YMCA News Archive

YMCA Offers Tips for Safe Swimming for Fourth of July Holiday Weekend and During COVID-19

jeffrey.needham — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 14:04:05 +0000

YMCA Offers Tips for Safe Swimming for Fourth of July Holiday Weekend and During COVID-19 jeffrey.needham Tue, 06/29/2021 - 09:04

Minneapolis, MN – The YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, provides water safety tips to help kids, teens, adults and families enjoy lakes, rivers and pools during the Fourth of July holiday weekend and throughout the summer months.

In the summer during COVID-19, water safety is important with a year of missed swim lessons, fewer pools with lifeguards, limited access to swimming lessons, more families spending time outside around the water and pools in backyards.

Safety tips to practice in and around the water include below:

Never swim alone.
Lifeguarded beaches and pools provide another layer of safety besides parental supervision. They also ensure water chemistry/beach water has been tested and is safe.
Constantly and actively watch children by a responsible an adult.
Always keep young children or non-swimmers within arm’s reach of parent or guardian.
Remember inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
Be wary of inflatables because a poke or blown valve can turn into a dangerous situation quickly for a child relying on it to float.
Don’t engage in breath holding activities.
Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in any water rather use a long object to reach for them and pull them to safety.
Enroll children and non-swimmers in water safety or swim lessons.
Be mindful of the hazards of backyard pools with standing water around because kids can fall down or can’t get out and infants or preschoolers can climb or crawl in. To be safe:
- Install barriers around the pool like a fence.
- Know CPR.
- Guarantee that every child in the backyard pool who cannot swim wears a U.S. Coastguard approved lifejackets.
- Provide constant supervision.
- Make sure there is a way to climb out of the pool if it’s too tall to step out of.
Keep kids safe when adults are also engaged in fun is incredibly important. A simple tip for parents near any kind of water this summer is to take the Abbey’s Hope Foundation Water Watchdog pledge. As a Water Watchdog, an adult agrees to:
- Maintain constant visual contact with the children in the group.
- Not drink alcohol, talk on the phone, socialize or read while watching children.
- Keep a phone near the water for emergency purposes only.
- Remain by the water until relieved by a new Water Watchdog.

“The YMCA is committed to saving lives through water safety programs and education,” said Glen Gunderson, president for the Y. “Each year our Y reaches over 4,000 people through the Safety Around Water program alone. Thanks to partnerships with Abbey’s Hope, Delta Air Lines and Hawkins Inc., we are able to offer this program free of charge so all can access life-saving lessons and skills.”

The YMCA Safety Around Water program and traditional swim lessons teaches youth what they need to do to stay safe in pools, lakes and rivers. In addition to learning what to do if a friend is in trouble, youth develop skills to help if they find themselves in the water unexpectedly:

Jump, Push, Turn and Grab – teaches a child to push off the bottom of the pool as they are submerging to get back up to the surface and turn to grab the side of the pool.
Swim, Float, Swim – teaches children to swim a short distance on their front, roll over on their back to rest, and then roll on their front to continue swimming to safety.

Gunderson added that parents are encouraged to take an active role in fostering a relationship between their children and swimming. The Y offers several programs promoting the benefits of swimming and featuring them in the month of July.

Water Skills and Safety at the Y

Y Swim Lessons June Through August: The Y’s swim lessons for infants, kids and teens are the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming. The Y serves all ages in the pool from six months to adults. The YMCA offers a limited amount of free swim lessons each year and people can apply online at www.ymcanorth.org/freelessons.
Competitive Swim: YMCA competitive swimming and diving teams are the natural progression from Safety Around Water and Y Swim Lessons by encouraging children and teens to continue their love of swimming while providing an ideal environment for cognitive, physical and social-emotional development.
Lifeguards and Swim Instructors: The YMCA offers training and job opportunities to help teach the community how to be safe in and around the water.

Because the Y is a leading nonprofit committed to helping all young people and their families thrive, financial assistance is available to those in need. To learn more about the Y’s programs, please visit www.ymcanorth.org.

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.ymcanorth.org.

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and YMCA Offer Free Summer Memberships to Teens

jeffrey.needham — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:26:40 +0000

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and YMCA Offer Free Summer Memberships to Teens jeffrey.needham Mon, 06/28/2021 - 09:26

Thousands of youth will have free access to the Y’s health and wellness and youth enrichment programs through the end of September

Minneapolis, MN – The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and the YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, will offer free memberships for thousands of teens and young adults across the Twin Cities. From June 21 to September 30, teens can access this free membership to 21 YMCA locations throughout the Twin Cities.

The YMCA is positioned to help ensure that youth of all backgrounds and incomes have access to learning opportunities outside of school. The Y’s locations cut across city, county and school district boundaries. More than 80 percent of Twin Cities teens live within 15 minutes of a YMCA location that offers opportunities for wellness, sports, leadership activities, STEM projects and more.

“The YMCA Get Summer program is making a real difference in our community by providing a safe space for youth to connect and have fun while learning important lifelong skills,” said Mark Dienhart, president and chief executive officer of the Schulze Family Foundation. “We believe supporting this program offers a truly unique opportunity to engage youth in their neighborhood with educational and enriching experiences with caring mentors and role models.”

