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National Minority Health Month, originally established in 1915, is in April—a good time to recognize disparities within our health system that communities of color face. More than 100 years later, the Y is a key leader and partner in ensuring that communities of color, who disproportionately suffer from health disparities, have access to health-promoting resources. This year’s theme is “Give Your Community a Boost!” This theme focuses on the continued importance of COVID-19 vaccination, including [...]

At the Y, creating safe spaces for youth to learn, grow and thrive is our top priority. Kids need a safe space now more than ever, and we take pride in the measures we’ve taken to help keep your kids safe. Here are some important tips for parents to know as we work together to keep kids safe from abuse. Offenders seek three things in order to abuse: access, privacy and control. What does this [...]

In honor of Women's History Month, the Y is honored to commemorate and celebrate female figures within the history of the YMCA movement who were vital to the success and empowerment of all current and future women leaders in the Y. Ellen Brown Ellen Brown was the first female YMCA employee in 1886 when she was hired to serve as the “boys work secretary.” Brown taught a night class at the Y that grew so [...]

By Roberta Catuogno If you’ve ever taken a yoga class with me, you likely have heard me say “find a place that you can sustain.”  When I say that, I mean that wherever you are, you need to be able to breathe for a long time. So don’t get yourself into a twisty pretzel pose and try to balance on your pinky toe. It’s not sustainable - at the very least, keep your whole foot [...]

By: Roberta Catuogno February is American Heart Month, so you will be hearing a lot about how to take care of this vital organ. In addition to beating about 100,000 times per day and pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, this fist-sized powerhouse represents our emotional center. It represents where we feel love, compassion, empathy and emotion. Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be [...]

May is National Water Safety Month, and at the Y, we believe in the importance of teaching people of all ages how to be safe in and around water. Here, our Aquatics Team put together some quick water safety tips. Achieve basic swim skills: take swim lessons to learn how to get comfortable in the water, float, tread, kick and how to safely enter/exit the water. Buddies swim together: swimming with a friend helps keep [...]

By Diane Romond Every child deserves to live in a safe and loving household, yet for hundreds of thousands of children abuse and neglect are a tragic reality. At least one in seven children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year, the CDC reports. Since 1983, April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States. This annual observance is dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse. Child Abuse [...]