About two dozen people — construction workers, staff, donors and officials — braved bone-chilling winds and huddled in the parking lot of the future Healthy Living campus Monday morning to observe a final "topping off" ceremonial step for the project before a ribbon-cutting next fall.

It was an auspicious

The indoor winter soccer program started on Monday at the YMCA in Batavia, coached by Batavia girls Varsity coach Roger Hume.

He calls the program "club soccer."

It is open to soccer players from third grade through 12th, and it's never too late for a parent to get a child started in the program.  Hume said as long as a class has room, the class is open at any time of the winter, November through March, and there is an open registration time again in January.

The New Year often brings feelings of positive improvement and change – a time to focus on living a better life and providing support for those around us. As we make our way through the month of January, it’s important to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a pioneer in the world of positive improvement and change, with the celebration of the MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 17.

Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others,’” and for nearly 30 years the MLK Day of Service has encouraged individuals to volunteer their time in service to their communities. Here at the GLOW YMCA we’re encouraging everyone to use this day as a call to action to get involved to better our community in 2022.

Volunteering, regardless if the opportunity is big or small, can make a major impact on those around you and helps keep our communities and personal relationships strong. With our community still recovering following the effects of COVID-19, volunteer work is needed now, more than ever. The Y is currently seeking volunteers to assist with fundraising for our new facility, provide mentorship to children in our Y childcare programs (in person or virtually), to coach sports through our Challenger Sports programs, or to make phone calls to our senior members who are practicing social distancing.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the GLOW YMCA and to begin the process of becoming a volunteer, check out the Y’s webpage at www.glowymca.org

Summer Rec at Farrall, John Kennedy, Lambert and Williams parks will be cancelled today, Thursday July 29th due to thunderstorm bands expected to hit throughout the day. Summer rec anticipates being open Friday July 30th unless otherwise communicated to families.

Summer Rec will avoid cancelling in advance unless there is a threat of unsafe weather conditions (Flooding, Safety Threat, Heat-Index Risk or Thunder/Lightening storms)

For further questions regarding Summer Rec, please contact the GLOW YMCA (585) 344-1664
 

Next Friday, March 26, is Healthy Kids Day 2021 and there will be a free drive-thru event sponsored by the Genesee County YMCA. Healthy Kids Day provides all the ingredients for developing healthy, resilient kids and to celebrate kids being kids!

It will take place behind UMMC's Jerome Center, located at 16 Bank St. in the city.

Get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny and pick up a Healthy Kids Day activity kit (one per vehicle while supplies last).

Registration for the drive-thru is required and will be capped at 100 children. Call the Y at (585) 344-1664 to register.

You can also take part in a special virtual coloring contest to win prizes! Deadline to enter is Thursday, March 25.

There is no limit of participants for the drawing/coloring contest.

We would love for you to share with us something that helps you keep an active and healthy body and mind. In other words, “DRAW A PICTURE OF WHAT HEALTHY MEANS TO YOU.” Include your name, age and phone number.

Here's a link to the coloring / drawing contest form to print out, color, scan in, or take a picture of your drawing and email it to:  clasher@glowymca.org, or drop it off at the YMCA.

The coloring / drawing contest guidelines are:

• Open to all community members ages 2-12.
• Please email pictures of submissions to Catrina Lasher at:   clasher@glowymca.org
• Or drop off submissions at the YMCA, 209 E. Main St., Batavia.
• Two winners will be selected and prize packages will be given to them.
• Submissions may be displayed on social media.

By the way, the recipe for a healthy kid, according to the YMCA, is:

1. Start with a tummy full of healthy food.
2. Stir in a cup of physical activity.
3. Add a tablespoon of laughter.
4. Mix in a pinch of curiosity.
5. Sprinkle with a dash of fun!

Erik Fix believes that the numerous relationships he has forged through his prior professional experience will enable him to successfully navigate the day-to-day tasks as the next president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

“Absolutely,” Fix said, when contacted this morning after the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced that he will succeed Tom Turnbull, who is retiring after seven years at the helm. “(My former positions) have given me the experience that I have needed -- being involved with the ins and outs of a nonprofit as well as being community based, and I expect to utilize my connections in the community with the Chamber of Commerce.

“I get an opportunity to do that at M&T in some regard, but as far as being involved in the entire county and having a role, there is something I’m looking forward to.”

Currently, Fix is the manager of M&T Bank’s Oakfield branch. He previously served about seven years as the regional executive director of the United Way of Genesee County.

Prior to that, he held several positions with the Genesee Family YMCA, including serving as Genesee YMCA branch manager and director of camping services at Camp Hough in Perry. He began his employment with the YMCA after graduating from Roberts Wesleyan College with a bachelor of science degree in organization management.

A member of the Leadership Genesee Class of 2009, Fix is involved in several community organizations, including the United Memorial Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, the YMCA New Branch Development Committee, Genesee County Youth Bureau Board of Directors and the City of Batavia Police Advisory Committee.

He also serves as a volunteer coach for the Byron-Bergen-Le Roy high schools swim team. Fix lives in Le Roy with his wife, Susan, and sons Brady, Jackson and Carter.

Fix said he holds the Chamber of Commerce “in high esteem” and seeks to “continue what Tom had done and his legacy, and move it forward.”

“By starting on the 22^nd, this will give Tom and I a week of overlap,” he said. “Tom’s already putting together an orientation packet and things like that to ensure a smooth transition. This is a difficult time, so we want to make sure that we’re moving forward.”

