Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

C.W. Avery, Central City, Galowich, Morris

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Challenge Yourself: Registration Underway for YMCA Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge


Ho Ho Hold Your Weight Challenge Begins November 15

Our 8-week Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge will help you get in shape and keep the weight off during the holiday season. We have a great plan to help you adopt healthy eating and exercise habits while saying ‘No’ to those tempting holiday cravings.

Are you up for the challenge?

If you can maintain your weight within 2 pounds for 8 weeks (November 15-January 7), you will receive a $20 YMCA credit that can be used towards any fitness program, including personal training. If you gain more than 2 pounds during this eight-week challenge, your fee will be donated in your name to the Y’s Mission Strong Fund.

There will be two mandatory weigh-ins:
Week 1 (some time between November 15 and November 20)
Week 8 (some time between January 3 and January 8)

There will also be optional weigh-in:
Week 5 (some time between December 13 and December 18)

As part of this fun-filled Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge, you will receive:

  • A one-of-a-kind YMCA Holiday Weight Maintenance Challenge T-shirt
  • Weekly emails with workout tips, healthy holiday recipes and special fitness challenges, designed specifically for challenge participants

Let’s have a little fun this holiday season. Together, we will help you celebrate the holiday season happy and healthy!

Registration is now open. Select your branch below and sign up today!

C.W. Avery Family YMCA

Galowich Family YMCA

Morris Community YMCA

Cost: $25

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Celebrate Halloween at the YMCA


Prepare yourselves! This October, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has a series of spooky, Halloween-themed activities planned for you and your family. Come dressed in your Halloween best and join us for ‘Spook-tacular’ fun!

Galowich Family YMCA Trunk-or-Treat

Friday, October 22
6-8 p.m.

Register Today

Bring your family to this spook-tacular event! Decorated cars will fill our parking lot and children can go from trunk to trunk to collect candy and play games. This provides a fun and safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Don’t forget to come dressed in your Halloween costume!

Cost: Free and open to the community.

If you are interested in volunteering or hosting a Trunk-or-Treat vehicle, contact the Y at (815) 744-3939.

Morris Community YMCA Trunk-or-Treat

Saturday, October 23
10-11:30 a.m.

Location:
Morris Grade School
2001 Dupont Ave
Morris, IL 60450

Register Today

It’s Halloween time and we’re having a bash! Wear your best costume and do a little Monster Dash! Come trunk or treat from the numerous trunks provided by local businesses.

Cost: Free and open to the community

If you would like to host a trunk during this event, please contact Youth and Family Director Jordan Overton at [email protected] or (815) 513-8080, ext. 513

C.W. Avery Family YMCA Halloween Spooktacular 

Thursday, October 28
6-8 p.m.

Join the C.W. Avery Family YMCA for a night of Halloween fun! We will have exciting activities for the whole family including a trunk-or-treat, haystack rides, and an outdoor haunted scene with photo opportunities! Come dressed in your spookiest costume!

Cost: Free and open to the community

All those interested in hosting a trunk can contact the Y at (815) 267-8600.

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2021 YMCA Youth Basketball Leagues Forming Now

When kids play sports, they do more than just exercise. Besides being physically active, they develop higher self-esteem, perform better in school and work better in groups.

YMCA youth basketball programs teach kids the fundamentals of the game while emphasizing the importance of teamwork. Above all, kids who play YMCA basketball have a lot of fun!

To learn more about YBL in your area, or to register online, please click below.

Joliet

Plainfield

Morris/Coal City

PLEASE NOTE: To ensure the health and safety of our YMCA community, we will follow masking guidance from the State of Illinois to best protect participants, coaches, and staff in our youth basketball programs during the upcoming season.

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C.W. Avery Family YMCA Member Spotlight: Jean Black

The C.W. Avery Family YMCA is celebrating its 15th Anniversary on Wallin Drive in 2021! To commemorate this milestone, we are sharing the Y story of one of our fantastic members each month. Today we shine the spotlight on Jean Black. Jean has been a Y member since 2006 and we are excited to share her Y story with you:

Q: What inspired you to join the Y?

Jean: I was having a lot of knee problems at the time and I was seeing a physical therapist. It was suggested that I could postpone major surgeries for a while by doing exercise. I knew that the Y was just about finished and so when it opened to register new members I went over right away to sign up.

Q: What programs have you enjoyed participating in at the Y?

