In line with the Y’s mission to support and welcome all, your Y will join Welcoming America, other YMCAs and organizations nationwide to celebrate Welcoming Week (September 9-18). Each year, Welcoming Week elevates the growing movement of communities that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of the country.

On Sunday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the Y will host our first-ever Welcoming Festival to promote cross-cultural understanding and community cohesion by bringing together immigrants and U.S. born-residents in a spirit of unity.

“It is a time to celebrate the shared values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues, and to make our towns more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls our community home,” says Maritza Ruiz, Chair of the Diversity, Inclusion and Global Engagement Committee.

We hope you’ll join us for a festive celebration with music and dance performances, family-friendly games and activities, ethnic food trucks, and 10+ local multicultural organizations!

Do you know anyone who would be a great fit for the Y? In order to continue offering Y programs and services, we need to hire more amazing staff who want to build their skills and serve our community.

Help us spread the word! We are offering incentives to community members for referring applicants. Click the button below to see open positions and learn about the incentives. THANK YOU!

We are just $290,500 away from meeting the Tykeson Family Foundation's $1 million match! Join hundreds of others in the campaign for a new Y by making a donation today.

Contact Danielle Uhlhorn at danielle@eugeneymca.org with questions!

As you drive by the site, you can see that extensive work is taking place. Perhaps the most noticeable item is the large hole that has been dug along 24th Avenue for the pool. 

Let’s get moving, making friends and learning new skills this fall! Sign your kiddos up for some fall fun now through Sept. 15.

Last week we wrapped up a successful 2nd annual Walk It Off with the Y with a closing ceremony BBQ at Alton Baker Park. Thank you to our sponsors, partners, volunteers, staff and COMMUNITY OF INCREDIBLE WALKERS for another summer of staying active, making connections and having fun!

Special thanks to our title sponsor, PeaceHealth, who also educated the community this summer about cardiac, pediatric and mental health, as well as many other PeaceHealth programs.

Thank you to all of our sponsors, who ensure this event is free and available to our entire community!

Learn how your gut bacteria influence how every part of your body works: how easily you lose (or gain) weight, how your immune system functions, and even your ability to focus. Our Monthly Lunchtime Lecture Series is provided by Yaakov Levine, a Nutritional Health Coach, in partnership with Natural Grocers.

You are invited to swim, bike and run your way to the finish line for an on-your-own triathlon this fall!

Track your progress from Oct. 1 until Dec. 31, watch your fellow teammates progress online, and earn a t-shirt for your success!

Substitutions of other fitness activities are welcome—this is YOUR race! Aqua-jogging, cardio machine workouts and walking counts! Every little bit gets you closer to the finish line: biking to work or school, walking the dog or going to rec swim with your friend!

$10 Y members/ $20 community members.

Special thanks to Team Eugene Aquatics, Run Hub Northwest, Eugene Magazine & Slocum Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine for sponsoring this event!

More than a dozen Y tennis players competed at the Oregon Senior Games in Corvallis last month.

“Overall, the Y tennis players did well and, more importantly, had a great time playing some fun, competitive tennis while representing their beloved Eugene Family YMCA,” said Keith McConnell. “They encourage other Y tennis players to join them next year when the Oregon Senior Games will again be in Corvallis.”

Some highlights include Mary Johnson, playing in her first competitive tennis tournament, split her two matches in the Consolation Round of Women’s singles; Kathy Gibbs winning three consecutive matches to take the overall gold medal in Women’s Singles; Pam Baker and Ayako James, a new doubles pairing, winning all their matches in the women’s doubles in their age group; and Chris Buchanan and Tom Harburg, winning the men’s doubles in their age group.

In 2005, South Eugene High School student, Esteban Camacho Steffensen, painted his first-ever mural in our Y's pool. Now, 17 years later, we are THRILLED to have another piece of Esteban's work displayed at the Y!

Check out his mural on the Art for All Wall, which depicts the give-and-take relationship we have with the ocean. The mural is the result of his experience working with students and assisting with scientific field research while living with a coastal community in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Now's the perfect time to try one of our many group classes! Check out our fall schedule from now until December 18!

You’ll receive a full year of support and learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to your routine, manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can get in the way of your goals. This program is proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

“I vowed to not ever forget that my dad died of complications from diabetes and I need to take better care of myself—for my kids and grandkids.” —Syndee West, who reversed her risk of getting diabetes in the Y’s class.

What: A year-long, evidence-based YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program

Who: Those diagnosed with prediabetes or have an A1c of 5.7% to 6.4%

When: Tuesdays at 6:15 p.m. starting Oct. 11

Where: YMCA at 2055 Patterson Street or on Zoom

Cost: 12 payments of $35.75 (financial assistance is available)

Register: NOW by calling 541-686-9622 or emailing prevention@eugeneymca.org

Due to staffing challenges, your Y is preparing to offer fall swim lessons in early October rather than September. In order to ensure high-quality, safe lessons, we need to hire more swim instructors and lifeguards.

Want to help? Spread the word that we are hiring lifeguards in Aquatics!

Please consider bringing a non-perishable food or hygiene item for the YMCA's Little Free Pantry every time you come to the Y!

Our friends and neighbors rely on items donated each month.

Now that high school is back in session, please park in the Y lot or the YMCA PARKING spots facing Patterson Street in the high school lot during school hours 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Have your blue Y parking sticker on your car (back bumper or back window). Need a sticker? Stop by the Welcome Center!

Thank you, KMTR, for highlighting the Y's Welcoming Festival on Sept. 18. We are so looking forward to gathering with our community, enjoying local dance and music, learning from multicultural organizations, and MORE!

Thank you, KLCC, for covering the Y's fall hiring needs. "Our plan is to open on September 6th and 7th, even if it means we have our office staff out there running programs," said Holly Kriz Anderson, Senior Director of Youth Programs. "So we're just trying everything we can to get the positions filled and to get the word out there."

THANK YOU for voting for the Y in the Register Guard Reader's Choice Awards this year! We're thrilled to announce that your Y won best child care, fitness center/gym and yoga/pilates studio and was a finalist for best non-profit/charity organization! Hooray!