DULUTH AREA FAMILY YMCA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DOWNTOWN DULUTH YMCA- PAGE 2
YMCA AT THE ESSENTIA WELLNESS CENTER - PAGE 6
YMCA COMMUNITY SERVICES- PAGE 8
ASSOCIATION ADMINISTRATION - PAGE 12
VOLUNTEER UPDATE - PAGE 13
DEVELOPMENT -PAGE 14
BRANCH UPDATES - OCTOBER 2023
Duluth Area Family YMCA
Join us in taking on the Big Water Swim Challenge this winter at Y! Members and both Duluth-based branches will spend the winter months swimming through the St. Louis River this year in the comfort of the Y. Complete the 192 miles alone or as a team, setting your goal to swim from Seven Beaver Lake to Lake Superior.
Our Bronze and Silver teams are in the middle of their competition seasons, which will culminate with their State competition in December. Athletes must score an All-Around of at least a 34.0 to qualify for the state competition. As of our 3rd meet, we have 16 qualifiers! Meanwhile, our Gold, Platinum and Diamond athletes are gearing up for their Mock Meet- a practice competition held in our own gym which will be November 12th. These athletes will have their first sanctioned competition on December 2nd in Shakopee.
Our Woodland Gymnastics program is also excited to announce we will be hosting our first Mini Meet! This is an opportunity for our recreational athletes to show their families all the skills they work so hard for. Details are still being finalized, but we are looking forward to this event on December 17th.
Explore the latest enhancements in our sub-basement at Downtown Y! Equipped with brand-new turf and carpeting, it's now open for member and guest use. We're excited to see how our members make the most of this space!
Along the way be sure to ‘visit’ the many landmarks and river towns before tracking your progress on the poster in the pool areas! Please register online or at the front desk (T-shirt included with registration fee).
Downtown Duluth YMCA
Woodland's Spooktacular was a hit! Favorites like worms in dirt and BINGO returned, adding fun to the night. The DIY station was a hub of creativity, with kids crafting their own eerie treats. Ghosts in the Graveyard brought an extra thrill, while a spooky scavenger hunt wrapped up the event. Laughter, excitement, and just the right amount of spookiness filled the night!
On behalf of the staff at the Downtown Duluth YMCA, we are excited to welcome the Lighthouse Center of Vital Living as a neighbor in the Downtown Duluth area. With their commitment to helping others achieve goals and supporting independence, we are hopeful for the future to find ways to connect and collaborate to serve the individuals in our respective organizations with a mutually beneficial relationship that can overlap with some of our service offerings.
!The sub-basement hallway now features high-quality turf, perfect for plyometrics, tire flips, sled pushes or pulls, and agility exercises. Additionally, it provides a more body-friendly experience for agility training, making it especially beneficial for activities involving jumping and landing.
We're officially a month into the Northerns swim team season! With our first "get your feet wet" swim meet under our belt, we're excited for our next meet in Grand Rapids, MN to measure up to our local Section competitors (Grand Rapids Sea Turtles, Brainerd Dolphins, Superior Whalers). Later this month, we're welcoming a few high school girls onto the team as their school's season ends. We'll be encouraging them to be role models for the younger swimmers and aim to more proactively recruit high school swimmers during our next '24-'25 season.
As we reflect on the past summer and fall seasons, we are thrilled to highlight our impact on the community. By engaging with community members through various initiatives, we extended our resources, hosted exciting giveaways, and curated enriching activities for the young ones. These moments provided us with the perfect opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about the offerings and services available at the Y! The Concerts on the Pier at Glensheen, the Wednesday Night at the Races program by the Young Athletes Foundation, and the Boo at the Zoo event at Lake Superior Zoo were just a few of the highlights that left a lasting impression on our community engagement efforts.
Betty’s Pie Sales: November 6th – November 27th SCRABBLE: November 6th – November 27th SCRABBLE IS BACK at the Duluth YMCA! With your donation, the Y is able to continue providing a welcoming, accessible space for our community members to grow, regardless of their ability to pay. We welcome you to add a tile to our board and make a difference at the Downtown Duluth YMCA! Tiles can be purchased online by giving a donation through duluthymca.org/give or at the Membership Desk through November 28th!
This November, we are looking forward to our Annual Pie Sale Fundraiser! This is a programmatic fundraiser where we can direct funds right into our youth-serving programs like the Northern's Swim Team, Aerials Gymnastics Team, Youth In Government, and food access across our association. Last year, we raised over $3,000 across these programs! This sale helps support our programs in many ways, like lowering costs for team functions, purchasing new equipment, and supporting the financial aid we can offer participants in need. For example, Woodland was able to give over $2,500 in financial aid so far in 2023, with almost 60% going towards Aerials team members. We are grateful for everyone who can help us in our mission to provide opportunities for youth in our community, especially those who wouldn't otherwise be able to participate.
Mark Your Calendars!