Jean: I’m not really into exercise machines, but I gravitated toward the swimming pool. I started doing just laps and eventually learned they had water aerobics. I had been involved in aerobics for years and so I was very interested.

Q: Why have you felt connected to the Y for so many years?

Jean: It becomes part of you. I was a relatively new retiree when I joined and it became part of my weekly schedule, part of my life, and really part of my extended family. Everyone who was going became friends. I’ve made friendships that started back at the beginning and are still strong today, even if they have moved out of state.

Q: What makes the Y community special?

Jean: If you don’t go for a while and then you see something that you want to do, everyone welcomes you back in like family. We truly care about each other. If someone is going through a hard time, maybe not feeling well, people notice and check in on you. You share experiences and it’s a cohesive, friendly group of people.

Q: Do you have favorite Y memories or experiences?

Jean: The first thing that comes to mind is one of the Fab 50 group trips. We went to the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. It was a place I had been before,but I don’t tend to go on my own. Being able to go with people I know was great to take advantage of. It was really nice and really all of the things that the Y comes up with for Fab 50 are really nice.

Q: What should someone who is thinking about joining the Y know before they sign up

Jean: If someone is new to town, I would definitely recommend it. The YMCA is clean, the people are friendly, and they have great programs.  

We would like to thank Jean for her incredible support over the last 15 years! At the Y, we look forward to making a positive impact on members of our community through 2021 and beyond!

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Let Your Talent Shine: 2021 YMCA Holiday Card Design Contest


The YMCA’s Holiday Card Design Contest is back! Open to Y Members, ages 6-12, the contest is the perfect opportunity for kids to let their artistic talents shine and help spread a little cheer this upcoming holiday season.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Download an entry form and print it out. Entry forms are also available at the Y’s Front Desk.

2. Grab some crayons, markers and colored pencils and draw a picture that depicts your favorite things about the holidays and the winter season. From snowmen to Christmas trees, to candy canes and snowflakes, we can’t wait to see your original designs!

3. Complete the entry form and drop it off at the Y.

We will select our three favorite designs—one from each age group—to be featured on the Y’s holiday card.

Age Groups

  • Ages 6-7
  • Ages 8-9
  • Ages 10-12

Each of our winners will receive a YMCA Sweatshirt and other exciting prizes.

Download Entry Form

The deadline to enter is Friday, November 5.

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Tickets Now On Sale for the 2021 YMCA Gala


The 2021 YMCA Gala, generously presented by Midland States Bank, will be held on Saturday, October 30, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. Tickets for this must-attend event are now on sale!

Since its inception, the Y’s signature fundraising event has raised more than $1 million to benefit families within our community. Join us as we celebrate charitable giving at the YMCA by showcasing the Y’s impact in our community and the generous donors who help to make our mission come to life each and every day. This elegant evening will include:

  • A cocktail hour, dinner, and open bar
  • Silent and Live auctions
  • Raise the Paddle giving opportunities
  • Wine Pull and Heads or Tails raffles
  • Live entertainment and dancing

Funds raised from this year’s event will benefit the YMCA Mission Strong Fund, helping to ensure that no one is turned away from the Y due to the inability to pay.

PURCHASE GALA TICKETS TODAY

Inspiring Generosity

At this year’s YMCA Gala, Judy Avery will be presented with the inaugural C.W. and J.L. Avery Philanthropic Award in recognition of her family’s generous and inspiring charitable support of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA.

Cash Raffle Tickets On Sale Now

3 amazing prizes: $2,000, $1,000 and $500!

Only 400 tickets will be sold. Winner need not be present. Winners will be announced at the YMCA Gala on Saturday, October 30. This year’s Cash Raffle is generously sponsored by Grundy Bank.

PURCHASE CASH RAFFLE TICKETS

Let’s Stay Healthy Together

To ensure the health and safety of our community, the YMCA will follow masking guidance from state officials, incorporate social distancing when possible, and utilize outdoor spaces at the Bolingbrook Golf Club during this year’s YMCA Gala. All guests will also be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or present a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event upon entry to the Gala.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation as we work together to ensure the health and safety of our YMCA community.

For More Information

If you have questions about the 2021 YMCA Gala, please visit our event headquarters or contact:

Dori Fugate
Volunteer and Community Engagement Director
[email protected]
(815) 267-8600, ext. 210

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