Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

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

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My Y Rewards Special June Earnings Event

DOUBLE POINTS WEDNESDAYS

We are excited to announce that Greater Joliet Area YMCA Facility Members, ages 16 and up, enrolled in the My Y Rewards program will receive double rewards points for every check-in on Wednesdays in the month of June. Learn how to enroll by clicking below.

ENROLL TODAY

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].

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Family Fun Happens Here: C.W. Avery Family YMCA Hosting Color Run/Walk on August 18

Lace up your running shoes, invite your family and friends, and plan to attend the YMCA’s very first Back to School Color Run/Walk. Proceeds will benefit the YMCA’s Mission Strong Fund, helping to ensure that no one is ever turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay. 

Date: Friday, August 18 

Check-In/Packet Pick-Up
6-6:30 p.m.

Color Run/Walk
6:30-7:15 p.m.

Cost:

Facility Members: $10 per person ($15 after July 28)
Community Members: $20 per person ($25 after July 28)

REGISTER TODAY

All participants will receive a t-shirt and sunglasses. 

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Click below to learn more. 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

If you have any questions, please contact:

Lisa Behounek, Executive Director
C.W. Avery Family YMCA
[email protected]
(815) 267-8600, ext. 206

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Morris Community YMCA Set to Offer Youth Flag Football League This Fall

The Morris Community YMCA is excited to offer a youth flag football league this fall! Practices will be held on weekday evenings beginning the week of August 28. Games will be played on Saturday afternoons beginning the second weekend of September. Each participant receives a football jersey to wear for all games. Players signed up after August 7 will not be guaranteed a uniform by the first game.

Facility and community members from all Greater Joliet Area YMCA branches are eligible to participate.

League Divisions

  • Ages 5-6
  • Ages 7-8
  • Ages 9-11

2023 Registration Fees:

Prior to June 27 

  • $80 for Facility Members
  • $160 for Community Members

June 27-August 7

  • $90 for Facility Members
  • $180 for Community Members

August 8 and Beyond

  • $100 for Facility Members
  • $200 for Community Members

REGISTER TODAY

If you have any questions, please contact:
Chris Interial, Sports Director
[email protected]
(815) 267-8600, ext. 514

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Meet Youth and Family/Sports Director JC Wagner

YMCA camp offers many of the same benefits of a traditional camp, such as new experiences, skill building, a sense of community, and lasting friendships.  However, the Y’s passionate summer day camp team makes Y camp second to none.  Every day, this energetic summer camp crew works hard to give camp participants an unforgettable summer.  And, behind every great team, is a great leader.

Fearlessly leading Galowich Family YMCA’s summer day camp team, you will find Youth and Family/Sports Director JC Wagner. Wagner, a Joliet native, is excited to head up camp in his first year on the Greater Joliet Area YMCA staff team.

With the start of camp just a few days away, Wagner and his amazing team of summer camp counselors are eager to welcome a new group of campers to sites at the Galowich Family YMCA, the Salvation Army Community Center, and Messiah Lutheran Church. Summer camp will get underway on Monday, June 5.

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what did you do prior to joining the GJAY team?

Wagner: I was born and raised in Joliet. After graduating from Millikin University in 2017, I moved to the northeast region of the country where I had the privilege to serve as a camp and sports director for YMCAs in various cities.

Q: Why do you have a passion for youth development?

Wagner: I believe in my heart that kids are the best part of humanity. I love cultivating an environment where they can build on character traits that make them great, discover their own passions, and hopefully impact the world around them in a more positive way.

Q: What do you think makes YMCA summer day camp a special experience for kids? 

Wagner: YMCA summer camp is a place for kids to make memories! They make friendships, they get to be outdoors, and really experience the world in a way that they can’t in a classroom.

Q: With summer camp right around the corner, what are some of the most exciting activities you have planned?

Wagner: I am excited to start new traditions at the camp like morning flag pole! We will kick start each day by raising the YMCA flag, which will help connect the campers to each other and their Y community. But I think I am most excited for a new field trip that we have planned to Big Time Ninja.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do outside of the Y?

Wagner: When I’m not at work I like to spend time hiking and traveling with my wife and our 2 dogs. I also like cheering on (and getting my heart broken by) the Chicago Bears.

To learn more about YMCA Summer Day Camp, click here.

