GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

MORRIS, ILLINOIS – The Morris Community YMCA and Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers announced today the formation of a partnership to enhance the health and wellness of Grundy County residents. Under this multi-year plan, the YMCA and Morris Hospital will work together to develop programs and services at the new temporary Morris Community YMCA location in downtown Morris, which is scheduled to open to the public in January 2015.

Located in the former City Hall building at 320 Wauponsee Street in downtown Morris, the Morris Community YMCA in partnership with Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers will provide Grundy County residents with access to unparalleled health and wellness programs. The newly renovated 7,500-square-foot facility will serve as a temporary home for the Y and feature state-of-the-art fitness and strength-training equipment, multi-purpose rooms, locker rooms and dedicated community space. The Y and Morris Hospital will collaborate to offer a wide variety of programming in the facility, including group exercise classes, youth enrichment and teen programs, senior wellness programs, child watch services, and a number of medically-based fitness programs and community wellness initiatives.

“We are very grateful to partner with Morris Hospital as we further our mission in Grundy County,” said Greater Joliet Area YMCA President and CEO James Watts. “By working alongside Morris Hospital, a proven leader in the healthcare industry, we will offer
high-quality and impactful community-based fitness and wellness programs to propel individuals, families and children to a new level of healthy living in Morris and Grundy County,” added Watts.

“Today’s focus is all about making our communities healthier to reduce the cost of healthcare,” said Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers President & CEO Mark Steadham. “The YMCA is a proven, respected organization with a strong family focus, making it a great partner for Morris Hospital. Through this unique collaboration, we will be able to extend the continuum of care for our patients after they leave the hospital by connecting them with programs and services that will help them continue to improve their health. These new and innovative programs will have a long-lasting impact on the health of Grundy County residents for generations to come,” said Steadham.

As the chief healthcare provider in Grundy County, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers is equipped with an array of resources that focus on improving the health of the community, including cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, nutrition counseling, physical, occupational and speech therapy, senior exercise programs, childbirth and pregnancy education, cancer support services, diabetes management programs, and early detection screenings.

As one of the nation’s leading nonprofit charities, the Y is committed to strengthening local communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Through its financial assistance and scholarship program, the YMCA works to ensure that its programs are available to everyone and no one is turned away due to the inability to pay. A mainstay in the Morris community for nearly a decade, the YMCA has served local families since 2006 through its youth sports programs, summer day camps and sports camps, and before and after school programs. In recent years and with the community’s unwavering support, participation in these programs has nearly tripled. In response to an increasing number of requests from Grundy County residents and under the leadership of its volunteer advisory council, the YMCA has begun to widen its footprint in Grundy County by introducing the types of programs and services that a full-facility YMCA would offer to the community in the future.

Renovations on the new temporary Morris Community YMCA are underway. A grand opening celebration will be held from noon-6 p.m. on Saturday, January 10. To learn more about the Y, please visit www.jolietymca.org.

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JOLIET, ILLINOIS– The Greater Joliet Area YMCA has announced the hiring of Missy Durkin as the Operations Director for the Morris Community YMCA. Durkin will assume her duties in January.

A well-respected business professional, Durkin has spent the last 20 years living and working in Grundy County. In her new role with the YMCA, Durkin will lead programming, community involvement and operations efforts in the Morris community. She will work side-by-side with volunteers to assess how the Morris Community Y can best serve the residents of Morris and Grundy County, while introducing new fitness, child care, senior and youth programming. Under her leadership, the Y will look to partner with the residents of Grundy County to facilitate the grassroots efforts needed to open a full-facility YMCA in Morris.

“We are very excited to welcome Missy to our Y family,” said Katy Leclair, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Greater Joliet Area YMCA. “We have been impressed with Missy’s high level of professionalism and her proven success with a number of organizations in Grundy County. I am confident that she is the right person to help us advance the Y’s mission in the Morris community. With Missy’s leadership and the support of our amazing volunteers, we are looking forward to expanding our presence in Grundy County and introducing new and impactful programs in the near future,” added Leclair.

Since 2008, Durkin has served as the Business Development Director for the Grundy Economic Development Council (GEDC). In her current role, she is responsible for business development and cultivating relationships with government and professional partners in hopes of bringing new businesses to Grundy County. During her tenure with the GEDC, Durkin has helped to oversee business attraction efforts that will represent $585 million of new investments and create more than 1,000 jobs in Grundy County.

Durkin Named Operations Director

Prior to joining the GEDC, Durkin worked for nearly six years as the Executive Director of the Morris Downtown Development Partnership (MDDP). While at the helm of the MDDP, Durkin worked with the organization’s board of directors and committee chairs to oversee the marketing, historic preservation and physical improvements of the Morris downtown district. In addition, she spearheaded logistics, sponsorship and marketing efforts for multiple special events in downtown Morris, including the inaugural Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.

Durkin earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She resides in Morris with her husband, Robert, and their children, John and Katie.

the Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., more than 2,600 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. To learn more, visit www.jolietymca.org.
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