Featured Story | Healthy Living
Happy 103rd Birthday Max Fabian!

The North Suburban YMCA will welcome friends and well-wishers to celebrate Max Fabian’s 103rd birthday with a party on March 8. The Y’s party for Fabian has become a special annual event. A Y member for decades, Fabian still drives himself to daily workouts at the Northbrook community center. Fabian, a WWII veteran, inspires others with his determination and consistency. “It’s remarkable enough to reach the age of 103, but Max has done it with a fantastic attitude and a commitment to staying strong and healthy,” noted NSYMCA Executive Director/CEO Howard Schultz. “Everyone here knows him and admires his dedication.”

Featured Story | Social Responsibility
Cancelled Membership Finds New Life Support

Barb’s been a member at the Lake View YMCA for two years and, like many other folks, her finances suffered from a job loss this January.  Barb emailed me to cancel her membership.  I explained to her that the Y has a scholarship program where she could receive assistance.  Barb sent the following email in regards to her appreciation for the Y and it’s ability to help her meet her wellness goals.  Here is her response:

“Not only is the Y important to ME…….apparently  I’M important to the Y as well!!!  I’m not just a number and they go above and beyond to make their services available to all.  They know the value they’re providing people, and it’s NOT “just a place to exercise!”  It’s a place to nourish your whole being from meeting new friends, creating balance in your crazy life,  strengthening your body and putting some “me time” into a person’s life.

I LOVE taking my Nia classes there.  That’s the main program I’ve utilized so far from you, besides a 4 or 6 week pilates class.  I keep wanting to use the pool but I just haven’t worked it into my schedule yet.  And I don’t know if you realize, but I come “all the way” from Bridgeport.  Anyhow, I love having a Y membership because it provides me with both the space, the affordability, (well, times have gotten a little tougher this past year!) and teachers that are brilliant & inspiring (Sarah and Jaimie)to take a class that brings my whole body – mind, soul, and spirit – such joy.  I would miss it terribly if I didn’t have the Y in my life.”

Featured Story | Youth Development
Camp Hope provides teens with more than hope

Camp Hope from B.R.Ryall YMCA of Northwestern D on Vimeo.

Camp Hope from B.R.Ryall YMCA of Northwestern D on Vimeo.

The B.R. Ryall YMCA of Northwestern Dupage County put on a week long camp for low income families within the city of West Chicago, IL; Camp Hope reached out to 100 children between the ages of 5-16. The goal behind the camp was to take our YMCA four core values; honesty, respect, responsibility and caring outside the four walls of our facility. Throughout the week we took the kids to the Chicago Science and Industry Museum, Brookfield Zoo and Naperville’s Centennial Beach. On Friday we invited the families of the particpants to join us for a Celebration Cookout in the parking lot of the apartment housing complex. We turned it into a community wide event getting donations from different companies within West Chicago that helped serve the children. We feel that Camp Hope was a success because each child learned about our Y values but also the importance of giving back. This camp has opened the door for our YMCA to serve the city of West Chicago like never before; their community leaders have invited us to do more programs for their children and make West Chicago a Y community!

Featured Story |Social Responsibility
Volunteers are puzzle piece of YMCA’s success

It takes a lot of pieces to complete a puzzle and the Greater LaGrange YMCA puzzle would not be complete if it weren’t for its volunteers. Numerous men and women offer their time to help special events become successes, to make members feel appreciated and to raise money for many worthy causes the YMCA supports every year.

by Kim Lovejoy-Voss
Local Tribune

Featured Story |Youth Development
Leaning Tower YMCA Empowers Blind Swimmer

Every day Rupa and Aihua Sprecher wake up to a blind world. Through the help of their parents, Paula and Alan, both also blind, the girls are learning to “see” the world and live a normal life in it. Part of this process has been learning to swim and the YMCA is just the place for it.

 Read more 

Featured Story |Youth Development
YMCA Teens Get Technical

 While some high school teens spent their summer sleeping in, a group of teens chose to spend their time learning and educating others on technology as part of the Y of Metro Chicago’s TECH Teens program.

The TECH Teens technology camp is part of Hive Chicago, a learning network dedicated to creating opportunities for youth to explore their interests in virtual and physical spaces. Hive is an initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation. TECH Teens was offered to student “ambassadors” that had an interest in expanding knowledge in digital technology and the impact it can have on one’s future.

This week, following a seven-week program, a diverse group of 30 TECH Teens ambassadors presented and demonstrated their newly-acquired technology skills in 3D animation, social media, smartphone application development and DJ’ing.

“The TECH Teens program was a wonderful experience. We brought 30 teens together from across the Chicagoland area, and [the students] talked about how they enjoyed spending the summer learning about technology in new and different ways,” said LaDawn Norwood, director of youth development at the Y of Metro Chicago. “That was a point of this experience. So many of our teens today work with technology through texting and Facebook but don’t know the mechanics behind it. And what we want to do at the YMCA is help youth go from consumers of technology to producers of technology. And I think this program was so key in helping them to do that.”

During their presentation, the ambassadors also stressed the importance of effectively using the Internet and technology in today’s society. The demonstrations included, but were not limited to, the creation and process of 3D animation videos, navigation techniques in using social networks, the evolution and history of various technology, and even a display of the students’ disc jockeying skills through scratching and mixing.

One of the teachers for the program, Eddie Mills, known as “DJ Eddie Mills” to his students, encouraged TECH Teens ambassadors to come up with their own DJ names.

One of the teen ambassadors, Michael Taylor (“DJ IDK”), combined various aspects of his experience at TECH Teens noting, “If I want to be a DJ, I can use social media to market my brand.”

Students involved in the TECH Teens program were able to implement the skills that they learned throughout the program into their goals and future plans.

Vesper Turner, another TECH Teens ambassador, described how she plans to use social media to eventually help her find a job. “I will always need to know how to market myself and connect with employers and companies. Social media can help to get myself and my name out there to potential employers.”