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Greater Joliet Area YMCA Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Facility in Grundy County

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA was excited to welcome the community to a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Morris Hospital YMCA on Wednesday, May 31. More than 300 people were in attendance to help the Y celebrate the construction of the new facility, which will be built in partnership with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers on land adjacent to Morris Grade School.

Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Christina Van Yperen opened the event by welcoming guests and introducing Morris Community YMCA employee Paula Lutz, who provided the afternoon’s invocation.

Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair then reflected on the Y’s journey in Grundy County, celebrating the amazing dedication of the YMCA volunteers who laid the groundwork for the new Morris Hospital YMCA more than 15 years ago. She also recognized the heroic contributions of the Capital Campaign Cabinet and Y staff, past and present, and thanked the Y’s Board of Directors for their unwavering commitment to the project. Leclair also praised the leadership team at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers for their continued partnership.

“This is such a monumental day for our YMCA and the Grundy County community,” said Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO Katy Leclair. “We owe so much gratitude to our amazing volunteers, our generous donors, our hardworking staff, and our wonderful partners at Morris Hospital. The new Morris Hospital YMCA will be a place where people of all ages, from all walks of life have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. We are so excited to begin construction of this new facility and continue to serve the residents of Grundy County,” added Leclair.

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers President and CEO Tom Dohm then stepped to the podium to share the vision for the continued partnership between the hospital and the YMCA.

“From the start, the partnership between Morris Hospital and the YMCA has been a perfect match,” Dohm said. “Like Morris Hospital, the YMCA has a strong family focus and serves all people, regardless of their ability to pay. Both the hospital and the YMCA are non-profit organizations dedicated to strengthening the community through healthy living. Partnering with the YMCA helps Morris Hospital further focus on preventive care. Our mission is all about improving the health of area residents. We are honored to carry the name of our community’s new YMCA, and we are so grateful to everyone who has had a part in making this vision a reality.”

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin then addressed the crowd, thanking the elected officials, community partners, employees, and YMCA members who have provided support for the Y over the years and continue to serve as an inspiration for the project.

Morris Community YMCA Capital Campaign Leadership Cabinet Co-Chair Kevin Olson then highlighted the incredible dedication of the volunteers that have championed this project over the years. Olson also celebrated the long-term contributions the new Y will have on Morris and Grundy County, and was excited to announce that the Y has expanded plans for the lap pool at the new facility from six lanes to eight lanes. 

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Board President and Capital Campaign Leadership Cabinet Co-Chair Guy Christensen then stepped to the podium to thank the community on behalf of the Y’s Board of Directors and recognized the efforts of the project’s Building Task Force, architect, general contractor, and team of owner’s representatives, whose hard work will help to bring the future facility to life over the next 18 months.

Capital Campaign Leadership Cabinet Co-Chair Jackie Wohlwend closed the program with an inspirational ‘Get it Built’ message, echoing the words of her late husband Ron, who we know will be with us every step of the way as we work tirelessly to complete this project and open the doors for the new Morris Hospital YMCA to the community.

Construction of the new Y will begin this summer. The facility is expected to open to the community in early 2025. To learn more about the Morris Community YMCA’s Capital Campaign, please contact Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin at (815) 513-8080 or visit www.jolietymca.org.

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YMCA Supporters Raise Nearly $74,000 During 2023 Send a Kid to Camp Campaign

Each summer, nearly half of the children who attend Greater Joliet Area YMCA summer camp programs receive assistance through the YMCA’s financial assistance program. This wouldn’t be possible without the incredible generosity of our Y community. Over the last several weeks, YMCA supporters joined together to raise nearly $74,000 to help send kids to YMCA camp this summer!

We want to thank everyone who made a donation, shared information about the Y’s mission on your social media networks, or invited friends or family members to learn more about the Y’s youth development work, as every contributions made a HUGE difference for kids in our community. Thanks to this overwhelming generosity, our 2023 Send A Kid to Camp Campaign raised enough funds to provide 1,639 days of camp for children in our community.

THERE’S STILL TIME TO BE A YMCA HERO 

Although this year’s Send a Kid to Camp Campaign has come to an end, you can still pledge your support for the YMCA’s mission by visiting your local branch, making a tax-deductible donation online, or by texting YMCACAMP to 243725. Message and data rates may apply.

DONATE TODAY

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all gifts to the Greater Joliet Area YMCA are tax-deductible.

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