In a press release, Board Chair Danielle Rotondo said the Chamber board is “excited to work with Erik.”

“He brings a wealth of knowledge to this position and a history of commitment to our community. We would like to extended our deepest gratitude to Tom for serving our community for the past seven years,” she said.

Photo: File photo of Erik Fix from 2017.

We are excited to announce the Y, located in Genesee County at 209 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia, will be reopening on Monday, Aug. 31^st! 

The GLOW YMCA will initially have modified hours. Branch hours will be Monday-Friday 7 a.m. - 12 p.m. & 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. - 12 p.m. (We will be closed weekdays for four hours in the afternoon for sanitizing and cleaning purposes to ensure safety.)

The GLOW YMCA is reopening safely and slowly, and in a financially responsible way. To do that, we have decided to take a phased approach when it comes to reopening.

We want to ensure you that our staff will be trained on all new safety procedures; our facilities have been deep cleaned; and our equipment has been spaced out to ensure social distancing.

Phase 1: Helping you get prepared for reopening

As our facilities begin to open again, there will be numerous modifications in place to keep our members safe. Specifically, members should expect to see the following:

• Masks will be required to be worn at all times within the facility by staff and members;
• Bandanas and gators are not permitted. Masks must cover nose and mouth at all times;
• Modified operating hours at all open locations;
• Amenities suspended -- towel service, shower usage, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and coffee service will be suspended until further notice.
• Pools will be open for lap swim only and will operate on a limited reservation system.
• Limited Group Exercise classes will be offered with restrictions on space and capacity;
• Multiple hand sanitation stations throughout the facility;
• Members will be required to disinfect equipment before and after each use;
• YMCA members only will be permitted -- no guests -- until further notice. There will be no one-day passes available for purchase until further notice;
• Increased cleaning frequency;
• Members who choose to workout in our facilities are encouraged to bring their own workout towel and water bottle. Drinking fountains will not be available;
• Please note we will only be open to 33-percent capacity in each area of our buildings;
• At this time for contact tracing, Y members will be required to check in and check out of the building.
• A YMCA health screening will be required upon each visit to the facility. This can be done with this following link or in person when checking in.

Lastly, the YMCA will be extending all annual membership renewal dates by five months due to COVID-19 shutting our facility down for that duration of time. We will take care of this process internally for you.

We could not be more excited to welcome you back into our facilities after this time apart. Please know that through all of this, we have had the safety and health of you and your family in mind and will continue to do so in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Yours in Health,

Jeff Townsend

Executive Director

GLOW YMCA

In the age of coronavirus, the YMCA has been carrying on with socially distanced summer camps. Kids are taught to use their "alligator arms" to ensure they're keeping their distance from other kids and there's ample sanitizer on hand.

This week, the kids competed in their Camper Cup, an Olympic-style event that culminated in a color run at the Notre Dame High School football field.

Jeff Townsend, executive director of the YMCA of Genesee & Orleans Counties, is calling for public support in asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to let nonprofit organizations, like the YMCA, resume using their facilities to support the health and well-being of the communities they serve.

He wants you to sign this petition to let Governor Cuomo know that communities need their YMCAs to open fully to support the health and well-being of New Yorkers.

"For hundreds of communities across New York, the Y is so much more than gym," Townsend's missive says. "The Y works with vulnerable populations to improve health outcomes, build immunity and reduce the impact of underlying conditions that make individuals more susceptible to COVID-19.

The programs Ys are not able to offer while our facilities are closed include:

• Arthritis Management Programs
• Blood Pressure Self-Management Programs
• Brain Health Programs to Prevent Cognitive Decline
• Cancer Wellness and Treatment Recovery
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
• Diabetes Prevention and Management
• Family Wellness
• Obesity or Weight-loss Intervention
• Inclusive Programming for People with Different Abilities
• Programs for People an Caretakers of Those with Parkinson's Disease

Townsend continues by saying Governor Cuomo's decision to prohibit YMCAs from reopening their membership facilities in Phase 4 jeopardizes the economic viability of one of New York State's largest nonprofit organizations and employers: "While our communities generously support the Y through donations and grants, the Y's membership operations are the primary source of funding for its community work."

To date, New York's YMCAs have lost more than $117 million in membership and program revenue due to the government's mandated closures and capacity restrictions.

Unfortunately, these growing losses hinder the Y's ability to positively impact the health and well-being of more than 1.5 million children, families, and seniors who rely on the Y for everything from childcare and meals, to housing and human interaction, according to Townsend.

Ready to Reopen

YMCAs across the state have worked together to ensure that they are reopening in a safe and responsible manner.

Since closing membership operations in March, YMCAs have renovated their facilities, enhanced cleaning protocols, and physically redesigned spaces in order to create an environment that exceeds the health and safety guidelines from the CDC and State Department of Health. During all these changes, the Y continued to serve the needs of communities across New York State.

Open for Good

While our membership operations have been closed, the Y has continued to safely serve communities throughout the State of New York:

• 2,500 children of essential personnel served each day at childcare centers during the pandemic;
• 3,000 children served at YMCA Summer Programs;
• 30,400 calls and visits to vulnerable populations to check on their health and deliver food or goods;
• 128,302 meals provided through a variety of food programs and distribution centers.

Safe Today, Safe Tomorrow

The Y has served thousands, safely, during the pandemic. It is clear that YMCAs can run safely and responsibly. Communities needs the Y, and it needs your help to make sure the Y can continue to serve our community today, tomorrow, and for years to come.