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!
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.
My Y Rewards Special November Earnings Event
MY Y REWARDS SPECIAL NOVEMBER EARNINGS EVENT
Get ready to burn off those Halloween candy calories with a special bonus for My Y Rewards program participants!
Greater Joliet Area YMCA Facility Members, ages 16 and up, enrolled in the My Y Rewards program will receive 100 bonus points if they attend eight group fitness classes in the month of November .
Learn how to enroll by clicking below.
Upon enrolling in the My Y Rewards Program, you’ll also earn points each time you check-in, take a class, or refer a friend to the Y. In fact, you’ll earn your first 50 points for simply enrolling in the program. You can then redeem your points for fun Y swag and program and membership credits.
If you should have any questions or any feedback on the My Y Rewards Program, please be sure to stop by the Membership Desk during your next visit or email [email protected].
Strengthening Our Community: PINK OUT for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Y wants to help by encouraging our community to wear pink during the week of October 21-27!
Members who wear pink to the Y will earn an entry into a raffle to win special Y swag. (Max. 7 entries.) Daily raffles will be held at each branch.
STOP BY THE Y AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
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.
OPENING DAY FOR THE NEW MORRIS HOSPITAL YMCA SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 16

Early Bird Memberships Available Through December 1
The Greater Joliet Area YMCA announced today that the new Morris Hospital YMCA, which will be located at 2200 W. Dupont Avenue, will officially open its doors to serve the community on Monday, December 16. This much-anticipated grand opening date will mark the culmination of a 19-month construction phase for Grundy County’s first full-facility YMCA.
Built in partnership with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers, the new 60,000-square-foot YMCA facility will feature an eight-lane lap pool, a state-of-the-art health and wellness center, a gymnasium and indoor walking track, group exercise studios, a cycling room, a healthy eating kitchen, engaging youth play spaces, and meeting rooms. Surrounded by property that is planned for residential development, the new YMCA will be located adjacent to Morris Grade School and West Side Park, and will feature an outdoor walking track.
A mainstay in the Grundy County community for the last decade, the YMCA has been working collaboratively with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers to enhance the health and wellness of Grundy County residents since opening its temporary facility in 2015 in downtown Morris. In its new home on Dupont Avenue, the YMCA will offer expanded year-round programs in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility for residents of all ages.
“We are very excited to welcome the community to the new Morris Hospital YMCA,” said Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and Chief Executive Officer Katy Leclair. “We look forward to working with our partners at Morris Hospital to create a welcoming community center where residents of all ages can participate in high-quality and impactful programs. December 16 will be a monumental day as we officially open our doors on Dupont Avenue and see the dreams of our generous donors and community partners, loyal YMCA members, and hardworking volunteers and employees realized,” added Leclair.
As construction of the new facility nears completion, area residents are invited to take advantage of exclusive pre-opening membership opportunities as part of the YMCA’s Early Bird Membership Sale, which will run through December 1. Early Bird Members will enjoy priority access when the new facility opens in December.
YMCA Facility Members enjoy significant cost-savings and priority registration on YMCA programs, and receive free access to the YMCA’s On the Go App, as well as unlimited guest passes. Ensuring that no one is turned away from the YMCA due to the inability to pay, the Y proudly invests nearly $1 million into its members and the community each year through its financial assistance program, providing scholarship assistance and free community programming.
The YMCA will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and community open house on Saturday, January 11, 2025.
JOIN THE MORRIS HOSPITAL YMCA
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