July 20th, 2020
July 20th Newsletter
Most of the time, the future arrives gently. Despite the high speed of technology change, we absorb its effects into our daily lives far more slowly, especially at work and in a very structured organization. When faced with the option of retiring familiar old ways of working, in favor of more streamlined, emergent alternatives, the response is usually, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Change gets deferred — until one day something happens and suddenly everything that was familiar is broken. At a stroke, all those fixes that have been waiting on the sidelines get fast-tracked to the mainstream. We are in one of those exceptional moments.

Of course we still hope for everything to get back to normal as soon as possible. We especially want to put all the anxiety, fear, suffering and tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us. That day will come, but the world afterwards will not be the same as before. In  adjusting to the new abnormal  we are learning  new habits and skills that we won't want to unlearn here at the YMCA . Here are just a couple of our new normals...

1. Cleanliness - The YMCA has never been cleaner, and we plan to stick with this new abnormal! Everyone is on a mission to continue to keep our doors open, and by cleaning around the clock we are preventing the spread of anything here at the YMCA. Thank you for doing your part and cleaning up before and after your workouts. We appreciate the extra effort and can't thank you enough for helping us keep the Y safe and healthy for all.
2.People have been trying to run virtual classes since the mid-2000s, but it never really caught on. There was never any great incentive to invest in a virtual alternative when everyone was still willing to endure the travel disruption/possibly with kids in tow, of the traditional in studio fitness classes. Suddenly virtual classes are all the rage because travel and large gatherings were abruptly vetoed. Every class since early March has either been put off or else switched to online/virtual —  with huge success .
Below are some examples of comments we have received and continue to get from our virtual programming content.

"Dear Mike:
I wanted you to know what a lifeline the Y has been for me during these challenging times. I had no doubts about keeping my membership active but I did not anticipate how your staff would step up and provide such great support through virtual classes. Heather has been in my living room cheering me on even when I didn’t think I could do it. I can’t thank her enough- and thank you for supporting Heather and all of the instructors along this strange and twisty path. I continue to be a proud Red Wing YMCA member."

Heather Flock
Red Wing YMCA Sunshine Corner Preschool Teacher Opening
We are look ing for a qualified Preschool Teacher to prepare small children for kindergarten by easing them into organized education.
Responsibilities include developing a curriculum that fosters the social, physical, emotional and intellectual growth of preschool age children from all socioeconomic backgrounds. This is a team-teaching position. Two year Early Childhood or Elementary Education degree required.
Get your application at th e Red Wing YMCA or contact  mniehues@redwingymca.org
Update from the pool!

COVID BUSINESS PLAN UPDATED 7/16
For the updated Aquatic COVID business plan please visit the link below. The COVID business plan includes schedules, policies and procedures to have a safe and fun visit to the pool.

It is also posted on the wall in the family locker room. Check back often for changes that may be coming.

New this week!
Our Water Aerobics classes were FULL! so we added another class 9 am on Tuesdays

Family Swim
Tuesdays 8 am, 8:45 am, 3pm, 4 pm, and 5 pm . You must have a membership and reservation to attend. At this time parents need to either be in the water or stay in the rec pool area. All of the information about how to reserve a spot for your household and how it will look when you come is in the Aquatics COVID business plan.

Thank you for your understanding and patience!
We are working on our plan to allow limited numbers into the hot tub. We are waiting on drain covers which need to be replaced. We will let you know when those come in and we are able to give better timing for when we will be able to re-open the hot tub.


Locker Rooms-COMING SOON!
We are preparing to open up our Male(all ages) and Female(all ages) Locker rooms to take some pressure off of our Family Locker rooms for toilets, sinks and showers as we are able to add in more programming. We will be using these locker rooms for our kids programming this week to see how we will be disinfect and clean a new area. Once we are ready to open it to all members we will let you know so stay tuned. We are still unable to use the actual lockers at this time. Check in the next newsletter for more information on that!


Follow Red Wing YMCA Aquatics on Facebook for up to date pool information!

Questions? email:
Nickie Schmitt- Aquatics Director
nschmitt@redwingymca.org




Experience Camp Pepin 2020


Paddle, Play and Restore at Camp Pepin

Hello Camp Pepin Families and Friends!

Back in May when we made our tough decision to not offer summer resident camp, I was so sad and was not quite sure how I was going to climb out of my gloom. It was time to Be Brave and make a new programming plan. Once we decided to open our camp safely to families for vacation rentals, the volunteers started showing up to help make this happen. And then, guests started booking on VRBO.com. We were blown away by the response from families who needed to get out of their houses and were choosing our beautiful natural setting on Lake Pepin as their place to restore this summer.
With this crazy shift in what we do here on Deer Island the Camp Pepin family is growing in ways that I could not have imagined. We have people of all ages from all around the country that have experienced and now have a love for Camp Pepin. Whether they are here for a week or weekend, more people are discovering the magic of camp.

With Peace and Gratitude,
Your Camp Director, Martha Harris


We still have some weekends open in August and we are offering over a 25% discount for weekday rentals on some of our cabins in August.
Register today for the new Camp Pepin 2020 experience:


Search for "Camp Pepin" at VRBO.com or use the links below to check availability and make a reservation:


Donate or Volunteer today! Contact mharris@redwingymca.org.
We have wind and waves, paddle boards, canoes, kayaks, disc golf, yard games, fishing and more at Camp Pepin. Come see us.

Email Mharris@redwingymca.org for more information.
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