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Message From Our CEO- Tina Carter
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Spring officially arrives this month! Despite the snow and cold in January and February, I can feel the changes coming our way. I look with anticipation to greener fields, warmer air, and renewed energy.
As you enter our Downtown facility, you may see a variety of work being done. Our Facility Committee has outline a three-tier priority list that we will be focusing on in 2022-2023. Watch our Facebook feed for before and after photos as we travel through this journey together. This is both exciting and we are hoping the changes will revitalize our Downtown presents.
As the board and staff wrap up our Strategic Plan, our Y continues to invest valuable time, energy, expertise and resources in closing the education achievement gap in the communities that we serve. I am very proud of the work that our staff has done in preparation to engage the children most vulnerable to summer learning loss. In 2021 we were able to offer special emphasis on reading and STEM activities in our Afterschool Programs, and we are excited to announce our Summer Partnership with Seton Catholic School. The YMCA and Seton will work together to provide a summer Y Scholar Program, this program will offer a free five week program to work with the 20 students identified at the most academic risk of failing.
You, our supporters, our donors, our advisors, and our friends, are partners in this work too. You may not be on site each day but your gifts are essential to our success and, truly, to our participants and members. It is a statement of fact that we could not do this work without you. The Meadville YMCA personifies community action and collective effort. I thank you, and I encourage you to continue to share in our mission and vision.
Annual Campaign
We would like to thank ERIEBANK, McGill, Power, Bell and Associates, LLP UPMC. For their EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program) Donation to the Meadville Family YMCA Early Learning Academy. These donations will allow us to provide scholarships for our Preschool Families.
Pens 4 Purpose
Support the Meadville Family YMCA and join us for a Penguins game!
Click on the picture to purchase your tickets today!
Thursday, April 14, 2022, at 7PM
Penguins vs. Islanders- Meadville Family YMCA special ticket offer
Upper Level- Only $40 Lower Level- Only $75
Come have a great time while supporting the Meadville Community!
Cornhole Tournament
Meadville Family YMCA 1st Annual Cornhole Tournament
April 23rd, 2022 at the Voodoo Brewery Compound –
834 Bessemer Street Meadville
Benefits Veterans in our community
2 Divisions, Double Elimination
50/50 Raffel, 60% Payout
Backyard Brawlers- Novice Players- $30
12-noon warm-ups 1 PM start time
Register Here- https://app.scoreholio.com/link/K8wC (MUST USE SMARTPHONE)
The Players Division- Experienced Players- $50
3 PM warm-ups 4 PM start time
Register Here- https://app.scoreholio.com/link/MXK6 (MUST USE SMARTPHONE)
You can also register by calling Rob Miller at 814.336.2196
Here at the Y, we are very thankful for our veterans, the men and women serving now, and the families that are supporting them. To thank our Veterans, we provide support towards Veterans memberships through our Annual Support Campaign each year. The money we raise helps give veteran and active military families access to our facilities and programs at a reduced rate. At the Y, we are able to provide support for socialization, for healthy movement, and most importantly compassion for the willingness to give of their life to serve us.
Thank you Voodoo Brewery for allowing us to host this event at your awesome facility!
Introducing Our Newest Staff Member
As the Early Childhood Counselor, Carly works in the classroom providing strategies to improve students’ behavior, while also providing resources and recommendations to teachers and parents for improved social-emotional outcomes for the children.
Carly is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who received her undergraduate degree in psychology at Allegheny College and her master’s degree in counseling from Canisius College. Carly has previously worked in Behavioral Health Rehabilitative Services as a Behavioral Specialist Consultant and a Mobile Therapist. She has also worked in the Penncrest and City of Erie School Districts providing individual and group counseling and behavioral intervention services. Carly has 20 years of experience working alongside families for youth who have been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, Anxiety Disorder, and Autism.
What is Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health?
“Infant/early childhood mental health” refers to how well a child develops socially and emotionally from birth to five. Understanding infant/early childhood mental health is the key to preventing and treating the mental health problems of very young children and their families. It also helps guide the development of healthy social and emotional behaviors. The Meadville YMCA is committed to helping families by providing information to gain an understanding of their child’s mental health needs and strategies to support them. The goals of these services include:
- Build stronger relationships between children and the adults who care for them
- Teach children how to handle everyday conflicts and challenges
- Help children develop trust in others and feel empathy, compassion, and generosity
- Reduce parent/caregiver stress
- Improve school readiness for children
- Reduce incidents of challenging behaviors
For more information, or if you have concerns about your child, contact your child’s childcare staff.
March Mental Health Tip:
Feel frustrated by your child’s challenging behavior? Read the attached article to help explain why your child may be behaving that way!
Backpack Connection Series: How to Understand the Meaning of Your Child’s Challenging Behavior (usf.edu)
Ashley Huffman YMCA Success Story
September 1st, 2020 was the first day I had a group training session with Tate, He had me jump on the scale weighing in at 248.2 lbs and my body fat was 48.8%. After our session, he asked me, “What are your goals?”. My first goal was to lose 20 lbs. and make healthier eating choices. After I reached 20 lbs., 30 lbs. and 50 lbs. I felt like nothing could stop me from achieving larger goals with the support of Tate and his knowledge with Personal Training. As I became in love with the YMCA Gym, getting in shape, getting toned, and having more energy, this allowed me to be completely off my medications. I was extremely happy with how far I had gotten. I used to struggle with 20 lbs. dumbbells while doing my favorite exercise, bicep curls. I am now using 30 lb. dumbbells!
I love how hard work pays off. I was once in a size 20 and down to a size 14 now. I’ve lost 60 pounds so far in my weight loss journey and to this day I am still dropping weight, body fat, and inches. I’m also gaining muscle and eating healthier. With Tate by my side pushing me to keep going to reach my goals, I was able to win 2 body fat loss competitions back to back at the YMCA. My journey will continue with Tate helping me be the best I can be, being a role model for others. I want to inspire people to be the best they can be!
Contact us today to start your own journey!
Meadville Area Walk A Thon
Meadville Family YMCA, Creating Landscapes, and Women’s Services are working together to bring back city park programming for the summer! Our funds for the programming will come from an annual Walk-A-Thon! We want 25 teams to raise $25,000. You can raise/pledge per team or pull from our donations in exchange for miles walked!
For more information, please email [email protected]
Register a team here
https://forms.gle/wBwVykQPpXZ18UtK7.
Rally for the Y
Thank you and congratulations to all of our riders for this year’s Rally for the Y event! We had a total of 16 riders, 994-miles road, 34,905 calories burned, and raised over $400!
Top Riders: Lily Phillips, Jason Napolitano, and Mark Abbondanza all riding over 200 miles!
Jason was the top earner at over $145 in donations.
Thank you all for your support!