With our annual community support campaign fast approaching, we encourage you to consider ways to contribute and give back. Your support will enable us to continue our meaningful work and presence within the community. Let's work together to make a difference and continue building a stronger, more connected community
"As the new Head Coach of the Northerns swim team, I’m incredibly impressed with our performance at our first swim meet. We were resilient in the water and we look forward to building on this momentum into the season." Lucas Crawford-Nichols
These events cannot be possible without your helping hand. Finally thank you to the people that purchased the pucks! Your dollars will help your Y community provide financial assistance to many friends and family in our area. Events like these remind me of how giving our members are and how “we” are more than just a place to work out. It was also great to spend time at a fun event with fellow members and co-workers.
Our 3rd annual Chuck-A-Puck Event was held October 16th to raise money for your community support campaign. We had a great turn out for the event and a very good time!
YMCA at the Essentia Wellness Center
The youth split their time between the lounge and the gym with a variety of activities taking place. Relationships are being developed with the teens and our Teen and Youth Activity Lead Bailey with positive feedback. By continuing to foster a positive environment, engage with the teens, and offering a diverse range of activities, our youth program is on the path to continued success and growth within the community.
Amber's passion is fitness and health and wellness for all ages, but especially youth! She loves inspiring people to be the best version of themselves and how to take the steps to get there. We are honored and excited to have Amber on our team and we look forward to the positive impact she will undoubtedly make within our community. Welcome aboard, Amber
Here at the EWC during the week you can find our building an active place during the after-school hours. Most days, there are 15-20 teens in the lounge area competing in an array of activities including foosball and board games. Two days a week the community room is reserved for the youth to participate in ping pong tournaments. We are hoping to start other events including bingo consisting of activities to be completed to acquire bingo spaces and possibly trying other events like cooking and crafts.
Thank you to all the volunteers that spent time selling tickets (before and during) and engaging with the “Puck Chuckers.” We have to thank a couple of Celebrity Puck Chuckers, Champ the UMD Bulldog and Kim Parmeter from the Hermantown Chamber. Hopefully these “Chucker’s” arms are recovering from all the puck chucking.
We would like to thank all of the great businesses and people that donated prizes to win! Special thanks to Ski Hut, Johnson Carpet One, Ridgeview Country Club, Duluth International Airport, Skyline Social and Games, Bailey Builds, Stokke’s Meat Market and Continental Ski & Bike.
We are thrilled to introduce Amber Peitrusa, the newest member of our team and the Director of Healthy Living at the Essential Wellness Center. Amber is no stranger to the YMCA community, having been one of the original Member Services staff. After a short break, she's returning to embark on this exciting new role. In her spare time, which she admits is very limited, Amber coaches High School Volleyball and Basketball at Proctor High School and is also the Head Girls Track coach at Denfeld. On weekends you can find Amber “slinging” shakes at Team Nutrition and leading group workout classes.
The 3rd Annual Happily Haunted Hike was a great success despite some misty weather at the Gary New Duluth Rec Center. An estimated 200 kids and their families attended the event. This free, fun family event was in collaboration between the YMCA, Stowe School, and the Gary-New Duluth Rec Center. Costumed families followed the lighted luminaries through the Stowe School Forest and "trick or treat" from bins of treats donated by local businesses and individuals.
Out-of-School time (OST) programs are currently serving close to 1,000 youth each day at 13 program locations spread throughout our community. Youth are enjoying the fall season with crafts, outdoor fun, and creative play. All day care was provided during the MEA school break on October 19th at two locations. The rain held out long enough for the youth to enjoy a nice autumn hike and some leafy fun. OST staff and service members gathered on October 20th for an all-staff training. Staff were trained in policies and procedures, behavior management techniques, and social emotional learning tools. We thank the Essentia Wellness Center staff for welcoming over 120 of our staff at their location.
YMCA Camp Miller
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Community Services
On October 26th, Duluth Area Family YMCA Out-of-School Time programs celebrate Lights On Afterschool, the annual nationwide rally for afterschool programs organized by the Afterschool Alliance. Local celebrations with thousands of other events across America, which will highlight the vital work that afterschool programs are doing to help youth. The Duluth Y’s Out-of-School Time programs will be celebrated at individual centers to share the importance of our programs.
Over the past month we have enjoyed opening both our community centers to help feed youth after school! Both the Harbor Highlands Community Center and the Gary New Duluth Recreation Center provide a free meal for youth during the weekdays for children ages 5-17. Through these two sites we serve 800 meals to youth who are most vulnerable to food insecurity each month. Families are also encouraged to use our Meal Kit Program at the YMCA at Essentia Wellness Center in Hermantown. This program provides free dinner and breakfast ingredients for a family to make a meal at home. You can receive a free meal kit every Thursday from 4:00-5:30 p.m. while supplies last.
