Youth Development — Greater Joliet Area YMCA

Discover Your Potential: Alexandria Pride’s Story

August 9, 2019

The YMCA is a place where children can cultivate their talents, develop new skills and build bonds of friendship. Eleven year-old Alexandria Pride has been able to accomplish all three through her involvement with the C.W. Avery Family YMCA’s Thrive Dance Team.

“Dancing is a part of me and so is this team. I’ve grown up with it and it brings me joy. It’s a happy place for me,” Alex said.

Alex has been dancing at the Y since she was three years old and joined Thrive at the age of five. One of the highlights of her time in the program came back in March. Competing against over 150 dancers at the Starbound Competition in Elgin, she was one of just six to receive a scholarship for the New York Dance Experience, a day-long event held in Atlantic City.

Thrive Dance Team Director Kristen Derengowski said it was a deserving honor for somebody with as much passion as Alex.

“I have done a lot of choreography for (Alex) over the years. I’ve worked with her individually, in a duo, and in a group setting. She is a super hard worker,” Derengowski said.

In July, Alex and her mom traveled to the east coast for this amazing experience. While in Atlantic City, Alex got to meet an array of professional dancers and took part in training for a set of five routines.

“She was nervous in the beginning, but by the end of the day you could see her get more confident in everything she did,” Alex’s mom Kelly Pride said.

The event gave Alex a chance to be immersed in a wide range of dance styles.

“My favorite dance style is lyrical because I’m really good at showing emotion. But my favorite style we did at the Experience was the funk jazz because it was a mix between jazz and hip-hop. It was a new thing for me,” Alex said.

Alex said she learned the importance of being detail oriented when it comes to performing.

“One of the judges said that she would always rather have somebody go out on stage to do one single pirouette, and land it perfectly, than go on stage to do a bunch of tricks and mess them up,” she said.

Derengowski believes Alex’s experience will help the team in more ways than one when the fall dance season gets underway.

“It’s positive reinforcement that her hard work has paid off and she can be a motivating person for other dancers as well. She is starting to become more of a leader,” Derengowski said.

When not dancing herself, Alex volunteers with the Y’s Tiny Dancers (ages 2-3) and Dance Beginnings (ages 3-5) programs. She is also looking forward to trying out for Thrive’s newly created Hip-Hop group.

“When (Alex) first started she had idols that she looked up to and to watch the older girls progress was just amazing,” Kelly said. “She always said ‘Mommy, I’m going to be like that!’. This summer, she finally realized ‘I’m the big girl now!’. I’ve seen her grow so much with this organization. We are legitimately a family.”

Auditions for the Thrive Competition and Hip-Hop Teams will take place on Friday, August 16 with Performance Team tryouts set for the following day. Youth dancers of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to attend. You can learn more about the Y’s dance programs here.

Keeping Kids Healthy: Nutritional Snacks for Young Athletes

August 7, 2019

Youth Sports Leagues

With the beginning of fall sports seasons right around the corner, now’s the perfect time to begin searching for recipes for healthy snacks for your child both on and off the field. Providing healthy and nutritional snacks for your child is a great way to keep him/her energized and focused.

Be sure to check out these healthy snacks to help fuel your young athlete during their practices and games:

Fruit yogurt
Turkey with cheese wraps
Low-fat string cheese
Cold water with lemon

And, if you’re looking for the right post-game treat, you may want to consider these easy options:

Low-fat chocolate milk
Whole-grain granola bars
Bananas, apples or oranges

As a reminder, the Y’s Fall Youth Sports Leagues will get underway in mid-August. You can register your child for sports leagues online today or stop by the Y’s Membership Desk during your next visit.

To learn more about healthy snack options for athletes, head over to the full article, courtesy of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

CRANE COMPOSITES DONATES $2,500 TO GALOWICH FAMILY YMCA

July 29, 2019

The Galowich Family YMCA was honored to receive a $2,500 donation from the Crane Fund for Widows and Children last Friday ahead of our summer camp picnic.

