Announcements
American Heart Association CPR/AED Certification Classes
Beginning in February 2012 the Merrimack Valley YMCA will offer American Heart Association CPR/AED certification classes to our members and the community. Classes will be held at the various location of each of our branches: Andover/North Andover, Lawrence and Methuen this year. There is a charge for the training.
Trainings on the schedule through March are:
February 2nd: 6:30 - 9:30 PM at Andover/North Andover YMCA
February 23rd: 9 AM - 12 Noon at YMCA Administrative Offices in Lawrence.
March 14th: 6:30 - 9:30 PM at Andover/North Andover YMCA
March 31st: 9 AM - 12 Noon at Andover/North Andover YMCA
YMCA members, $60; $90 for the community.
For more information, contact Bobbi Williams at 978-685-3541 or bwilliams@mvymca.org.
YMCA Holiday Gift Certificates - The Gift of Healthy Living
Shop Here. Be Healthy Here.
Y Gift Certificates promise FUN and HEALTH.
Y gift certificates can be used for membership, classes, summer clubs, camp and more!
It's the gift of a Zumba class, Dance Class, Camp Otter, Swim Lessons, Personal Training, Art Classes, Vacation Programs.
Purchase Gift Certificates at the Welcome Center.
Click here for Y Gift Certificate flyer!
Merrimack Valley YMCA's 21st Annual "Reach Out for Youth & Families" Auction Gala
Saturday, March 24, 2012 -- DiBurro's, 887 Boston Road, Haverhill
Donations needed!
The Merrimack Valley YMCA is in need of raffle and auction items from local merchants. Such gifts can include: Restaurant gift certificates, golf equipment, condominium weekends, concert tickets, signed sports memorabilia, theater tickets, cycling equipment, resort vacation weeks, limousine service, sporting equipment, just to name a few. The evening includes a silent auction, live auction, and ongoing raffles.
Proceeds from this annual event benefit the YMCA's "Reach Out for Youth & Families" campaign, which supports YMCA community programs including the YMCA's Financial Assistance program, youth and camp scholarships, local outreach services, and the ongoing development of special youth programs.
For further information, contact Frank Kenneally or Elizabeth Covino, at 978-725-6681.
Don't miss the fun! The evening will include a live auction and a silent auction. Tickets for this event will be on sale in January: $100 per person, includes dinner. Tables of 10 are $1000.
Another great benefit to being a YMCA member!
Your YMCA membership card will provide you free access to any YMCA membership facility in New England.
With our focus on healthy living, we want you to stay active and keep moving! Now, we have made sure there is a Y wherever you are. So get out and explore New England, visit friends and relatives, and remember to take your Y card with you.
All YMCA members from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont will be welcome - free - with their current YMCA ID card anywhere in New England.
Some restrictions may apply so please check the Y you plan to visit by going to their website and clicking on My Y is Every Y to learn more.
Photo ID is also required.
To find a Y in your area, visit ymca.net.
*We welcome the reasonable use of our facilities by reciprocal agreement and reserve the right to determine abuse and limit use on an individual basis. Participants may not be eligible for member program rates at reciprocal locations.
Questions? Stop by the Welcome Center and we will be happy to help you.
Merrimack Valley YMCA's lifestyle program reduces weight and diabetes risk
Spring weather means more opportunities to get active and shed winter pounds. This is exactly what the Merrimack Valley YMCA will help participants achieve with its new diabetes prevention program.
Based on a very successful national program called the Diabetes Prevention Program, this new resource helps adults to make a handful of lifestyle adjustments to drop a reasonable amount of weight and prevent or delay diabetes, says Kyle McInnis, UMASS Boston Professor of Exercise Science who over sees the program at the Merrimack Valley YMCA.
The Merrimack Valley YMCA uses a proven research-based model to create the affordable program, McInnis says. At other YMCA's across the country, the Diabetes Prevention Program has demonstrated that by improving exercise and other habits, along with modest weight reduction - 7% of body weight- people with pre-diabetes have a 58% chance of preventing or delaying diabetes if they follow the plan, McInnis says.
Classes are available at each of the Merrimack YMCA branches in Andover, Lawrence and Methuen. "We're up and running." says program director Gia Saraceni. It involves 16 one-hour sessions with monthly follow-ups for a year." The approach of improving physical activity and nutrition is a model we should be taking more often in medicine to reduce the burden of diabetes and obesity," says Joel Gorn, a physician and Chairman of the Board of Health in Lawrence.
"We have to give people resources to help them overcome barriers to eating healthier, getting active and making lasting lifestyle changes leading to successful weight control," says Lyssa Petter, a registered dietician and Nutrition center Coordinator for Holy Family Hospital in Methuen.
One of the biggest health concerns related to eating and exercise habits is type 2 diabetes. One in 10 U.S. adults has diabetes now. Prevalence is expected to rise sharply over the next decade.
"The YMCA's diabetes prevention program talks about barriers and problem solving to get on track," says Saraceni. Contact the Merrimack Valley YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program office at 978-725-6681, ext. 158 for more information.
YMCA Member Benefit: Ice Skate at Merrimack College's J. Thom Lawler Arena
Join us on the ice at Merrimack College!
As part of our ongoing relationship with our neighbor, Merrimack College, YMCA Members will have the opportunity to enjoy open skating at the Merrimack College Ice Rink:
* Children need to be age 13 or older to attend and skate without a parent or adult supervision.
Click here for the Ice Skating at Merrimack College flyer with all of the details.
Monday: 11 am - 1 PM (no sticks)
Tuesday: 11 -AM - 1PM (sticks OK)
Wednesday: 11 am - 1 PM (no sticks)
Thursday: 11 -AM - 1PM (sticks OK)
You need to be 13 years or older to attend and skate with our parent/adult. Make sure you have your YMCA membership keytag.
It's Flu Season
Please help us keep our YMCA healthy. Click here.
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Initiative
The statistics are startling. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Children are victims in 70% of all reported sexual assaults. In more than 90% of these cases, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts.
But there's good news too. The Merrimack Valley YMCA has partnered with Darkness to Light, a nationally acclaimed nonprofit, to bring its child sexual abuse prevention program, Stewards of Children, to the Merrimack Valley.
Stewards of Children is a two-and-a-half hour workshop designed to educate adults on how to recognize, prevent and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. It emphasizes child safety as an adult's responsibility. The trainings facilitate discussion about the incidence and consequence of abuse and provides information about child protection policies and mandates.
Trainings are open to the public and can be of specific interest to youth sports organizations, coaches, camp counselors, teachers, schools, faith centers, and other service organizations. Continuing education credits for professionals in child care and social work can be obtained through this training. The training includes an interactive workbook and companion brochure.
Stewards of Children training dates:
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
6:00-8:30pm
Andover/North Andover YMCA
165 Haverhill Street, Andover
Monday, March 12, 2012
6:00-8:30pm
Lawrence YMCA
40 Lawrence Street, Lawrence
Wednesday, March 28, 2012*
6:00-8:30pm
Holy Family Hospital Auditorium
70 East Street, Methuen
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
6:00-8:30pm
Methuen YMCA
129 Haverhill Street, Methuen
Wednesday, May 9, 2012*
6:00-8:30pm
Holy Family Hospital Auditorium
70 East Street, Methuen
Space is limited - advance registration is required.
Register by CLICKING HERE or call (978) 683-5266.
YMCA members: Free
Community: $10 per person
*Trainings sponsored by Holy Family Hospital are free of charge.
For more information to schedule a training at your business or organization, contact Anne Whalen at (978) 683-5266 or awhalen@mvymca.org.
