January 2021 Newsletter

STAUNTON- AUGUSTA FAMILY YMCA

NEWSLETTER January 2021

P. 2: WHAT IS OPEN?

?I t hink it ?s t he best place in t he world, and it always has been.? ? Rhonda Shinaberry

P. 3: PAM MURPHY P. 4: GROUP EX CHANGES P. 5: CARA SCHAEFER P. 6: 40 YEARS OF SERVICE P. 8: WELLBEATS P. 9: FITZHUGH VASS P. 11: GROUP EX SCHEDULE

Associat e Execut ive Direct or of t he YMCA on celebrat ing 40 years in t he f acilit y.

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WHAT IS OPEN HERE AT THE STAUNTON- AUGUSTA FAMILY YMCA? Hours: Mon. - Fri. 5:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Sat . 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Sun. 1:00 pm - 7:00 p.m.

Due t o t he recent spikes in COVID cases in our area, we have decided t o maint ain t he f ollowing procedures and will not be opening addit ional part s of t he f acilit y at t his t ime.

Wellness Cent er - no appointments needed. Equipment is spread out in the weight room and on half of the basketball court. Available to members 15 and older.

We ask that members sanitize equipment before and after use.

Pool: Lap Swimming - by 45- minute appointments available on the hour Family Swim - by 45- minute appointments available on the hour Group Fit ness Classes - by appointment. Limited class size.

Virt ual Group Fit ness Classes (Wellbeat s) - by appointment. Limited class size.

Playroom - limited availability in 1.5 hour appointments for ages 2 years - 10 years old on Mondays and Wednesday: 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - noon. Children are required to wear masks while in the playroom.

Raquet ball Court s and Basket ball Court s can be reserved for 45 minutes on the hour. For Individual or Family play. No competitive play. Please bring everything you will need.

Tennis Court is available for use. The water cooler has been removed.

Please make an appointment to play as times are limited. Please bring everything you will need.

The Teen Cent er is closed - Used for students enrolled in Student Support Center. Members 14 and under must be accompanied by a responsible adult member.

Family Locker Rooms are available.

Masks are required as you move around the building and in between pieces of equipment.

Social Dist ancing is 6 feet around the building. 10 feet while you are exercising.

We are t aking t he t emperat ures of everyone entering the building. We are also asking screening quest ions.

Wat er Fount ains are not available. Bottle Fillers are available.

Please not e t hat t here are new t raf f ic pat t erns around t he building.

Towel service is not available.

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Int roducing: Pam Murphy There?s a reason Pam Murphy believes so strongly in the mission of the YMCA. First- hand experience.

The Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA?s newest board member, Murphy used to be a YMCA employee. ?I had worked with the Y for about six years as a director for membership services for a branch in Los Angeles,? Murphy said. ?My daughter was young at the time, and she was in the childcare and the camping. We did some of the family programs, and I taught water exercises as well as my full- time gig. It was a really great time, and it left a really big impression on me.?

Murphy literally left California for greener pastures. Her family ended up in Virginia. For the past 19 years, she?s served as the executive director of the Shenandoah Community Health Clinic, a non- profit organization that provides medical, dental and mental health services to underserved populations in Woodstock and the surrounding areas.

Woodstock is in the same Y- USA region as the Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA. Murphy believes a lot of the issues that community faces ? lack of engagement for kids, families and seniors ? could be remedied in part by a strong YMCA presence.

Long term, she?d love to see a facility with an

indoor pool. In the immediate future, she?d love to see more programming. ?I started pestering Josh (Cole), because I wanted to get some YMCA programs where I work in Shenandoah County,? Murphy said. ?We have been talking for a couple years now about how to make that happen. We?ve had a little bit of programming up here but not much. A couple of years later, he (Josh) asked me to join the board, and I thought that would help with the process.?

Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA executive director Josh Cole is thrilled about Murphy?s addition to the board. ?She brings extensive knowledge of running a non- profit,? Cole said. ?She brings YMCA knowledge, and she brings expertise from the health field.?

Murphy is equally excited about using her skill set to help grow the YMCA. ?I bring enthusiasm and YMCA programs and enthusiasm about impact that YMCAs can have in a community,? Murphy said. ?Like a lot of board members, I?m sure have skill sets from work but also different experience with programs and raising a family inside the YMCA. I hope that somehow that will be valuable.?

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Recent Group Fit ness Changes Addit ions:

Senior Fitness on Mondays at 10am on the basketball court Boot Camp on Tuesdays at 8:30am on the basketball court

Reminder:

Due to Virginia?s Covid mandate, group fitness classes on land are limited to 9 participants.

Aquatic classes are either 4 or 6 participants due to pool size.

Please register early and if you cannot make it to class, please notify the front desk to have your reservation canceled so that someone else may have the opportunity to attend.

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Int roducing: Cara Schaef er Cara Schaefer is the oldest of five siblings.

And she?s a mother of four.

The lead teacher for the Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA?s teen academic support center program, Schaefer feels at home with kids. ?It was also a natural thing for me,? Schaefer said. ?I?ve always been a caregiver, a nurturer. It?s a very gratifying feeling helping children succeed and helping them learn.?

