Young Mens Christian Association Of Central Virgina

Programs: Healthy living - the ymca focuses on healthy living by advocating and promoting well-being throughout the ymca. Helping people of all ages develop in health, spirit, mind and body is at the core of the ymca movement. Our programs are designed to help people create realistic goals for self-improvement and emphasize disease prevention through regular exercise, proper nutrition, stress management and health education. The ymca provides scholarships to adults who cannot afford ymca programs and services including membership. The ymca is open to all and currently subsidizing 5% of the membership which represent $269,933. The current membership directly mirrors the demographic makeup of the community of which we serve. We provide adults with diverse activities such as group exercise, personal training and other fitness programs designed to educate them about exercise, reduce stress, stay fit and healthy. The ymca of central virginia continues to develop programs to combat the health and obesity crisis in america. The ymca has added several programs to target the "health seeker" defined as those individuals who have led a sedentary lifestyle and are searching for encouragement, assistance, and education to lead a healthier lifestyle. New programs developed, implemented, and continued include 1. Y-change, this six weeks program offered at all locations provides nutrition, exercise and educational materials in a small group environment. The instructor introduces all participants to varying group exercise classes, the intent of the program is to provide a "get started" platform for members or non-members so they will continue their exercise and nutrition program. 2. Healthy kids day, celebrated annually, the goal of this event is to provide community members and y members with the proper resources to live healthy lifestyles. This is free and open to the public. People are invited to partake in fun activities, appropriate for the entire family. Activities include healthy eating tips and nutritional learning games along with family group exercise classes. 3. Fitness challenges, designed to get members motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we offer numerous challenges per year impacting over 1,664 members. 4. Active adults- our active adult classes are designed to strengthen the heart and lungs, stimulate coordination and balance and help build strong muscles and bones. Another aspect of our active adult program includes opportunities for seniors to socialize with their peers. Programs include trips, books clubs, driving safety courses bridge club and more. The ymca secured new fitness tracking software (activtrax) to provide members the tools to manage their wellness protocols and provide nutritional and healthy lifestyle resources. Surveys completed by members show that since joining the y that 92% are more physically active. The ymca of central virginia developed a new program in 2012, called the y on wheels. The y on wheels is a mobile ymca. We partnered with lynchburg parks and recreation to provide free fitness and nutrition based programs designed to teach principles and methods of healthy physical fitness to children. The program brings the ymca programming, mission, and values to inner city communities and neighborhoods that do not have access to a ymca facility or programming. Healthy lifestyles are difficult to maintain without supportive environments. The y on wheels offers a structured environment driven by fun, high energy activities, providing youth with the opportunity to increase physical activity and to have fun while exercising. In 2014 the y on wheels impacted 295 children.

youth development - the ymca is a leader in nurturing the potential of every child and teen each day. The ymca helps young people deepen positive values, their commitment to service and their motivation to learn. Our ymca youth programs serve many youth who come from low-income neighborhoods and households unable to pay regular membership fees so the ymca programs are offered at reduced fees or at no cost. In 2014, the ymca provided high quality childcare by offering comprehensive activities for school age children drawing from diverse members of the community. Woven into the fabric of the ymca mission is a commitment to strengthen families. The ymca childcare programs relieve the burden of balancing work and family and make it possible for parents of children in our care to remain gainfully employed. Our reputation for consistency, dedication and safety makes parents feel confident entrusting us with the care of their children. The low child-to-teacher ratios enable the staff to foster solid relationships and provide sound guidance while maintaining the stability that contributes so effectively to the comfort, security and development of the children in our program. Childcare is offered before and after school, in summer months, during school breaks and in cases of inclement weather. Parents find comfort knowing that their children are thriving in a safe and developmentally sound environment. The ymca understands the need for each family to have safe and affordable childcare to assist in their family's success. The ymca seeks to meet this need by providing a scholarship program for all of our childcare services. Through the scholarship program, children have the opportunity to attend a ymca program at a reduced fee. In addition, we provide a variety of activities that emphasize parent education and help parents learn more about how to raise healthy, happy children who develop self-esteem and moral and ethical values. Our programs are located in amherst county, appomattox county, nelson county and lynchburg city. The before and after school programs partners with amherst county, appomattox county, nelson county and lynchburg city school systems. We are located at 12 school sites reaching 557 children on a daily basis. Our 3 summer camps are located in amherst county, nelson county and lynchburg, serving 477 children. Currently 29% of children participating in y childcare are financial assisted by the y. 295 children received scholarships in the amount of $69,898. In 2014, the ymca of central virginia started to address the need for achievement gap work in the greater lynchburg community. Statistics show that a large number of children from low-income environments reach kindergarten unprepared and that they continue to fall behind in school without proper interventions. That "gap" is known as the achievement gap. The y, a longtime leader in youth development, is working to improve the educational readiness, engagement and outcomes for the country's children, in partnership with schools and families. Summer learning loss disproportionately affects low-income students. While all students potentially lose some ground over the summer, low-income students tend to lose more learning pertaining to literacy and reading skills. Research has shown that children from low-income households lose an average of 2. 5 months of reading skills over the summer. These setbacks slow the progress toward reaching reading proficiency by third grade, which is a leading predictor of later educational success. The y summer learning loss prevention program in partnership with lynchburg city schools, amherst county schools and appomattox county schools provides a six week targeted learning experience for 1st through 3rd graders offered free to all participants. Children selected to attend are recommended by school administration and teachers. The instructional curriculum is implemented by certified school teachers. Transportation to and from, healthy breakfast, lunch and snack are provided and swim lessons are part of the enrichment piece of the program. In 2015 66% of students gained reading skill during the program. During the summer of 2014 and 2015 we provided the program to 121 at a cost of $165,770.

