OUR VOICE
SEPTEMBER 2017 EDITION
Stamford Family YMCA 10 Bell Street Stamford, CT 06901 203.357.7000
STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA NEWSLETTER
The Stamford Family YMCA is a community service, nonprofit organization committed to programs that strengthen the spirit, mind, & body for all.
Message from our CEO Dear Y Friends, By the time, you read this message we’ll be ready for all Stamford Family YMCA members to “Come Rediscover their Y”. As we approach the fall and winter months I want to remind you of our after-school programs, special events and facility updates.
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But first, I would like to thank the Summer Day Camp staff for their amazing work this summer, the Aquatics staff for their dedication to teaching children to swim during summer camp, The LEAD Summer Career/College Readiness Institute students for their dedication and commitment to excellence, >> CONT. PAGE FIVE
Stay tuned, we’re off to a wonderful fall season that offers plenty of opportunities to ‘rediscover your Y!’
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E R DAS T S
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MONSTER DASH 5K & 1 MILE FAMILY FUN RUN
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Monster Dash 5K & 1 Mile Family Fun Run SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 RACE STARTS AT 8AM The race has something for everyone. A flat fast course through Downtown Stamford, starting in Columbus Park, two loops around Scalzi Park, and finishing at the Y. It’s a fun, costumed event with judging for best costumes! There’s a 1mile fun run for children and families. A great Halloween post-race party, with festive music and Halloween games and great food. The Y’s afterschool program, Leadership, Enrichment, Acceptance and Development (LEAD), offers children academic enrichment, homework support, swim lessons, nutrition, fitness, mentoring and college preparation and job skills for children in grades K through 12. The Stamford Y relies on the support from donors to ensure our after school program operations are sustained and families from low-income households are given the opportunity for their children to thrive. >> REGISTER TO SPONSOR, VOLUNTEER OR RACE ONLINE WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG/RACE 1 | STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA
News & Announcements
OUR VOICE >>
Aquatics News: Dave Fine Returns as Head Swim Coach, New Y USA Swim Lesson Curriculum Rolls Out
The New Y USA Swim Lesson Curriculum Is Rolling Out in Stamford
The Y’s Aquatics Program is one of its key offerings. Each year YMCAs nationwide teach more than a million children to swim and give them opportunities to build confidence and a lifetime skill set through many levels of swim lessons and competition. Here at the Stamford Y we’re dedicated to continuously improving the quality of our aquatics program and expanding it to serve more children, adults and families. This year we have exciting news in Aquatics!
Dave Fine Returns as Head Swim Coach
The Stamford Y teaches the YMCA USA swim curriculum at levels that range from Mommy and Me (mothers and infants) to adults. Based on its vast experience teaching millions upon millions of people across the US to swim, the YMCA has updated its curriculum for the first time in many years. Key factors include a re-evaluation and re-naming of the various swim competency levels from beginner through adult and a change in beginner training that is geared toward being comfortable in the water, learning to float and teaching the stroke mechanism. In conjunction with this approach, the Y will no longer use ‘bubbles’, the flotation devices that beginners have used in the past.
The Stamford Y welcomes back Dave Fine as head swimming coach. He led our swim team from 2012 to 2015. We’re delighted that our swim team will once again benefit from his contagious passion for and commitment to the sport, as well as his knowledge of stroke technique and conditioning and coaching success. Dave has a lifelong dedication to YMCA swimming. He learned to swim and competed for the New Canaan YMCA Caimans through high school, launching a successful competitive swimming career that spanned his college years at the University of Miami and beyond. In Stamford, he will be assisted by Katherine O’Leary, a UConn Storrs swimmer and graduate. >> CONT. PAGE FIVE
The new curriculum will also encompass the current Safety Around Water program. It includes eight lessons that teach how to keep oneself and others safe on the beach, on the pool deck, on a boat and other water-centric situations. The first credo of swimming at the Y is, “Safety First.” One of the prime objectives of swimming lessons at the Y is to reduce and prevent drowning deaths, especially among underserved children who have a 5.5 times higher incidence of drowning according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
>> READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG 2 | STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA
News & Announcements Stamford Family Y Awarded $25K Y-USA Year-Round Food Grant!
STAMFORD, Conn., September 1, 2017 - To help Stamford’s kids stay healthy, succeed in school and reach their full potential, the Stamford Family YMCA is offering an Afterschool Meal Program thanks to support from the Walmart Foundation. Combining educational and physical activity, the program keeps kids’ minds and bodies active, while also serving a healthy meals to kids who may otherwise be at risk of hunger when the school day ends.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), around 22 million children and teens under age 18 live with food insecurity. Through its afterschool program and a grant from the Walmart Foundation, the Y will serve more children through the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which feeds school-aged children during the week, on weekends and during school vacations. This school year, the Y will offer an Afterschool Meal Program at nearly 1,500 locations across the country. During the school year, the Stamford Family YMCA plans to serve 76,925 meals to 425 kids and teens here in Stamford, Connecticut. Last year, the Y served over 485,000 kids nearly 18 million meals and snacks nationwide. >> READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG
REGISTER FOR FALL PROGRAMS FALL CLASSES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 7 SWIM LESSONS | SWIM TEAM | YOUTH SPORTS | DANCE | AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
>> REGISTER FOR FALL PROGRAMS ONLINE WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG/PROGRAM-GUIDE
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UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS
News & Announcements Free Monthly Parking for all Members at the Bell Street Garage
Important September & October Dates Tuesday, September 5 - 8 Swim Team Try-Outs 5:00pm each evening Tuesday, September 5 Fall Programs Begin at the Y
Did you know the Stamford Family YMCA has free parking for all Y members conveniently located at the Bell Street Garage - 3rd floor and above. Simply ask our front desk for a pass, place the pass on your car dashboard, and park your car on the third floor. New parking passes are issued every two months. Parking at the Stamford Y couldn’t be easier!
