“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. Since we live in nearby Clark, convenience was a big factor in why we joined this Y. I also wanted to stay heart healthy and my husband wanted to relieve his back pain by increasing his core strength. The availability of the equipment in the Wellness Center enabled us to set up a routine that fit our needs. What we didn’t anticipate was the friendliness of the ladies at the front desk or the support of the Wellness Center staff, especially Steve and Phil on Sunday mornings. When the Y closed last March, not only did we miss exercising, but we also missed seeing the children walking by on their way to the pool, watching the men’s basketball games, the beep, beep, beep of the treadmill speed being increased, and the sudden thud of a barbell being dropped. During this time, the feeling of community we had felt was missing. The exact day we returned was September 15th. All of the COVID guidelines were in place and we felt safe. The Wellness Center became our ‘go to’ place once again. In the future, we hope to see more and more activities come back to the Y and less and less cases of COVID reported in the world.”