social responsibility - a long-standing goal of the ymca of central virginia has been that everyone should have an opportunity to learn how to swim and be safe around water. In our aquatics programs, children and adults learn safety, the skills needing for swimming and are given a sense of accomplishment that comes with, learning something new. The national ymca youth progressive program uses a problem solving, guided discovery teaching approach in a positive, caring environment. Kids can develop lifelong skills that will help them stay healthy. We provide lessons to "at risk" children who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to learn to swim. Through the ymca swim lesson curriculum, participants not only learn how to swim, but learn how to be safe in an aquatic environment, basic rescue techniques, water sports and games and the building of their self-confidence. The ymca partners with schools who serve inner city children by providing lessons to second graders who do not know how to swim. The ymca furnishes transportation from school to the ymca and then to their homes after the lessons to be sure all children can participate. The ymca also works with other agencies, such as fort hill community school, horizon behavioral healthy, amazing grace and jubilee family center to provide lessons to the children who need them regardless of ability to pay. Parental influence also plays a huge role in children learning how to swim. Children whose parents are non-swimmers (which is most common in minorities and "at risk" families) and/or feel that swimming is dangerous are eight times more likely to be non-swimmers themselves. In 2014 the ymca of central virginia served 312 children through our outreach swim program. Other aquatics programs at our ymca include preschool swim lessons, parent/child swim lessons, adult swim lessons and lifeguard classes. We provide free swim lessons to children enrolled in our summer camp programs. Our masters swimming program is designed for adult swimmers who want to improve their stroke techniques and work on endurance. The group meets with a swim coach three times a week. Water fitness classes are offered for those individuals who cannot participate in activities out of the water. Participants include those with arthritis, ms ad other health conditions. Our ymca swim team serves swimmers from ages six to eighteen. We teach competitive swimming in a progressive, developmental manner that focuses on long-term success. Competitive swimming recognizes and rewards both individual and team achievement. Its exercise and conditioning value are second to none. Lifeguard classes at the ymca are nationally known and our ymca is the leading provider in lifeguard training in central virginia. The ymca of central va trains 89 teens lifeguard and swim lesson instructor skills annually, helping them to develop confidence, responsibility and a skill that can give them gainful employment during summer or after school time. The lessons of the pool are the lessons of life and truly encourage healthy spirits, healthy minds and healthy bodies. Over 2,196 children learned how to swim at the ymca. Through all aquatics programs 774 children received scholarships in the amount of $36,986. Surveys completed by participants show that by taking swim lessons at the y, 96% improved their confidence around the water, 85% became more physically active and 94% build their confidence. Each year the ymca provides supplies through our bright beginnings program. This program, with help from members and local businesses, gives low-income, high-risk children the opportunity to go back to school with the tools necessary for success. During the holidays, the ymca angel tree provides gifts for children so that they will have an enjoyable holiday season. Our youth sports program promotes teamwork, interaction and development of social and physical skills. At the ymca everybody plays. We don't emphasize winning and losing. We want every child to have a positive experience. Surveys completed by participants show that by participating in youth sports at the y that 99% became more physically active, 93% made new friends and 96% increased their confidence. Our "y-fit" program is designed to introduce youth ages 11-14 to the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Our young members develop an appreciation for fitness through the teaching of proper training principles on cardiovascular and strength training equipment by certified personal trainers.

kidz gym programs - the phelps family kidz gym continues to impact our youth by providing a positive and safe environment where children are supported to reach their health and well-being goals. With over 17,206 visits recorded for the year, the y is actively engaged in providing the necessary programs to foster healthy living and combat youth obesity. The phelps family kidz gym is composed of an interactive fitness space, an area with strive strength training equipment for children and an open gym for classes. All of the equipment is designed to be appealing to youth and teens. The kidz gym offers a structured environment driven by fun, high energy activities, while maximizing the social aspect of modern-day video gaming. Children move their feet, pedal faster and use their bodies in order to react to the challenges projected on the lcd screen. Youth are also participating in fitness orientations, fitness testing programs, fitness challenges, nutrition classes, running club, tumbling, zumba for kids and many other healthy living activities. The kidz gym has played host to local preschools, elementary schools, centra health programs and healthy kids day.