Parker Schmitt, Plant Manager, and Michael Burns, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, of Crane Composites were on site to present the gift, which will provide scholarships for children and families at the Y, helping make programs and membership accessible for all, regardless of the ability to pay.

Crane Composites, located in Channahon, has transformed its plumbing business origins into a global company specializing in the manufacturing of engineered materials for aerospace and other industries.

The Crane Fund for Widows and Children was founded as a charitable trust in 1914. Annually, employees at Crane Composites locations around the country award grants to local agencies serving the needy and disadvantaged.

We thank Crane for this kind gift and the role it will play in our mission to provide opportunities for members of the community.

Pictured above (L-R): Senior Development Director Julie Wilkinson, CEO Jim Watts, Michael Burns and Parker Schmitt of Crane Composites, Galowich Youth and Family Director Stephen Franklin, Galowich Executive Director Patty Hall and area youth from the YMCA’s summer camp program..

Growing Confidence: Lani Hanley’s Story

July 24, 2019

Building self-confidence is one of the most important aspects of childhood. That is why the Y is focused on opening doors for kids to have positive life experiences. In the case of nine year-old Lani Hanley, a membership at the Morris Community YMCA helped restore an active lifestyle that was put in jeopardy only a few short months before.

Last October, Lani’s mom Dawn picked up Lani and her brother Elijah from school on what had up until then been a normal day. That changed soon after their seatbelts were buckled.

“We were getting ready to turn out of the school parking lot and we were hit by an impaired driver,” Dawn said. “We were hit on the driver’s side. Both kids were taken to Loyola Hospital. I stayed in Morris with back fractures. Lani had the worst amount of injuries and had to go right into surgery to repair her left arm and left leg.”

Lani would undergo additional surgeries in subsequent weeks and, thanks to the doctors at Loyola, these procedures were successful.

However, they told her parents early on that the rehabilitation would be challenging.

“She had plates and pins and screws, a lot of work done to put things back together. She was in a wheelchair for quite some time and she had to go through physical therapy to walk again,” Dawn said.

Lani’s strength and perseverance would allow her not only to walk, but to regain the confidence to return to athletic activity. Lani, a blackbelt in Taekwondo, was advised to use another activity with less contact to kickstart her full recovery. It was not hard to find inspiration.

“We were watching the NCAA Tournament while she was healing and she got really interested in basketball,” Dawn said. “We got the release for her to try (the Y) basketball camp on May 8 and I’m pretty sure I signed her up that night. She was very excited.”

It was the family’s first interaction with the YMCA and, though Lani had no prior experience with organized basketball, she took to hoops right away.

“At the beginning all of us had our own groups. My friends and I always helped each other,” Lani said.

Her positive attitude and energetic spirit caught the eye of Morris Sports Director Chris Interial.

“She’s on the smaller side but I see kids on every level participating and giving 100 percent and she was someone who stood out,” Interial said. “I would never have thought that she had been in an accident just months before.”

Lani’s dribbling skills were strong for a first-timer and as the muscles on the left side of her body got stronger, her shot eventually came along as well.

“Sometimes she would not get the result she wanted and she just kept going. She never got down on herself. She kept trying and she got better every day,” Interial said.

Dawn noticed the pep in Lani’s step after each camp session.

“She was all smiles every day when I picked her up so I know she had a great time,” Dawn said. “To see her be able to have some positive reinforcement from the coaches was awesome.”

Lani’s clean bill of health now allows her restart martial arts activity. But her time at the Y has fostered a new passion which has spread to other members of the family.

“We are definitely excited to sign up for the Youth Basketball League. Elijah wants to do some camps, but he’s only three so he has to wait,” Dawn said.

Registration for fall programming, including Youth Basketball Leagues, begins on August 3. To learn more about sports programs at your local Y, click here.

Everyone has a Y story, a way in which the YMCA has impacted your life. Believe it or not, your story has the power to inspire hundreds—if not thousands—of members to follow in your footsteps. To submit a Y story of your own, click here.

