OUR VOICE YMCA OF BROOME COUNTY 61 Susquehanna Street Binghamton, NY 13901 www.ymcabroome.org WE ARE FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, HEALTHY LIVING AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. LIVESTRONG® AT SCHOOL DATES TO REMEMBER April 14-18 Holiday Camp April 20 Closed for Easter April 21 Holiday Camp May 3 Healthy Kids Day May 24 Holiday Camp May 26 Closed for Memorial Day June 6 Golf Tournament June 8-15 Binghamton pool closed June 12 Martha was too tired to go to class on most days. Not because she was lazy, but because her body just simply didn’t have the energy. She was sick and at the doctors so often, many of her friends and family thought she was a hypochondriac. As time passed, she grew more and more tired, and as a result, the distance between her and her group of friends also grew. Her mother tried to comfort her and help her make sense of it all. “Don’t be too hard on your friends. People fear what they don’t understand. They will come around.” But eventually, the phone rarely rang and her friends stopped inviting her to hang out all together. Martha’s confidence and self esteem were quickly dwindling. Then one day, they got an answer. Martha was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. She was relieved to finally have a name and reason for all she had gone through. There was an explanation for it all, so now her friends would return. But it didn’t happen that way. Neither her friends nor her confidence returned and she sank into a deeper depression than before. After challenging treatments and a long recovery, she joined LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA when she was just 19 years old. There she found a whole new group of adult friends who accepted her and thought she was beautiful just the way she was. Over the next two years, she blossomed from a girl who didn’t have the strength to attend class, to the owner of a dog grooming business. She often reflected on her years in school, growing up alone and ostracized from others simply because of a lack of knowledge and understanding. Martha’s story is one of the reasons the YMCA of Broome County is excited to announce our new LIVESTRONG at School program. While traditionally lessons on cancer have focused on prevention or cell biology, few have explored the personal impact of cancer. (Continued on page 2) Corporate Challenge June 16-19 Y SPLASH program June 30 Summer programs begin July 4 Closed for 4th of July Aug 24-Sep 1 West pool closed 1 (LIVESTRONG at School….continued from page 1) LIVESTRONG at School helps to dispel common myths about cancer, creates discussions about how cancer affects a person, and shares ideas for what people can do to support cancer survivors in our community. The program will serve local youth affected by cancer; both those battling their own diagnosis or dealing with the impact of knowing someone else with the disease. Local heroes and graduates of the Y’s LIVESTRONG program will share their own inspiring stories of hope and victory, and educate children in an age appropriate and empowering way. Children will also have an opportunity to develop support systems to assist them with dealing with the impact cancer has had on them specifically. For more information about this exciting new program please contact Joy at (607) 772-0560, ext. 120. EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION Olivia was three the first time she visited the YMCA’s Child Care Center. Her mother had always thought Olivia would stay home with her until it was time to start school. But she started to notice Olivia was aggressive and struggled when playing with others. Olivia’s speech was not as clear as many of the other children’s too. And she had no interest in learning how to count or recite her ABC’s; a rite of passage for a toddler. She decided to bring Olivia to the Y to better prepare her for school. Olivia clung to her mother’s leg for dear life that day. However, eighteen months later, Olivia graduated ready to begin her adventures in Roosevelt Elementary School’s Kindergarten program. The YMCA of Broome County is a strong advocate for education excellence and school readiness. This was recognized by Olivia’s mother and many other families that have taken part in the Y’s Child Care program, once again voted the winner of the 2013 Reader’s Choice Award for Excellence. In recent years, the value of Pre-kindergarten experiences has been receiving a lot of recognition among childhood development professionals and educators. Such programs not only help prepare children for successful academic experiences, they also increase parent’s knowledge of early childhood development and aid in developing good parenting skills. Programs also provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues so children can get the support and help they need early on in their academic careers, thus leading to increased success later in life. At the Y, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive, and so does Governor Cuomo. The Governor is bringing statewide attention to the importance of Kindergarten readiness and recently announced his intentions to expand Universal Pre-K in the highest-need communities throughout New York State. Governor Cuomo believes that it is time