Last month 100 jk/sk students paid a visit to the YMCA Healthy Kids Centre from Winona Public School in Hamilton for our “Active Adventure” module.  The teachers took photos and make a slide show that shows the YMCA Healthy Kids Centre in action.  Follow the link below to catch all the action!

Click Here to see the YMCA Healthy Kids Centre in action!

The YMCA Healthy Kids Centre is designed to offer lifestyle programs for children and their families to teach healthy living focusing on physical activity and nutrition.  In addition, the centre provides student learning trips to animate the new Ontario K-8 Health and Physical Education curriculum and serves as a fun and educational experience for students and their teachers.

If you would like more information about the YMCA Healthy Kids Centre, contact Ashley Johnson at ajohnson@ymcaofniagara.ca.

This past Sunday, over 90 participants gathered at the St. Catharines YMCA for the The 6th Annual Fall Into Fitness conference. This year’s event – open to YMCA fitness volunteers and staff – was a chance for people to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, learn something new, get reenergized, and in the end, get a great workout!

This year’s conference theme was “Volunstars”. When you give your time and talents to the YMCA as a volunteer or staff you support the growth of individuals in spirt,mind and body. You are truly a “volunstar”.

The YMCA of Niagara is an association of volunteers and professionals whose purpose is to offer people op¬portunities of personal growth and service to others. Volunteers enjoy being part of an exciting environment, meeting new friends, gaining valuable experience, developing leadership and interpersonal skills, sharing their interests and abilities and most of all – being a Y team player.

Thank you to all those who made this such a successful event!

Port Colborne – The YMCA of Niagara is exploring a partnership with the City of Port Colborne relating to components of the Port Colborne Health & Wellness Centre that is currently under construction. To ensure the review of partnership options is based on sound planning, the YMCA is conducting independent, market research to capture the community’s interests and level of involvement in components of the Health & Wellness Centre.

The YMCA has engaged LeisurePlan International Inc. to conduct a telephone survey beginning in the later part of November 2011. The survey of randomly selected, statistically valid sample of residents will provide a solid foundation for the YMCA to develop a partnership proposal to be presented to the City of Port Colborne for consideration in the New Year.

If you are one of the randomly selected Port Colborne citizens to receive a survey call, the YMCA encourages you to take about 10 minutes and respond to the survey questions. Your feedback is important in developing a realistic, relevant proposal by the YMCA to serve the Port Colborne community.

“The YMCA appreciates the opportunity to explore this partnership with the City of Port Colborne and takes very seriously this process that may position the YMCA to serve Port Colborne for generations to come,” explains Jason Brown, CEO, YMCA of Niagara. “By engaging community and developing a YMCA proposal based on research and good planning, we can be confident that the YMCA and the City can both make decisions that best serve the community.”

This process began this fall, with the YMCA responding to the City of Port Colborne’s call for “Expressions of Interest” for the operation of various components within the Centre. The City and its Health and Wellness Centre Committee are currently working with a number of applicants who have expressed an interest in being involved, one of which is the YMCA of Niagara.

Both the YMCA and the City will go through a number of steps over the next 6 to 12 months as part of the partnership review process.

The YMCA is open to all and is dedicated to providing leadership and opportunities for people and their community to grow in spirit, mind and body. As a values-based charity dedicated to healthy living and well being, the YMCA of Niagara has a positive impact on the health of over 75,000 people of all backgrounds, ability and stages of life across the region. Operating from 150 program sites throughout Niagara, the YMCA offers Youth Outreach, Membership, Child Care, Day Camp and Employment and Newcomer Services supported by over 1000 volunteers annually.

For more information:

• About the YMCA contact: Brian Bratt, General Manager of Communications, YMCA of Niagara 905-646-9622 Ext 375

• About the Market Survey contact : John Stevenson, President, LeisurePlan International Inc. 416-703-8670

• About the City of Port Colborne Healthy & Wellness Centre contact: Gary Makins, Manager of Community Services, City of Port Colborne 905-834-1668 Ext 237

Random Acts of Kindness Day this Friday

Some students raked leaves in the community. Others signed an anti-bullying pledge and promoted equality. Whatever they did last year during the Niagara Community Foundation’s inaugural Random Acts of Kindness Day, it was with one notion in mind — showing kindness toward someone else.

The Niagara Community Foundation is bringing back Random Acts of Kindness Day for the second year, and it’s looking to extend its reach even further this time around. Executive director Liz Palmieri said last year there were 40,000 business-sized cards distributed throughout the region. Under the plan, residents were encouraged to take a card, carry out an act of kindness and then hand the card to a recipient and encourage them to pay it forward by doing the same for someone else. This year they’ve expanded it to 75,000 cards, and have brought on partners through the schools, municipalities such as St. Catharines, Meridian Credit Union branches and others, to expand the program.
“It’s as easy as doing something kind for someone and passing on the card to encourage that person to do the same,” said Palmieri. “It’s a great way to bring the community to life.”
Random Act of Kindness Day has been a success with other community foundations across Ontario, and last year Niagara was encouraged by Kitchener-Waterloo to get on board.
“It’s a great way for the community foundation to encourage people to contribute their times and treasures to help better the community,” Palmieri said.
Palmieri said last year’s stories were inspiring — whether it was the Brock students raking the falling leaves from residents’ properties, or the Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School students promoting their anti-bullying message. In Niagara Falls, volunteers with the YMCA handed out hot chocolate downtown. The acts, however, can be as simple as carrying someone’s groceries to a car for them, or sending a note, or making a telephone call to a long-lost friend or relative and renew that relationship. The Foundation even has 101 suggestions listed on its website for inspiration.
“One that I haven’t heard of anyone doing yet, that could be a neat one, is following a one of the parking meter workers around, and slipping money into the meters and placing the card on the windshield of the vehicle,” suggested Palmieri.
And while many of the cards have been sent to Niagara schools, and some of the inspirational deeds were conducted by youth, it’s a program that anyone, regardless of age, is encouraged to participate in.
“It’s for everybody,” said Palmieri. “We want everyone to reach out and touch the lives of someone else.”
This year the Niagara Catholic District School Board is organizing its own unique event. The board has become a Partner for Life with Canadian Blood Services and will hold a “What’s Your Type?” day at the Catholic Education Centre. Staff will be able to find out their blood type and then, if they wish, be shuttled to a scheduled blood donor clinic where they can give blood.
And while Random Acts of Kindness Day is set for Nov. 4, that doesn’t mean it has to stop there.
“The cards are can be passed around at any time of the year,” Palmieri said.
Niagara residents will be able to share their stories and personal accounts of Random Acts of Kindness Day by e-mailing the foundation at rak@niagaracommunityfoundation.org. The foundation website also has printable cards at http://www.niagaracommunityfoundation.org/rak.html.

Source: Niagara This Week

Saturday November 26^th 

The YMCA will close at 5:00pm on Saturday November 26, 2011 to allow our staff team and their families to attend our YMCA holiday celebration.

Thank you for your support in allowing our staff family to enjoy fellowship while celebrating the season.