that no one is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay.
Message of Thanks
The evening began with Greater Joliet Area YMCA Endowment Committee Chair Susan Lee welcoming those in attendance and thanking them for their continued support of the Y’s mission. Lee also thanked the Salvation Army Band for providing the evening’s entertainment and previewed the stories of impact that would be shared throughout the night. Lee then invited Endowment Development Committee Volunteer Jackie Bersano to offer an invocation.
Celebration of Charitable Giving
Following dinner, Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair reflected on the incredible support the Y continues to receive from the community. She recognized the Y’s past donors, volunteers, and employees whose foresight and vision laid the groundwork to shape what the organization has become today.
Leclair then introduced Galowich Family Y member Yesenia Dominguez and her daughter Fernanda, who spoke about the impact YMCA programs have had on their family over the years. Yesenia described how her children have had wonderful experiences in the Y’s Summer Day Camp, Before and After School Kid Zone, and Teen REACH programs, and Fernanda shared that one of her future goals is to become a YMCA volunteer. Leclair presented Yesenia and Fernanda with gifts of appreciation and thanked them for sharing their story with all those in attendance.
The evening continued with a celebration of YMCA member, volunteer, and donor Bill Lauer. Lauer, who first visited the Y at the age of 8, is the longest active member at the Greater Joliet Area YMCA and was invited to share stories from his more than 80 years of experience in the Y community. Endowment Committee Volunteer Donna Zanzola was then welcomed to the podium to speak about Lauer’s impact as a volunteer.
Leclair concluded the evening by thanking Lauer for his incredible impact on YMCA staff members and his lifelong commitment to the Y’s mission and our community. She presented him with a gift in anticipation of his 90th birthday, and invited the room to sing happy birthday to celebrate.
An Invitation for Impact
The YMCA’s doors continue to expand with open arms and it is through gifts like those provided by Heritage Club members that make this possible.
To learn more about Heritage Club membership and the Y’s endowment fund, please visit:
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) and Star 96.7 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. Star 96.7’s Midday Host Jillian Bass will be at the YMCA broadcasting live from 10 a.m.-Noon. Members of the Plainfield Fire Department, Plainfield Police Department, and United States Marine Corps will also be onsite to support this event. 
Make your plans to join us!
Date: Saturday, November 2
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.
Erin Lightbody Named Executive Director of C.W. Avery Family YMCA
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA is proud to announce that Erin Lightbody has been named Executive Director of the C.W. Avery Family YMCA. Lightbody, who has worked for the Y since 2003, started her new role this month and we are excited to have her leading operations at our Plainfield location.
A seasoned YMCA professional with more than 20 years of experience, Lightbody began her YMCA career as a counselor/site-coordinator in the Y’s Before and After School Kid Zone program and was named the C.W. Avery Family YMCA’s Youth and Family Director in 2004. After leading youth development programming for 14 years in Plainfield, she became the YMCA’s Youth Operations Director in 2018, and has been instrumental in shaping youth programs across the association. Through her leadership, the YMCA has created and implemented policies and procedures that ensure the nearly 1,300 children who participate in Y programs each day have a safe, engaging, and enriching experience.
During her tenure at the Y, Lightbody not only helped the Y navigate the challenges of providing childcare services during the COVID pandemic, she also became a certified Praesidium Guardian, an award given to leaders who help ensure that an organization is following the highest industry standards for child abuse prevention. As a part of her certification, Lightbody completed an impact project designed to improve applicant screening for childcare positions in the Y’s summer day camp and before and after school programs.
“Taking the Praesidium Guardian class helped me take a look at the entire interview and training process for employees in our childcare programs and identify ways we can continue to improve hiring and onboarding candidates. Everything from start to finish has been made more robust. I look forward to continuing to support families in my new role, as well as all those that walk through the doors of the Y,” Lightbody said.
Lightbody also played a key role in supporting the expansion of YMCA child care programs into the Valley View School District, and she plans to continue to drive the YMCA’s mission forward by fostering a culture of excellence, community, and inclusion at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA.
“Erin brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to our organization,” Director of Branch & Program Operations Lisa Behounek said. “Throughout a remarkable YMCA career spanning more than two decades, Erin has consistently demonstrated her passion, leadership, and dedication to our mission. Her vision, attention to detail, and ability to connect with staff, children, and families alike make her the perfect fit for this role. We are excited to see her lead the C.W. Avery Family YMCA into the future.”
Lightbody has a degree in Business Administration/Sports Management from Aquinas College. She resides in Plainfield with her family.
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