to fulfill the State's goal of access to "Universal Pre-Kindergarten" for all children. As such, the Y’s Child Care program is excited to announce our Binghamton City School District program will expand from a morning program to a full day program for the remainder of this school year in an effort to support the state’s goal. For more information on available programs at the Y, including Universal Pre-Kindergarten please visit our website at www.ymcabroome.org. QUACKING UP WITH FRIENDS The Rubber Ducky’s birthday has become recognized and celebrated as a national holiday by many of our members at the West Family Y. Several of our water fitness classes participate as instructors provide activities themed around the infamous rubber ducky. Y Aquatics instructor, Elaine, secures donations from Rubber Ducky Carwash in Vestal allowing participants to enter a raffle to win a free carwash. Elaine was the creator of this fun event that’s been a hit for the past few years. She was motivated by a dreadfully cold winter (much like this year) and thought people needed an incentive to brave the cold and get excited about water fitness. Her creativity turned a time of low attendance, into a celebration that few are willing to miss. The event has grown and even taken on an element of competitiveness. Her 9:00 am class remains the most excited and dedicated when it comes to “ducky dress-up.” Members can’t wait to see the creative outfits our participants dream up. One of our members, Kay, always goes above and beyond adorning gold and glittery wigs, over sized glasses and even a ducky head-dress! The day is looked forward to by many as a great way to spend quality time with friends “quacking up.” 2 TRAVEL THE WORLD AT THE Y SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS It is a New Year and the YMCA of Broome County has made a resolution to help members and guests achieve personal wellness goals with new Matrix Virtual Active Cardio Equipment. This state of the art equipment is available at our Binghamton Branch. Volunteers at the YMCA are the driving force behind the success of what the Y does for the people in our community. Because of the dedication of our volunteers the Y is able to reach more people, change more lives and build a better community for all. We would like to extend special thanks to all the volunteers who have supported the YMCA of Broome County over the past few months. You can virtually hike, bike, walk or run in Italy, Chicago or Yellowstone National Park, just to name a few locations. You can travel the world without even leaving Binghamton! You can even feel the wind in your hair by turning on your personal fan. There are sound options you can use by plugging in your ear buds that will put you right in the environment of your choosing, including the sound of passing cars on a busy city street or sweetly chirping birds. The equipment is even compatible with iPod devices for video and audio playback, charging and built-in on-screen playlist selection. To help enhance the Wellness Center environment further, the Y also got some help from the United Way through a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service mini-grant. Volunteers donated their time and talents in the Binghamton Wellness Center on Sunday, January 19th to change things up and add a fresh coat of paint to the walls and trim. Soon we will be embarking on some more long-overdue upgrades at our Binghamton location. So what are you waiting for? Come check us out! Alana Alcia Rob McIntyre Ryan Sansom Marta Alomar Ryan McIntyre Diane Sansone Harry Back Michael Meier Rich Shappurt Marge Bakalar Braeden Molyneaux Tom Simkulet Joann Bakke Vince Monastra Anne Simms Elin Barton Jeff Moyer Debbie Smith Ben Bergman Philip Nedik Debra Shelley Bierwiler Sean O'Malley Landon Smith Brandon Canfield Christian Pado Riley Smith Joe Carulli Joann Parry Steve Spero Ryan Chapman Joel Parsons Gloria Staton Douglas Chavez Josiah Pearson Fred Stein Dan Ciaravino Robert Perry Sue Stella Sandy Cincebox Amanda Potter Rita Trippico Joe Conaty Kaily Ragard Kay Van Tassel Jim Corse Meghan Ragard Beth Vassil Marge Corse Jose Rios Jay Vassil Geraldine Cope Liz Rios Randall Wimberly Andrea Smith Donholt Marie Rossow Jamie Woolfolk Christine Dooling Steve Salley Paul Zurawel Jen Dube Jacob Sansom AAU Bolt Basketball Team Jeff Dunn Julia Sansom Binghamton Senators Nancy Farina Lucas Sansom Fred Dean Lewis Bussing Kevin Hamilton Alan Hess Linda Hoke Jason Hopf Jamar Johnson Sarah Johnson Terri Johnson Carolyn Jones Merlin Joseph Craig Kaufman Carole Kramer Don Longo Gerald Loy Diane Macko Tracey Mathieu Tricia Matthews 3 Non Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Binghamton, NY Permit No. 284 YMCA of Broome County 61 Susquehanna Street Binghamton, NY 13901 OR CURRENT RESIDENT WE’RE HERE TO HELP Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance, if you have a comment, or have a suggestion. We can be reached by phone: Binghamton Branch: (607) 772-0560 West Branch: (607) 770-9622 Online: www.ymcabroome.org In person: General information is available at our Welcome Center at both branches. If you would like to meet with someone in particular, you can call for an appointment. Comment cards are available at the Welcome Center at both branches. 4