This year the YMCA will offer teens entering 9-12th grade an opportunity to be engaged in fitness and wellness programming at the Y. They will also have opportunities for in person and virtual teen specific programming including:

health and wellbeing classes
leadership and character development programs
access to gymnasium, fitness floor and aquatics areas

"The YMCA has given me so many options since getting my membership. You can always find me with my friends playing basketball or lifting weights throughout the week. This structure to my routine is crucial to my mental, emotional and physical health,” said Jacob, 16 year old from Forest Lake area.

"I'm so thankful my kids have the opportunity to access so many activities and programs at the YMCA. I feel grateful they have a safe and fun environment they can be a part of,” said DeAnn Mayer, parent from Forest Lake area.

The YMCA is thrilled to partner with the Schulze Family Foundation to provide a safe environment for young people to engage in programs that promote healthy living, build character and leadership, and support success in school and in life,” said Glen Gunderson, president for the YMCA of the North. “The Y is committed to eliminating barriers to participation so all have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive during out of school time. This program is possible because of the generous donation from the Schulze family.”

For more information, visit ymcanorth.org/locations.

About the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation (RMSFF) was created in 2004 by Best Buy founder, Dick Schulze, as a way to give back to the community where Dick and his family grew up and where he built Best Buy to become the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer. Schulze and his family believe that a good education, a supportive family and a strong work ethic prepare children for a successful future. To support that belief, it supports organizations operating in the areas of human & social services, education, including scholarship awards to graduating students from eligible high schools, and health & medicine.

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 165 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.ymcanorth.org.

YMCA Announces New Members to Board of Directors

jeffrey.needham — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 14:20:57 +0000

YMCA Announces New Members to Board of Directors jeffrey.needham Thu, 06/17/2021 - 09:20

Minneapolis, MN – The YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, recently elected at its annual meeting four new members to its board of directors.

The newly elected members serving a three-year term as board directors for the class of 2024 include:

Darrel German, regional president of Huntington Bank
Reid Larson, managing member and founder of ViaWealth
Jim Leslie, chair of the Board of Claros Technologies, director at Children’s Hospital Minnesota and chair of Leslie Family Foundation
Leslie Wright, vice president of development and alumni relations at Mitchell Hamline School of Law

“The appointment of these board members represents the best and brightest leaders in our community to help guide the YMCA to better serve the youth, adults, families and seniors in the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin so all can thrive,” said Glen Gunderson, president of the YMCA. “Their knowledge, skills and expertise along with their commitment to our community will be invaluable to the Y as we continue to be, focused on making system changes.”

To learn more about the Y’s community response over the past year, see this video Y’s Community Response Over The Year.

About the YMCA of the North

The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 165 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, 8 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.ymcanorth.org.

YMCA Hosts ForEverest Climbing Event on June 22 and 23 at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington

jeffrey.needham — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:27:43 +0000

YMCA Hosts ForEverest Climbing Event on June 22 and 23 at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington jeffrey.needham Tue, 06/15/2021 - 08:27

Kids, Adults and Seniors Choose Climb Time for a Safe Adventurous Journey to the Summit

Minneapolis, MN – The YMCA, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, will host ForEverest on Tuesday, June 22 and Wednesday, June 23, at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington.

Fewer than 4,000 people have ever climbed Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth at 29,029 feet and the most epic climb in the world. To simulate a mini-version of the Everest climb, the YMCA has partnered with Three Rivers Parks District to create a journey that starts at basecamp (bottom of ski hills) leading to the summit by climbing several of the ski runs at Hyland Hills. The ForEverest event is for kids, adults and seniors aged 5-99 of all abilities. Modified for safety guidelines, participants choose a ‘Climb Time’ similar to golfers choosing a tee-time. Climb Times are limited to 30 participants every 15 minutes to create natural physical distancing between families.

NEW for 2021: The course will be open all night from Tuesday – Wednesday to accommodate climbers who set a goal to achieve the 12,000 vertical feet from basecamp to the summit of Mt. Everest. This goal takes 93 climbs at Hyland Hills!

“ForEverest offers each of us a taste of what it’s like to climb Mount Everest right here in the Twin Cities,” said Glen Gunderson, president of the Y. “Climbers from across the community have the opportunity to train beforehand if the they want and then go out with everyone to conquer the climb as individuals or with family, friends or a group. Together everyone will enjoy an exhilarating event promoting health and wellbeing.”

ForEverest offers a path to the summit for everyone from hikers to runners, with fun and interesting learning opportunities along the way.

Participants can take part in the free 7Summits Training Challenge, designed to help build the traits needed to complete the climb, journey from sea level to basecamp by earning vertical feet each time a person completes and tracks exercise sessions, mental toughness tasks and nature-related activities. To help build healthy habits and pre-event readiness with the ForEverest Training Challenge, visit www.12bursts.org/seven-summits.

The registration cost is $33 per person with discounts for registering two or more climbers. For more information and to register, visit www.cyclehealth.org. Each climber earns a custom finishers’ award at the summit.

WHO:
YMCA, CycleHealth - the adventure initiative of the YMCA, and Three Rivers Parks District.

WHAT:
ForEverest

WHERE:
Hyland Hills Ski Area at 8800 Chalet Road in Bloomington, MN 55438

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 22, and Wednesday, June 23, 2020 with morning, afternoon, and evening climb times both days.

About the YMCA of the North