YMCA News Archive

YMCA Celebrates May Day With Outdoor Fun Fitness Program For Children

jeffrey.needham — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:49:09 +0000

YMCA Celebrates May Day With Outdoor Fun Fitness Program For Children jeffrey.needham Mon, 04/27/2020 - 09:49

Minneapolis, MN – YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, is celebrating May Day with a fun fitness program for children on May 1 at 11 a.m. at the St. Paul Midway YMCA.

The Y encourages everyone to stay active and get exercise outside or indoors during the coronavirus crisis. One way to do that is through fun fitness programs and the Y will engage children outside to dance and learn new exercises while enjoying spring weather and safe physical distancing.

“Every day the Y is committed to the health and wellbeing of all in our community by offering fun fitness activities to stay strong – physically and mentally - and this is even more important during this very difficult time,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the YMCA of the North.

The Y offers the community a set of virtual exercise classes, wellbeing programs, cooking demonstrations and kids’ activities to do from home with Y-at-Home at www.ymcamn.org/y-at-home.

The YMCA has 12 Early Childhood Learning Centers delivering trusted and safe care to infants 6 weeks old through 5 years so parents who need to work are able to do so. The Y also offers school-age care in Y locations across the state for essential workers who must work to maintain our community's infrastructure. In addition, the Y continues to collaborate with districts to provide school-age care at schools for children of health care employees, first responders and critical workers who keep the community safe and healthy. For more information on child care and school age care programs, go to www.ymcamn.org/choose-your-child-care.

The Y is committed to ensuring all in the community have the resources they need to navigate the impact coronavirus is having on people’s lives. For more information on the YMCA Community Response Hub, visit www.ymcamn.org/impact-summary. To support Y programs and services for youth, families, adults and seniors, visit Y Community Response Fund at www.ymcamn.org/give.

WHO: The YMCA of the North

WHAT: Children celebrate May Day with fun, outdoor fitness program and nutritious snack

WHERE: St. Paul Midway YMCA on 1761 University Avenue West in St. Paul, MN 55104

WHEN: Friday, May 1 at 11 a.m.

About the YMCA of the North

The YMCA of the North is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 164 years ago, the Ys provide life-strengthening services across the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin communities. The 29 Y locations and program sites, eight overnight camps, 10 day camps, and more than 90 child care sites engage more than 370,000 men, women and children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. To learn more about the Y’s mission and work, visit www.ymcamn.org.

YMCA, Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group Partner to Provide Free Fresh Food for Healthy Meals to Families During Coronavirus Crisis

jeffrey.needham — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 13:12:27 +0000

YMCA, Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group Partner to Provide Free Fresh Food for Healthy Meals to Families During Coronavirus Crisis jeffrey.needham Mon, 04/13/2020 - 08:12

Minneapolis, MN – YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, is partnering with Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group to provide free, fresh food to families in the community to ensure youth have healthy meals during unprecedented pandemic.

The Y, Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group believe that supplying healthy fresh food is critical to supporting families in our communities to alleviate food insecurity and hunger. Together they combine the YMCA region-wide distribution network, Loaves & Fishes internationally recognized program, and UnitedHealth Group efforts to cover the more than $2 million in food costs and wages for the cafeteria employees preparing meals for people in the Greater Twin Cities. This program with the YMCA and Loaves & Fishes is part of a larger effort by UnitedHealth Group to provide healthy meals to those in need, in the Twin Cities, and around the country.

Families may pick up food from Noon – 2 p.m., Monday through Friday at most YMCAs and choose a meal package for a family of four including a protein, vegetables and other fresh food. Also, lunch bags with a sandwich, snacks and fruit are available. Anyone in the community may pick up food. YMCA membership is not required. Supplies are limited. Please practice physical distancing when picking up food.

"Our phones have been ringing nonstop and we have identified that there is great need in cities where we really need to be,” said Cathy Maes, executive director at Loaves & Fishes. “Serving at the YMCA Twin Cities is a relationship that expands our reach and we could not be more grateful. Our goal has always been to serve those in need and together we are doing just that.”

“We are grateful to partner with Loaves & Fishes and UnitedHealth Group to ensure all of our families in our community have access to food during this very difficult time and no child goes hungry,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the YMCA of the North.

For more information on the YMCA food distribution locations, go to www.ymcamn.org/food-distribution.

WHO: The YMCA of the North, Loaves & Fishes, and UnitedHealth Group

WHAT: To ensure youth and their families have nutritious meals during the coronavirus crisis, the community can get free fresh food at select YMCA locations

WHERE: Front doorways of most YMCA of the North locations. See www.ymcamn.org/food-distribution for a full list of locations.

WHEN: Noon – 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

About the YMCA of the North

About Loaves & Fishes

Loaves and Fishes has been serving Minnesotans since 1982. Today, we provide thousands of meals daily via multi-faceted programming across the state: public dining with social service advocacy, student meals and snacks, street outreach, a free produce market, and The HUB – an affordable fresh food option for small community meal programs and nonprofits. To support our meal services, we source fresh produce creatively and operate an environmentally responsible rescue program that captures wasted food from partnering restaurants, school cafeterias and businesses. Our holistic recipe for success is predicated on the belief that food is medicine and a basic human right, serving just any kind of food to people in need is unsatisfactory as well as costly to individuals and communities, and proper nutrition opens the door to opportunity.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping to make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on Twitter.

YMCA CycleHealth Offers Kids and Families Free Daily Physical Activity Challenges with New 12Bursts

jeffrey.needham — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 14:56:21 +0000

YMCA CycleHealth Offers Kids and Families Free Daily Physical Activity Challenges with New 12Bursts jeffrey.needham Wed, 04/01/2020 - 09:56

Minneapolis, MN – CycleHealth, a kid-powered wellness initiative of the YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, offers a free, web-based challenge for kids and families to get 12 bursts of five-minute activities each day, right from home.

This 12Bursts is a fun new way to be active with each day’s challenge that includes 12, five-minute bursts of activity that are kid-friendly and don’t require any special skills or equipment. A new set of bursts will load every day.

"We know that getting 60 minutes of physical activity every day is vital to stay healthy because it helps with sleep, mood, and boosts our immune system,” said Dr. Julie Ewasiuk, South Lake Pediatrics. “While families are at home now, breaking up the activities into five-minute bursts is a great way to stay active and have fun."

“We are thrilled to provide 12Bursts which is a first-of-its-kind digital-based kids wellbeing program for kids to enjoy while they are at home,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the Y. “Through these unique daily challenges, we are offering a helpful tool to families in this challenging time.”

People can visit 12Bursts.org (12Bursts.org) to complete their first 'burst' of activity, which will be described in a quick, punchy description. The goal is to do all 12 bursts a day.

Here are three examples of bursts:

Slow-Mo Burst - Taking giant steps, run through every room in your home with your whole body in the most exaggerated slow motion speed possible.
Tidy Burst - Time to tidy up your space. Pick up and put away as many objects as you can - quickly!
Alphabet Burst - Sing the alphabet while doing jumping jacks, then sing it again doing push-ups. Repeat until the timer dings!

Kids and families participating in 12Bursts can record themselves 'bursting' and post photos/videos online, using #12bursts.

About the YMCA of the North