Learn, Grow and Thrive at YMCA Camp

April 5, 2019

YMCA Summer Camp

Spring is finally here, which means the end of the school year is right around the corner. And, as the school year winds down, you may find yourself thinking about the longest, impending break in the academic year—summer. If you’re looking for a fun, safe place to send your children this summer, consider enrolling them in YMCA summer camp. Summer camp is a great way for children to make friends and have a blast trying new things.

Enrolling your child in a summer camp will help him or her grow in many ways throughout the summer. Here are a few unique benefits of summer camp for youth:

Learn New Skills

Y camp offers children in grades K-8 the opportunity to participate in activities they may have never experienced before. From STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities to gardening and everything in between, camp participants have the chance to explore and learn new skills through adventure-filled experiences.

Did you know the Y offers specialty camps?

With help from the Grundy Area Vocational Center (GAVC), the Morris Community YMCA offers children in grades 5-9 a variety of specialty camps that focus on agriculture, automotive repair skills, computer maintenance, graphic design and cooking. These exciting camps will be held on the GAVC campus located adjacent to Morris High School.

And, the C.W. Avery Family YMCA in downtown Plainfield offers children, ages 6-10, a wide variety of specialty camps focused on arts, LEGO Adventures, gardening and so much more!

Nurture Independence

Throughout the summer, children can continue to discover and grow their independence. The summer camp environment gives children the opportunity to understand the thought process behind making good decisions for themselves with the help of our dedicated YMCA staff.

Build Self-Confidence

Camp participants are able to build their self-confidence by setting and achieving milestones through the many activities at Y camp. From trying a new sport to creating their first work of art, your child can learn the importance of hard work and success.

Improve Health and Well-being

YMCA summer camp encourages participants to practice healthy eating and physical activity habits. At camps in Plainfield and Morris, for example, children have the option to try healthy foods grown in the Y’s very own garden and take home healthy recipes to share with their friends and families. To incorporate the right amount of physical activity, camp participants have the opportunity to partake in a variety of physical activities during sports camps and swim time.

Registration for Y camp is underway! To learn more about our summer camp opportunities, visit www.jolietymca.org or speak with your local Y’s Youth and Family Director during your next visit.

To learn more about the benefits of sending your child to summer camp, click here.

Q&A with Coach Pat Sullivan

June 15, 2014

sully_web On July 12, Pat Sullivan will bring his famous one-day basketball clinic to the Smith Family YMCA in his hometown of Joliet. Sullivan is a Hall of Famer and former University of St. Francis basketball coach who has more than 500 victories under his belt. We recently had a chance to catch up with Sully and ask him a few things about his camp:

The Y: This is your first time teaching camp at the Y. Are you as excited as we are for this opportunity?

Coach Sullivan: Absolutely. I’ve done camps throughout our county, and in Belgium, Greece and Austria. I have lots of experience doing these camps and hope to provide the kids at the Y with a great clinic.

Tell us a little bit about the clinic. What kind of things do you teach?

We’re totally focused on fundamentals. I’ve always felt that in the camps, the most important thing to give the kids is the fundamental skills. We begin with balance—starting, stopping, and pivoting. I believe it’s the lost art of basketball. Dribbling, passing, shooting—all of these skills emanate from balance and footwork. For each skill, we teach for 10 to 15 minutes and then drill for 10 to 15 minutes.

What will kids benefit from the most in your camp?

Without question, it’s the fundamentals. We feel it’s our obligation to teach the fundamentals. You’d be amazed how many coaches don’t teach balance and footwork.

Have you ever had any well-known players or coaches attend camp?

Of course. [Current LA Clippers head coach] Doc Rivers came to camp. Jerome Whitehead, who played at Marquette University. We’ve been blessed to have some very good players in our camps over the years. [Former Utah Jazz head coach] Jerry Sloan. These guys would come and teach. Some great people as well as outstanding players.

Designed for kids, grades 3-8, Pat Sullivan’s co-ed basketball clinic will cost $65 for community members, $20 for YMCA Program Members and $10 for YMCA Full Members.