“I was very interested to learn what goes into running a very local organization, one that is embedded in the community.”

“It’s a really great environment. We love the community side of it and the kids are happy and enjoy it.”

April is National Volunteer Month and we’re highlighting one of our fantastic volunteers

“The best part of my day is coming here.”

“This is the third year we have been part of Jeremy’s Giving Tree. The tree takes a little pressure off being able to provide the type of Christmas that our children deserve, but we are unable to always afford.”

“The days when I don’t come, I feel like my day hasn’t gone right. I can’t imagine our community without this Y.”

The children share what they are thankful for this holiday season

The children share what they are thankful for this holiday season

“I like the feeling of winning and training hard to achieve the big goals that I have.”

“We felt very included and I think a lot of that had to do with the teachers and how they bring everyone together.”

“I love the group exercise classes and the family environment. It was a great beginning for me and now exercise is a big part of my life.”

“I decided to join the Challenge because I wanted to lose more weight and get more fit. I figured if I sign up, I’m going to do it.”

“On the Swim Team, we can’t run any meet without parent volunteers. The parent volunteers are the backbone of the team. But as much as we need to put in, we definitely get back so much more.”

“Everyone here has become part of our family. The YMCA has been very supportive.”

“I moved to this area in 2019, three months before the pandemic started. I was starting to get to know my neighbors and the neighborhoods a bit and then March came and everything went into lockdown.”

“We joined the Y not long after our son was born in 2005. We started my son in swim classes when he was very young, and then the Y turned into a place for our whole family.”

“The past almost two years have made me realize that although money is important, if you’re not out there helping someone, you are missing out.”

Answers include turkey, family and my pet snake!

“On Veterans Day, like I did last year, I’m going to play Taps outside my house as part of the program Taps Across America.”

“I knew I needed to keep healthy both mentally and physically. My doctors tell me that if I didn’t come to the Y to exercise, I’d be a lot worse off.”

From left to right is Gina, Ted, Doris and Indira, who say anyone is welcome to join them in the café any day!

“I think it’s really important to keep physically fit. It’s important for your weight, for your emotional health and for your mental health.”  

John has been a member of our Y for around 40 years and can be seen almost daily in our Wellness Center.

“We joined as a senior couple after reading about a ‘Father’s Day’ promotion. The Y is part of our family history, however, since our two children (now in their 40s) learned to swim at the Y and our son attended the pre-k program.”

“We originally started with the YMCA’s Special Olympics program, the swimming team. Kevin was part of the team that trained here and then would compete at the state level.”

“My family has been part of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for about six years now. We originally joined FSPY for the Swim Team.”

“My family has had a membership with the Y for about 18 years, since we moved to the Scotch Plains-Fanwood community.”

“I enjoy the many close friendships I’ve made over the years with both members and instructors, some which go back 27 years and are still going strong today!”

“We have been members of the Y for three years. As new residents of Scotch Plains at the time, we joined the Y in an effort to acclimate and network with members of our local community.”

“Jack has been in the Y’s Child Care program since he was 6 months old. He started in the infant room and this is our 4th year in the program.”

“Our son Arlo has been in the child care program for the last two years, since he was about eight months old. Two things really stood out about the Y’s program as opposed to some others in the area – one is we really liked that the Y had a focus on physical activity as well as socialization and academics.”

“Atticus has been at the Y’s Child Care program for 4 years and 4 months. When we toured the YMCA while picking child care providers, the child care wing was still under construction. We saw the potential of what the Y was building and what they were aiming to achieve.”

“I have been a member of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for over 30 years. Until I retired in 2017, I was commuting to Manhattan and needed a gym with flexible hours close-by to squeeze in any workouts that I could.”

“I joined the Y in 1993. Before the closure, my work schedule allowing, I went to the Y every morning, Monday through Friday for 1 to 2 classes.”

“I have been a member of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for five years. I first joined the LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA program after treatment for breast cancer.”