Register now for the Spartan Kids Race and receive 20% off with code YMCA20
Saturday, September 16 - 17 Arts and Crafts on Bedford 11:00am - 6:00pm Saturday, September 23 - 24 Spartan Race Sunday, September 24 Waterside Works Diversity Fest VII 12:00pm - 6:00pm Saturday, September 30 1:00pm - 4:00pm YMCA Bike for Kids Sunday, October 1 9:00am - 12:30pm US Day Celebration Mill River Park Saturday, October 28 Monster Dash 5K 8:00am - 12:00pm Sunday, October 29 Open House at the Stamford Y 11:00am - 2:00pm Tuesday, October 31 LEAD Academy Halloween Party 4:00pm - 6:00pm *For details on events including dates, times and locations visit our website at www.stamfordymca.org
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Message from our CEO
Dave Fine Returns as Head Swim Coach
>> CONT. FROM PAGE ONE
>> CONT. FROM PAGE THREE
the Facility department for their tireless efforts to keep the facility clean during camp, the Directors for embracing “all other duties assigned” on their job descriptions, and our fantastic members for their patience and loyalty. Our commitment to our members and program participants will remain the same: enhancing facilities, innovating programming, collaborating where it matters, and communicating our impact in an effective manner.
She will work on stroke mechanics and stroke development with both the pre-swim team and swim team members. According to Dave, a Y swim team builds a unique and wonderful camaraderie and bond of friendship among members while helping individuals develop good sportsmanship, positive attitudes and habits of physical fitness that last a lifetime. These important aspects of being on a team, he believes, outweigh trophies and championships and are what make members true winners! With Dave Fine’s leadership, passion and coaching skill we expect the Stamford Y swim team to be a top contender in Y USA competition in the foreseeable feature. We invite prospective members to come to the Y on Tuesday-through-Thursday, September 5th through 8th at five p.m. each evening for try-outs. >> READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG
I also want to thank all of our generous donors and volunteers for your support and leadership. You’re making it possible for thousands of young people to reach for and achieve their full potential. Stay tuned, we’re off to a wonderful fall season that offers plenty of opportunities to “rediscover your Y!” With Admiration and Respect,
TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD A BETTER US
Clinton D. Hamilton CEO
From safe spaces to academic achievement to family well-being and more, when you donate to the Y, you’re giving those in need the opportunity to thrive. Give for a better us.
Annual Campaign
STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA stamfordymca.org/donate 481538 9/15
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OUR VOICE >>
WELCOME OUR NEW Y STAFF Cheri Eleazer Sports & Wellness Coordinator
Cheri played Division One college basketball for the University of Hartford and quickly continued her semi pro career with the National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL). Soon after, she started working at the collegiate level with strength & conditioning and coaching women’s basketball. After coaching women’s basketball, Cheri was given the opportunity to go into fitness full time. She started off as Group Fitness manager for one of Baltimore’s top gyms MV Fitness, and then ventured back closer to home at West End Health & Fitness in New York City as their Personal Training Manager. After Cheri grew the Personal Training department on the Upper West Side she then came full circle back to Connecticut as General Manager at Title Boxing Club. Cheri enjoys helping guide all ages in their fitness journey and looks forward to helping all members at the Stamford Family Y!
Pat Fervil Membership Director Pat joined the Stamford Family YMCA in 2014 as a part time Membership Service Representative and since then, has made contributions to multiple departments within the organization. In her 3 years at the Y, she has supported various administrative functions, community programs, sports and wellness programs, and our member engagement team. Pat is excited for the opportunity to be the Membership Director for the Stamford Family YMCA and looks forward to working closely with the membership team, the executive leadership team and most importantly, our beloved members and community. Pat believes that together, we can empower families and children to learn, grow and thrive, and enrich the lives of everyone in our community.
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NEW ONLINE YMCA SCHEDULES
Gym & Basketball Schedule www.stamfordymca.org/gym
Pool Schedule www.stamfordymca.org/pool
Group Fitness Schedule www.stamfordymca.org/fitness
Stamford Family YMCA 10 Bell Street Stamford, CT 06901 203.357.7000
SEPTEMBER MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION THE STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA
JOIN MORE THAN A GYM
SEPTEMBER 2017
TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS HEALTH • JOINERS FEE WAIVED - SEPTEMBER 1ST-15TH • FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION • WE
WANT ALL OF OUR NEW MEMBERS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE Y.
• WE WANT MORE SMILES, MORE FUN, AND MORE POSITIVE RESULTS! • IN ORDER TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR FITNESS GOALS, WE LIKE TO TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND JUST EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YOU'RE HOPING TO ACHIEVE AT THE Y. • THIS MONTH WE ARE OFFERING A FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION FOR ALL NEW MEMBERS. • THIS WILL HELP US GET ACQUAINTED WITH YOU, AND TO HELP YOU GET FAMILIAR WITH THE MANY WELLNESS SOLUTIONS WE OFFER.
• LET US HELP YOU TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH AND FITNESS! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT US AT: 10 BELL STREET STAMFORD, CT 06901 WWW.STAMFORDYMCA.ORG (203) 357-7000
STAMFORD FAMILY YMCA
www.stamfordymca.org