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WHO'S WHO
Michael Carter, Executive Director
Carla Turner, Membership Director
Tanner Gilbert, Wellness Director
Jacquelyn Minor, Youth and Community Services Director
Josie Klimas-Program Coordinator
Mark Edwards, Regional Sports Director
Mike Dinkeldein, Youth and Adult Sports Coordinator
Patrice Williamson, Area Child Care Director
Chayla Owens, Child Watch Coordinator
Kevin McCardle, Aquatics Coordinator
Renee LaFortune, Swim Lesson Coordinator
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FUN FAMILY NIGHT SERIES
We’ll have some activities to introduce you to other families, potlucks food, snacks, and huge family competition games that will have you laughing, and always coming back for more. Let’s make memories together
April 12 -- 6:30 -- 8:30 p.m. -- Part II-And the Survey Says-Family Feud
July 19 -- 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. -- Part III-Come prepared to get soaked-Splatter Games
October 11 -- Part IV-Outwit, Outplay, Outlast-Family Survivor.
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ADULT AND YOUTH SPORTS
We are excited to announce our partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of their Junior Cavaliers program. Each participant enrolled in our winter or spring youth basketball program will receive a free ticket to the April 7 Cavs game. The game is in conjunction with our annual Healthy Kids Day held at Quicken Loans Arena.
The YMCA Youth Basketball League is an instructional league based on age and level of play. Basketball game rules are adapted and fundamental skills are learned to maximize participants learning and enjoyment. Through this league, the Y aims to build character through teamwork and friendly competition. The success of the Y basketball league relies heavily on Volunteer coaches and officials.
We also want to highlight our youth classes, including: martial arts, basketball, flag football, soccer, and sports combo.
Beginning March 18, we are also starting to implement youth value-add classes.
For adults, we offer an adult basketball league on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The league is played on our NBA regulation court with NBA three-point line.
Please contact Mark Edwards or Mike Dinkeldein with any questions.
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YOUTH MOVEMENT: A STEP TOWARD INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE
At the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA, Sports and Wellness are collaborating to target 7-12 year olds—an underserved population—to offer an on-going value added option. Although the primary focus of the class is to have fun building healthy, active lifestyles, participants will work individually and collectively to develop and enhance strength, balance, coordination, agility, teamwork, and overall fitness.
A typical class (1 hour) will consist of an initial education/discussion period related to the upcoming activities, a warm-up session, execution of the movements in a standard group exercise setting, and an application of the movements in a game format.
Once Spring I session starts on March 18, classes will be offered on Wednesday and Friday evenings.
Do not forget to schedule your free 30-minute wellness coaching session at the member services desk for structure, guidance, and information on how to get the maximum results from your workouts.
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FROM AQUATICS DIRECTOR KEVIN MCCARDLE
As the pool at Southeast was being drained on Monday, February 11, it was certainly one of the times I reflected on the history of that pool. I have had the pleasure of talking with some members who have actually been active at the pool for nearly 58 years (since opening in 1955).
For those of you at Warrensville who don’t know me, please stop in and say hello. I can normally be found in the pool or pool office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and intermittently on evenings and weekends.
I started volunteering teaching swim lessons at the Southeast branch about five years ago. After about a year of teaching, we had several children ready for a swim team, which I started with the support of the Y. About 16 months ago the leadership at Southeast Y asked me if I would like to help lead aquatics at the Southeast branch. I left my job in food service distribution to follow my passion for helping people learn to swim.
It gives me great joy to see many of the same faces I’ve gotten to know at Southeast continue their own journey toward health and happiness with the Y’s help. We have recently added many water exercise classes at the Warrensville branch because of their great popularity. These classes are free to members.
I also take great pride in all of our swim lessons under the leadership of Renee LaFortune and have specialized in teaching adults to swim myself. I hope you’ll consider learning the life skill of swimming, if you don’t know how or would like to be more proficient. I hope adults will also take advantage of the great variety we offer of water exercise.
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MESSAGE FROM THE BRANCH DIRECTOR
“Your Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by changes.” -Jim Rohn
In February, we implementing some changes to better serve our members at both the Southeast and Warrensville Heights Family YMCA’s.
Our goals were to offer more classes and programs with flexible hours. When you look at our program schedules for Group Exercise classes and our Aquatics programs, you will notice increased options to help you meet your personal health and wellness goals.
I’m very confident that you will be able to make your YMCA experiences the best they can possibly be.
Also, we are proud about the partnership we have with the Warrensville Heights City School District. This partnership gives our Southeast Stingray Swim Team a new home at the school Recreation Center.
We appreciate your support and thank you for your continuing loyalty as YMCA members.
We are here to assist you in living a healthy lifestyle, so please join us as we take this wellness journey together.
Michael A. Carter
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STAFF PROFILES
PROGRAM COORDINATOR JOSE KLIMAS
I started volunteering to teach evening Water Aerobics at the Ridgewood Family YMCA in 1999 and has been an employee since 2000. I have been at the Southeast Family YMCA for the last 12 years as the Program Coordinator, Group Exercise Coordinator and Water Exercise Supervisor, as well as teaching land and water classes.
I plan many special events and older adult activities. I am dedicated and passionate about what we do at the Y. "The Y is more than a swim and gym, it is a place to get healthy, make friends and have fun. We are a place that many call home."
MEMBER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE KAREN SCHAEFER
I am excited to be here at the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA. I just relocated here from the Southeast Family YMCA in Bedford, and will be continuing in my role as a Member Service Representative.
