Thank You!

The YMCA Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition was a big success on Tuesday night! The strawberry shortcake was yummy, the decorations were beautiful, and the presenation was fantastic. Members voted on the YMCA Constitution and officers before recognizing staff who had been had been with the Skagit Valley Family YMCA for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 consecutive years! Membership Director Cindy Lindquist is the only employee to work at the Skagit Valley Family YMCA for 30 years; congratulations Cindy!

A large portion of the event was spent recognizing some outstanding YMCA volunteers. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time and energy this past year! Below are the volunteers of the year for each department:

~Tom Reese-Camp Anderson
~Scott Elliot-Aquatics
~June Dider-Fitness
~Karel Montgomery-Whitney Early Learning Center
~Craig Caulk-Jefferson Early Learning Center
~Beth Jones-Madison Early Learning Center
~Claudio Angulo-Sports
~Gary Johnson-Safe Place
~Lysette Vasquez-Membership
~Martha Ozretich-Oasis
~Eli Lindbo-Oasis Daylight Center

Thank you everyone!

Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition

The staff at the YMCA are busily preparing for the YMCA Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition event set to take place on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30pm in the gym. The event will be a strawberry social, so there will be plenty of strawberry shortcake to go around. YMCA members and their families are invited to attend, but please RSVP ASAP.

Did you know that in 2009, the YMCA had about 385 volunteers give almost 10,000 hours of service?

Many people don't realize that the YMCA is a non-profit, charitable, and volunteer-based organization. Much of what we do would not be possible without the dedication of your neighbors volunteering their time and energy to YMCA programs. We have volunteers at the front desk, in the child care sites, as sports coaches, helping teens at Oasis, and more!

We appreciate all our volunteers, so come help us recognize some of very special volunteers, including the YMCA Volunteer of the Year!

Master Zumba Class!

Attention Zumba fans! The YMCA will be hosting TWO famous Zumba instructors, Diane Felkenes and Rosella Hunter, for a Master Zumba class on June 11.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn, dance, and sweat with the best. The class will be 5:30pm-7pm on Friday, June 11 at the YMCA Sports Center in Bakerview Park (this is a turf surface).

There will also be a raffle for fabulous Zumba prizes!

Tickets are on sale now at the YMCA on Fulton Street. All proceeds go towards the YMCA Step-Up Campaign, which helps us provide a wide range of programs and services for families regardless of their ability to pay. Cost is $10/person for YMCA members, $15/person for non-members, and $20 day of the event. Registration is suggested and ends at 12pm on June 11.

Volunteer Checks Pressure at Y!

Many of you may have seen Marjie at the round table in the YMCA lobby periodically. She's usually sitting quietly or chatting with some of her fellow YMCA members.

But she's really there for you.

Marjie parks herself at that table the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month with her blood pressure equipment and waits for people who want their blood pressure checked. A lot of her regulars are YMCA staff, but many members know when to expect her and take a casual seat at her table.

Everyone is welcome to get their blood pressure checked at the YMCA and, because Marjie is a volunteer, it's free! Come and visit Marjie any time you have questions about your blood pressure...or just want to chat!

CEO Bob Shrumm Goes to Chicago!

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, YMCA CEO Bob Shrumm will be in Chicago attending the YMCA-USA Small to Mid-size Cabinet Meeting. There, Bob will give a presentation to other YMCAs about the Oasis Teen Shelter program, which is very unique to our Skagit Valley Family YMCA. Very few, if any other YMCAs in the country offer a teen shelter program like ours.

Another hot-topic will be discussion on the 'brand revitalization' the National YMCA is implementing. The CEOs at the cabinet meeting in Chicago will get more information about the changes all YMCAs will undergo, including the NEW YMCA LOGO, that will be unveiled at the YMCA general assembly in July. That's right, the longtime red and black "Y" will no longer be the symbol of the YMCA...

Travel safely Bob!

Skagit YMCA Blogs!

Welcome to the blog of the Skagit Valley Family YMCA! We will try to keep you posted on what's going on, what's coming up, and what's happening behind the scenes!

Today we celebrated the birthday of our youngest 'employee,' Vivienne, with a party at the front desk! She turned the ripe old age of one! Many of you may have seen Vivienne behind the front desk, in the pool, or (her favorite) in Zumba; she is the daughter of Sports Director Vanessa Harrington and gets to come to work with her every day. We are happy to have Vivienne as a part of our YMCA family! Happy Birthday!