The return to typical summer camp after COVID was as joyful as expected! Not only did hundreds of summer campers spend their days outside learning camp games and songs, building their muscles in the pool and the gym, growing their social skills by making friends and building relationships with camp counselors, but they also made history with the World Wide Welcome for the World Athletics Championship.

All campers got involved in the running themselves, tracking a mile (or more!) around the track at South Eugene High School during the week leading up to the start of the championships. The Y was one of several youth groups in Eugene to be paired with another country. Y campers welcomed Team Canada and their 59 athletes!

Other summer highlights include: field trips to BRING recycling, Fairmount Park, Amazon Pool, Willamette Fish Hatchery, McKenzie River and Dorris Ranch, making music and building musical instruments, and special dress-up days (like tie-dye and crazy socks days!)

Thanks to a recent $100,000 gift from Trillium Community Health Plan, we are now just $439,759 away from meeting the Tykeson Family Foundation's $1 million match! The gift from Trillium goes beyond building a new Y, it represents the beginning of a new partnership dedicated to address health equity needs in Lane County.

Join Trillium Community Health Plan in the campaign for a new Y by making a donation today and have your gift MATCHED dollar-for-dollar.

Your Y is closing early on Wednesday, August 10, for our annual ALL STAFF gathering. This is an important event as it helps staff reconnect and build relationships across departments and spend time together after so much focus on the global COVID pandemic.

Thank you for your understanding and your support. We will open as usual on Thursday, August 11, at 5:30 a.m.

REMINDER: Your Y is closed MONDAY, September 5, for LABOR DAY!

Have a passion for working with kids? Your Y’s Youth Development team is hiring for fall programming! We are currently seeking before and afterschool care program aides, teachers, directors and another multi-site coordinator.

We’re bringing Y camp to Cottage Grove this month! Our South Lane Summer Camp, located at Harrison Elementary, is open to kids ages 5-12. This camp is offered August 1 to 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Cost is $50 per person per week.

Join us this Friday, August 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for Make Your Next Plate Great: The Ins and Outs of Healthy Meal Building. Functional nutritionist Yaakov Levine will help us learn about the basics of healthy meal building, from protein to fiber and everything in between!

Multi-Sport Y Camp starts next week! Youth in grades 3-5 can explore new sports and enjoy a week full of pool kayaking, swimming, ultimate frisbee, pickleball, soccer, dodgeball and more! This camp runs August 8 to 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pick up and drop off at the Y.

Please note: the Y gym will be closed during this time for campers to use.

This year’s Bushnell Baseball Camp, run by Bushnell University's coaches and players, is sure to be a home run! Kids between kindergarten and 5th grade are invited to practice their pitches, swings and slides at Hamlin Middle School August 17 to 19. Cost is $99 per kid.

There are still a few available spots in your Y’s Junior Tennis camps running from August 8 to 24. Kids ages 8-18 can join in the fun, make friends and develop a lifelong love of tennis. Camp hours are 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. M-Th. Cost is $120 for members / $140 for non-members.

There are 5 weeks left of Walk It Off with the Y: the weekly summer event that gets you thousands of steps, raffle tickets for fun prizes and new friends! Walk It Off is a public event open to everyone, not just Y members. Bring your family and friends!

The Y is thrilled to once again partner with Mix 94.5 to continue this decade-long tradition of encouraging movement, health and fun in Alton Baker Park every Wednesday throughout the summer: Walk It Off with the Morning Mix is now Walk It Off with the Y.

Mobility International USA, a Eugene-based nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities around the world, is using your Y's basketball gym for their international youth group 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15.

Thank you for helping us welcome MIUSA to Eugene! 

Your Y will be at the Eugene Pride festival at Alton Baker Park this month! Stop by our table to say hi and enjoy live entertainment, local vendors and food, families activities and more. We’d love to see you and your family there!

Looking for LIFEGUARDS! Interested in a job where you can connect with all ages: from preschoolers to seniors? Apply to the Y’s Aquatics team today! Current Professional Rescuer CPR/AED, First Aid and Red Cross Lifeguard or YMCA Lifeguard (or equivalent) certifications required.

Help keep our community nourished, hydrated, and clean! Please donate nonperishables, unopened beverages and hygiene products to the Y's Little Free Pantry. Last week the Friends Preschool Room worked together to clean out, wipe down and stock the pantry. If 5-year-olds can do it, you can too! For a complete list of Little Free Pantries in Eugene and Springfield, click below.

Thank you, KEZI 9 News, for helping to spread the word about how the Y is welcoming athletes and visitors to the World Athletics Championships. We had so much fun being paired with our neighbors to the north, Team Canada!

Thank you, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, for highlighting the $1 million Tykeson challenge match in the latest edition of Open for Business.

“This brand-new facility will be state of the art as well as approachable and accessible with more capacity to serve the greater Lane County area,” said Amy Tykeson, Trustee of the Tykeson Family Foundation.