I have been with the YMCA for 2 ½ years, beginning my career at the Hillcrest Family YMCA in Lyndhurst. I enjoy getting to know our members and helping them to achieve their goals. Staying in shape and committed to a weekly work out can be challenging and I believe it helps our members to come into a warm and welcoming facility where the staff greet you with a smile and encouraging words. I look forward in getting to know the existing members of the Warrensville Heights branch, as well as assisting our Southeast members in getting acclimated to our new home.
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MEMBER PROFILE: SABRINA DAVIS
I have been a part of the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA Teen programs since it first opened in June, 2012. I come here to get out the house and have fun with the other teens.
Since I am home schooled, interacting with other teens with different personalities and ages has been helping me build my social skills. It’s helping me get along better with my peers, because I have so much positive peer pressure to learn how to talk to people appropriately.
If I get upset about something, the staff will talk to me and we’ll work it out. The YMCA teen programs have given me a voice in the teen center. I am earning respect from my peers, and people listen to me because they believe I have something valuable to say.
I joined the Y-achievers program which is a college readiness program for teens. I’m learning about what it means to be a five star ambassador and how my actions represent myself, my family, my school, my community, and also my Y when we go other places.
Being a Y-achiever allows me to experience meeting other people and go places that I’ve never been before. The program kicked off in September, and so far, I went to the Cleveland Classic with 50 other teens from the Y.
We’ve had the opportunity to go to three different college fairs, including an HBCU college fair; we’ve had social outings where we’ve interacted with Y-Achievers from different branches, and, we’ve even gone out of the state for the national Achievers Summit.
The trips we go on expose me to new things and inspire me to go to college, because I now believe that I can do things that other people can do. At the Y, I have mentors who care about my grades, and I am encouraged to keep them up.
I’ve also been learning how to build my resume and increase my work experience for my resume through volunteering. The staff has been grooming my office skills by allowing me to volunteer in the office and teaching me how to properly file papers, make copies, and make calls to other teens and parents. It’s helped me with my leadership skills, and I’m now the President of the Teen Center.
Being a part of the YMCA teen programs including the Teen Center has given a lot of teen’s opportunities to be successful, whether it’s giving them a chance to lead an activity, helping with their homework, having a kind word to say, or just being a caring adult who will listen. The Teen center is a safe and fun place for my peers and I to go to after school instead of being on the street.
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MEMBER PROFILE: SABRINA DAVIS
I have been a part of the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA Teen programs since it first opened in June, 2012. I come here to get out the house and have fun with the other teens.
Since I am home schooled, interacting with other teens with different personalities and ages has been helping me build my social skills. It’s helping me get along better with my peers, because I have so much positive peer pressure to learn how to talk to people appropriately.
If I get upset about something, the staff will talk to me and we’ll work it out. The YMCA teen programs have given me a voice in the teen center. I am earning respect from my peers, and people listen to me because they believe I have something valuable to say.
I joined the Y-achievers program which is a college readiness program for teens. I’m learning about what it means to be a five star ambassador and how my actions represent myself, my family, my school, my community, and also my Y when we go other places.
Being a Y-achiever allows me to experience meeting other people and go places that I’ve never been before. The program kicked off in September, and so far, I went to the Cleveland Classic with 50 other teens from the Y.
We’ve had the opportunity to go to three different college fairs, including an HBCU college fair; we’ve had social outings where we’ve interacted with Y-Achievers from different branches, and, we’ve even gone out of the state for the national Achievers Summit.
The trips we go on expose me to new things and inspire me to go to college, because I now believe that I can do things that other people can do. At the Y, I have mentors who care about my grades, and I am encouraged to keep them up.
I’ve also been learning how to build my resume and increase my work experience for my resume through volunteering. The staff has been grooming my office skills by allowing me to volunteer in the office and teaching me how to properly file papers, make copies, and make calls to other teens and parents. It’s helped me with my leadership skills, and I’m now the President of the Teen Center.
Being a part of the YMCA teen programs including the Teen Center has given a lot of teen’s opportunities to be successful, whether it’s giving them a chance to lead an activity, helping with their homework, having a kind word to say, or just being a caring adult who will listen. The Teen center is a safe and fun place for my peers and I to go to after school instead of being on the street.
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INTRODUCING THE DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM
Diabetes is a serious health condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, high blood pressure, and blindness. Prediabetes is a potentially reversible condition, and 79 million people in the United States are estimated to have it. If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, or believe you may be at risk for developing the disease, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can help you develop a healthier lifestyle and work with you to reduce the risks this condition can pose to your health.
Based on effective efforts researched by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program will help you learn about and adopt the healthy eating and physical activity habits that have been proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Through the 12 month lifestyle change program you will receive support and encouragement from both a trained lifestyle coach and fellow classmates as you develop a plan for improving and maintaining your overall well-being. |
COMMUNITY YOUTH SERVICES/TEEN CENTER
Family Fun Night April 5, 2013 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Teen All Night Event April 6, 2013 -- 5:30 p.m. – 6 a.m. April 7
Warrensville Heights College Fair, April 13 – 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
For more information, visit www.clevelandymca.org or contact Jacquelyn Minor, at 216.518.9622, or via e-mail at jminor@clevelandymca.org
The “100 Black Men of Tomorrow” of Greater Cleveland is now in collaboration with the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA.
Their mentorship program is designed to develop young men who understand the beneficial importance of positive thinking, responsible personal conduct, respect for self and others, as well as educational achievement and cultural enrichment. The 100 Black Men of Tomorrow” program is open to males in grades 6-12, and is now in a period of open enrollment. The program is held on the first and second Saturday of the month from 10 -- 11:30 a.m. at the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA. For more information, please contact Jacquelyn Minor, Community Youth Services director at 216.518.9622 minor@clevelandymca.org
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