The newly hired Schaefer works the morning shift at the YMCA, helping the 16 enrolled students with their academic work. ?Programs like these give kids the fundamentals they need to succeed,? Schaefer said. ?I have personal goals for my own children. My standards

are set really high for them. I still have high expectation for these kids just like I do my own. I don?t want to see anyone just barely getting by.?

YMCA youth and family director Ashley Cole thinks Schaefer is a great fit. ?Cara came highly recommended to us. She has a great rapport without middle school students, and she has a lot of potential in helping us grow our program.?

Working at the YMCA means back to class for Schaefer. ?I?m still doing sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grade math and science all over again,? Schaefer said, laughing. ?It?s been interesting, but it?s been a learning experience for everyone this year.?

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40 Years on Coalt er

By Chris Lassit er

It seems like just yesterday that Rhonda Shinaberry started working in the North Coalter Street facility.

Joe McCue was a YMCA board member that owned the Staunton Racquet Club when it was sold to the YMCA.

Technically, it?s been a little longer than that.

?Rhonda is the strength behind all of the reincarnations of this building,? McCue said in the previous article. ?Throughout the entire history, Rhonda has been there. And she?s the glue that had always held that process together. She did it for me, and she?s continued to do it. I can?t say enough about how important she is to its success.?

Shinaberry recently celebrated 40 years working at the North Coalter Street facility. The building originally opened as the Staunton Racquet Club, with Shinaberry as one of the original employees.

In 1995, the Staunton Racquet Club facility was sold to the Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA, and Shinaberry stayed on to help with the transition.

She?s spent the last 25 years at the YMCA.

The current YMCA staff is equally grateful for Shinaberry?s presence.

?I think it?s the best place in the world,? Shinaberry said, ?and it always has been!?

?Rhonda?s made this place fee like home to me,?

YMCA fitness director Wendy Shutty said. ?She?s made it like a family atmosphere, and that?s one of the best things about her.?

On June 1st, the YMCA celebrated 25 years at the North Coalter Street location. As part of four- part series, long- timers around the YMCA credited Shinaberry with helping the transition.

?She?s been a great person to work with, a great boss,? said Carol Byrd, the active older adults coordinator at the YMCA. ?She?s an inspiration to all of us.?

Program director Eddie Santiago agrees. ?I think she's one of the most wonderful, good- hearted people I?ve met in this building,?

Santiago said.

Current executive director Josh Cole knows that Shinaberry is just as vital to the YMCA?s current success as she was to the 1995 transition. ?She?s the neural network of the Y,? Cole said.

She?s got a billion skills. She is the engine of the YMCA, and we appreciate how she takes care of everybody.?

As far her favorite part of the past 40 years, that?s an easy question for Shinaberry. ?It?s the people,? she said. ?The best part has been the members, the people I work with, and the people I?ve met through the years.?

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What t he St af f says about Rhonda We love Rhonda. She?s like the mom of us all.We love how she helps us see the big picture and make great decisions.- Candace Mart in ?

Membership Direct or I can?t imagine being at the YMCA without Rhonda. She?s definitely my work mom. She?s been there for me through everything good and bad. I appreciate her and I love her to pieces.?Bet h Valent ine, Aquat ics Direct or We wish Rhonda Happy 40 years. She makes our team special, and she?s nothing left than special. ?Kryst al Clark, Healt hy Living Coordinat or That?s such a huge accomplishment and definitely something to look forward to and strive for myself. Rhonda is super supportive and really invested in my new job here and wanting to me to be successful and being there for everyone. It?s been really enjoyable working with Rhonda, and I?m happy for her. - Nicole Kozikowski, Day Camp Direct or 7

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Fit zhugh Vass: "I'd rat her wear out , t han rust out " Fitzhugh Vass has the routine down pat.

It always starts with the bench press. It follows the same progression of free weight exercises. And it always ends with some machine work. Vass comes three mornings a week, almost always at the exact same time.

It should come as no surprise that Vass ? nicknamed Hutt ? is a creature of habit.

He?s been doing a similar workout routine since he was 15- years- old.

He?s now 84. ?There?s an old saying that I?d rather wear out than rust out,? Vass said. ?It keeps you going. It keeps your muscles in shape. You sleep good. It?s just a way of life.?

His commitment to his weight routine made Vass a regular in the winner?s circle when the Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA used to hold bench press and deadlift competitions. He consistently took first place for age and weight class.

The biggest reward, however, hasn?t been a trophy.

It?s been his health.

YMCA healthy living coordinator Krystal Clark believes he?s a good example of the benefits of a lifetime of physical fitness. ?Seeing Hutt continue to come shows that it?s not easy at times but definitely worth it for your mental health and well- being,? Clark said. ?He continues to succeed in his health due to taking care of his body. He?s a true inspiration to us in the wellness center.?

Vass?workout routine is a labor of love. ?You have to love it,? he said. ?Some people play tennis for 70 years. Some people play golf. You have to find your niche.?

Vass moved to the area over a decade ago. He?s glad to have found his niche at the Staunton- Augusta Family YMCA. ?This is probably the nicest Y in the state,? Vass said. ?We have friends come visit us, and they?ll come work out with us. They can?t believe we have this facility in town of (less than) 27,000 people.?

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Check out a sample schedule of our SAYMCA Wellbeat s Program!

book e c a F r u Vi si t o or t he Page f t ual r i V y l week at s e b l l e sW

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