Youth Development — Greater Joliet Area YMCA

Celebrate Halloween at the YMCA

October 1, 2021

Prepare yourselves! This October, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has a series of spooky, Halloween-themed activities planned for you and your family. Come dressed in your Halloween best and join us for ‘Spook-tacular’ fun!

Galowich Family YMCA Trunk-or-Treat

Friday, October 22
6-8 p.m.

Bring your family to this spook-tacular event! Decorated cars will fill our parking lot and children can go from trunk to trunk to collect candy and play games. This provides a fun and safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Don’t forget to come dressed in your Halloween costume!

Cost: Free and open to the community.

If you are interested in volunteering or hosting a Trunk-or-Treat vehicle, contact the Y at (815) 744-3939.

Morris Community YMCA Trunk-or-Treat

Saturday, October 23
10-11:30 a.m.

Location:
Morris Grade School
2001 Dupont Ave
Morris, IL 60450

It’s Halloween time and we’re having a bash! Wear your best costume and do a little Monster Dash! Come trunk or treat from the numerous trunks provided by local businesses.

Cost: Free and open to the community

If you would like to host a trunk during this event, please contact Youth and Family Director Jordan Overton at [email protected] or (815) 513-8080, ext. 513

C.W. Avery Family YMCA Halloween Spooktacular

Thursday, October 28
6-8 p.m.

Join the C.W. Avery Family YMCA for a night of Halloween fun! We will have exciting activities for the whole family including a trunk-or-treat, haystack rides, and an outdoor haunted scene with photo opportunities! Come dressed in your spookiest costume!

Cost: Free and open to the community

All those interested in hosting a trunk can contact the Y at (815) 267-8600.

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2021 YMCA Youth Basketball Leagues Forming Now

October 1, 2021

When kids play sports, they do more than just exercise. Besides being physically active, they develop higher self-esteem, perform better in school and work better in groups.

YMCA youth basketball programs teach kids the fundamentals of the game while emphasizing the importance of teamwork. Above all, kids who play YMCA basketball have a lot of fun!

To learn more about YBL in your area, or to register online, please click below.

Joliet

Plainfield

Morris/Coal City

PLEASE NOTE: To ensure the health and safety of our YMCA community, we will follow masking guidance from the State of Illinois to best protect participants, coaches, and staff in our youth basketball programs during the upcoming season.

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Let Your Talent Shine: 2021 YMCA Holiday Card Design Contest

September 28, 2021

The YMCA’s Holiday Card Design Contest is back! Open to Y Members, ages 6-12, the contest is the perfect opportunity for kids to let their artistic talents shine and help spread a little cheer this upcoming holiday season.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download an entry form and print it out. Entry forms are also available at the Y’s Front Desk.

2. Grab some crayons, markers and colored pencils and draw a picture that depicts your favorite things about the holidays and the winter season. From snowmen to Christmas trees, to candy canes and snowflakes, we can’t wait to see your original designs!

3. Complete the entry form and drop it off at the Y.

We will select our three favorite designs—one from each age group—to be featured on the Y’s holiday card.

Age Groups

Ages 6-7
Ages 8-9
Ages 10-12

Each of our winners will receive a YMCA Sweatshirt and other exciting prizes.

Download Entry Form

The deadline to enter is Friday, November 5.

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2021 Morris Community YMCA Coloring Contest

September 2, 2021

Calling all Y Kids! To celebrate this very fun time of year in Grundy County, the Morris Community YMCA is holding a special Coloring Contest! Open to kids, ages 4-12, this is the perfect opportunity to let your artistic talents shine.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download the official entry form below.

Coloring Contest Form

2. Grab your crayons, markers or colored pencils and color away!

3. Drop it off at the Membership Desk of the Morris Community YMCA or give it to your Kid Zone counselor.

4. All entries must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Friday, September 17. Contest is open to children ages 4-12. One winner will be selected in each of the following age groups:

Ages 4-5
Ages 6-7
Ages 8-9
Ages 10-12

PLEASE NOTE: One entry per child, but multiple children per household are allowed. Submitted artwork becomes the property of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. Official Entry Form must be signed by a parent or guardian, 18 years or older.

Good luck!

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Celebrating a Successful Summer Camp Season at the YMCA

August 20, 2021

Our 2021 Summer Day Camp season officially came to a close earlier this week. And, oh, what an amazing summer it was!

We’d like to thank all of our camp families for spending the summer with us here at the YMCA. We hope you have a wonderful school year and look forward to seeing you back at camp next summer.

We’d also like to thank all of our wonderful community partners who opened their doors and their hearts, allowing us to provide much-needed summer child care at locations throughout Will and Grundy Counties.

Finally, we’d like to thank our top-notch summer camp directors and counselors for their endless energy, compassion, and creativity. Your hard work and tireless dedication helped to ensure that each of our campers has a summer full of fun and memories.

As we take a look back at the summer that was, let’s take a closer look at YMCA Summer Camp By the Numbers:

14 Camp Locations

With a little help from our friends, we hosted camps at our YMCA facilities and at offsite locations throughout the community. Thank you, Salvation Army Joliet Corps Community Center, Messiah Lutheran Church, Saratoga School District 60C, Plainfield School District 202, and Valley View School District 365 for helping us serve families this summer.

2,034 Campers

We are so proud to provide a memorable camp experience for each and every one of our incredible summer day campers.

256 Camp Counselors

Summer day camp would not be possible without the dedication, versatility, and leadership of our Summer Camp team.

624 Children served by the YMCA’s Safety Around Water Summer Program

Each and every member of our Aquatics Team played a key role in teaching lifesaving water safety skills to hundreds of campers over the last several months. In all, we provided free swim lessons for more than 600 children in our community this summer as part of our YMCA’s Safety Around Water program.

73,263 Meals and 26,051 Snacks Served

We remain dedicated to assisting children who are faced with food insecurity and providing resources that support a healthy lifestyle for growing minds and bodies. This summer, we partnered with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Plainfield District 202, Aramark Food Services, and Valley View School District 365U Nutrition Services to provide daily meals and snacks at many of our camp locations.

Over $28,000 raised by the YMCA’s Send a Kid to Camp Campaign

At the Y, nobody is ever turned away due to the inability to pay. Nearly half the children who attend YMCA summer day camp programs receive financial assistance, and this is made possible by the incredible generosity of YMCA donors. This spring, our Send A Kid to Camp Campaign supporters generously funded nearly 700 days of camp for children in our community.

We look forward to seeing you next summer. Camp registration for the summer of 2022 will get underway in March!

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