“I joined the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y 20 years ago to learn how to swim properly. Before COVID-19, I would swim four to five times a week and use the Wellness Center on the other days. When FSPY was closed, I decided to keep up my membership in order to help, in some small way, keep someone employed. I missed swimming and was excited when I heard the pool would be open on a limited basis…

“We’ve been members of the Y for 9 years. We initially joined for swim lessons for our oldest daughter.”

“We initially joined the YMCA for a place for our daughters to take swim lessons and enjoy open swim.”

“We have been members of the Y since 2006. We joined when our son Jack was 6 months old and we wanted to sign him up for swim lessons. Water safety and teaching our kids how to swim was very important for us.”

“I have been enjoying membership at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for about 41 years. I joined to participate in activities that promote physical, emotional and mental health and to become acquainted with members of the community.”

“We joined the Y in Spring 2010 after our first son, Ant, was born so we could participate in parent/child swim and gymnastics class.”

“I joined the Y in January of 2017. I was employed as a clinical social worker in a psychiatric inpatient unit, and was fortunate to be able to take early retirement.”

“A doctor had suggested working out in the water to help ease the symptoms of my MS.”

“I started coming here as a member five years ago. In 2015, before I moved to Scotch Plains, I knew I needed to be healthier. I had hypertension and was overweight and I had to do something about it.”

“I joined about 18 years ago when my oldest was a baby. I was looking for a gym that offered babysitting so I could exercise. Over the years, the Y has provided my family with classes to meet our needs at every stage.”

“Two years ago, I was 43 years old and 398 pounds, that was my heaviest. I decided to undergo weight loss surgery, a lot because of my 8-year-old daughter Avery. I started thinking, how many 70-year-olds do you know who weigh 400 pounds? I didn’t know any.”

“After I retired, I came to the Y to work out. Someone suggested to me that I try the pool. I saw the older women in it and wanted to try. At first, I didn’t think it was possible because of my age.”

“I started coming here in August 2013 just to work out, not to mingle. Fortunately, a year later, I started mingling and going into the café.”

Never an “exerciser,” Darlene was pleasantly surprised by how good working out made her feel. “I never exercised, ever. I didn’t like to sweat. In the early 2000s when my kids were young, one day out of total curiosity, I decided to see if I could run a mile. I did it and then started running regularly.”

“We started coming to the Y in the summer of 2017. We moved to New Jersey in the beginning of that year. Morgan is a stay-at-home mom and started with parent and child dance and gymnastics classes, and Dave started with swim classes on the weekends.”

Six-year-old Virginia along with her 4 ½-year-old sister Eleni, has been part of our Child Care and Camp programs since she was a toddler. Their parents, Nadia and Kurt, explain what they enjoy about being part of our Y family.

Antonio, who is now 9, started with parent and child swim lessons when he was 6 months old. Over the years, he’s done swimming, gymnastics, Ninja Warrior, basketball, Young Athletes and T-ball.

Edwin is a longtime FSPY Member and Board Member who enjoys using our Wellness Center each morning. “My family moved to Scotch Plains in 2003. We had two children at the time – now we have three – and the Y has been an integral part of our lives since we moved.”

“My neighbor Donna (Peart) works at the Y and told me about the LIVESTRONG® program for cancer survivors. I started right after my last radiation treatment that August. I tried it, was able to get through the first two hours and I said ‘I can do this.’ I never missed a day the whole 12 weeks.”

Gayle is a longtime FSPY member who volunteers as a mental health advocate with the Here 2 Help Mental Health Coalition, which includes our YMCA. “I started here as a member in 1989 when my oldest daughter was 2 years old. All three of my girls took swim instruction here and were lifeguards here, and my younger two swam competitively at the Y as well as in high school and college.”

Raina, 6, and Sophia, 8 are sisters who have participated in a range of FSPY programs, including swim lessons, Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics, dance and camp. Dad Ryan and mom Sophia, look forward to starting the newest addition to the family, Ryan, 1, in swim lessons soon, too.

“My family and I started at the Grand Street location, the old Y. I grew up at the Y, my children went through the programs and so did my grandchildren.”

Alana is an FSPY member and fourth grader at Evergreen Elementary School who was asked to write a report on her favorite place in the community. “I chose the Y because it serves the community and I like places that serve the community.”