It’s almost August. The summer is winding down with the start of school just around the corner. This school year, we are continuing to put resources towards expanding our impact on youth and helping all Marion young people reach their potential. Before and After School child care starts mid-August at which we provide a safe, nurturing & fun place for children ages 4 through 12 during the hours surrounding their school day. Our partnership with Marion City Schools provides transportation to and from Benjamin Harrison and George Washington schools with Pleasant also providing transportation. Our Y Preschool will open its doors just after Labor Day where children ages 2.5 through 5 get ready for a lifetime of learning. New this year, we are partnering with Marion City Schools and hosting a MCS Preschool classroom at the Y. This partnership is providing an opportunity for more of Marion's youngest citizens to be fully prepared for a lifetime of learning.
Marion Mentors is gearing up for its fifth school year of providing caring adult mentors to at-risk youth. I'm looking forward to getting back into a weekly routine of spending time with the young lady I mentor. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. We need more mentors. If you have an hour a week to give to a young person, apply at
marionmentors.org.
We are also excited to continue our free 6th Grade Membership. If you know a 6th grader in one of Marion's schools or who live in Marion County, please share the word about this great opportunity to be part of the Y. Our Youth Activities have been a lot of fun this summer and we're working on plans to continue providing free & supervised activities for middle school age members. We'll have more information on this in our September newsletter.
As we strive to increase our impact on youth, we also continue to invest in healthy living and helping you meet your wellness goals. We're close to completing an improvement to Aerobics Studio 2 that added a dropped ceiling and lights. This will help with sound and allows us to use this space at the same time as we have something going on in Aerobics Studio 3. This will give us four rooms for Group Exercise classes on the second floor! In September, we're also adding more times for Strength Train Together, a new popular strength training class for adults.
Finally, we're taking time throughout August to clean, repair and perform other needed maintenance work. You'll see some of the results, but not all results will be visible. Some of the work will keep you more comfortable with heating / cooling repairs. The 8 Lane Pool work will stop a slow, but costly leak in the caulk. We appreciate your patience throughout the month!
Thank you for being a member of the Marion Family YMCA!
-Theresa Lubke, Executive Director