Betty’s Pie Sales: November 6th – November 27th Join us in celebrating these incredible 20 years of service on November 1! We will have appetizers, speakers, and a networking hour at Zeitgeist from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Follow the event on Facebook for more details.
The True North AmeriCorps program is co-hosting a local listening session with ServeMinnesota on November 2nd. ServeMinnesota is embarking on a strategic planning process to learn about community needs and explore ways ServeMinnesota can align AmeriCorps resources to meet those needs. The best practice to learn this is to listen and learn from communities. In this spirit, Serve MN is coming to you! CEO, Julia Quanrud, and other members of the Serve MN team will be in Duluth to learn how they can continue to offer programs and services that best meet your community needs today and into the future. For more information on how to join in on these listening sessions, please reach out to Haley Lawson at hlawson@duluthymca.org.
Harbor Highlands Youth Program has been enjoying the fall colors and weather in October. Youth in the program first had the chance to go to Hartley Nature Center for a hike to view the leaves changing in early October. We have also enjoyed visits from the Duluth Children's Museum, working with a local architect on stain glass, and attending University of Minnesota Duluth Outdoor Education Day. At Outdoor Education Day, youth had the opportunity to learn about identifying trees, birdwatching, and much more. The past month we have also enjoyed cooking club, swimming at the Essentia Wellness Center in Hermantown, and starting Coordinated Approach to Childrens Health (CATCH). CATCH is taught by the Healthy Living Director of the Y who helps youth learn more about physical activities and healthy eating practices.
True North AmeriCorps participated in the all-staff training with the Y’s Out of School Time programming on October 20. It was a full day of training covering topics such as positive communication, behavior management, and social emotional learning. Our very own support team members, Elena and Allegra, led part of the social emotional learning training! We are so proud of the incredible content and information they covered. They went over the Zones of Regulation, Optimistic Thinking “fill your bucket” activities, and Goal Directed Behavior strategies. True North AmeriCorps has been a program of the Duluth Area Family YMCA's Community Services Branch since 2003. During its 20 years, True North AmeriCorps has supported over 25,200 youth and partnered with over 100 community sites. Youth that have been supported by our program have shown statistical improvements in academic and social wellbeing. In 2022-23, youth supported by True North AmeriCorps members showed a 75% increase in their social and emotional skills—a huge positive impact that the Y makes in our community.
Student leader spotlight
"Hello- I'm Anna Cervin, the Student President for the Duluth Y’s Delegation. I have been with the Y’s Youth in Government program for five years now. I have been a member of the legislature for three years. This year, I am serving as the Youth Governors Commissioner of Health and Human Services."
"Hi, I'm Chloe Walt and I am the current Vice President for the Duluth Y’s Delegation. This will be my third year in YIG! I have met so many amazing people through this program--people I wouldn't normally have interacted with. I love the atmosphere of YIG and how supportive my peers are. I cannot wait for this year's conference and karaoke!"
Youth In government
Community Impact Month brings together the collective efforts of Minnesota Banks, to showcase the vital role they can play in improving the communities they serve. Camp Miller was lucky enough to be the recipient of one of these banks. A group of mighty volunteers from Northview Bank in Barnum, came out to volunteer for some work projects at Camp Miller. They cleared trail next to the shoreline and along the low ropes course. If you work for a bank or you know someone who works with a bank, click here for details on how you can get registered for Community Impact Month.
Years of Service: Allison Plummer reached 10 years at the Y! Allison is a fitness instructor and swim team coach at the Cook County YMCA. We appreciate Allison’s involvement and commitment to the programs ever since the Y opened in Grand Marais!
Association Administration
FUN:
Minnesota's First Volunteerism Bill Passes the Legislature! Grant Funding Available for Greater Minnesota Nonprofits to Address and Minimize Disparities in Access to Human Services Through Increased Volunteerism. The Minnesota Association of Volunteer Administrators (MAVA) announced that after many years of effort, the first State Volunteerism Bill in the country was approved by the Minnesota Legislature during the recent legislative session. This Volunteerism Bill will enable MAVA to provide capacity-building grants to Greater Minnesota nonprofits to address and minimize disparities in access to human services through increased volunteerism. The Duluth YMCA Volunteer Coordinator is an active member of MAVA and looks forward to learning more about the grants as they become available.
Our Big Red Bookshelf is expanding! We were lucky enough to receive a Big Red Bookshelf for the YMCA at the Essentia Wellness Center. The mission of the Big Red Bookshelf is to give the children of Duluth, access to free, age-appropriate books that will encourage a love for reading and learning.
Human Resources: Becca Meersman stood on a panel of local HR professionals at a Northland Career Development Association (NCDPA) meeting. Members of this group include Career Counselors, College Advisors, Job Coaches, High School Counselors, etc. The group asked the HR panelists questions related to what our organization looks for in candidates, what our organization’s hiring needs are, how the hiring process works. Because of this panelist event, multiple members of the group reached out with questions and potential job candidates. On October 18th, the recruitment team went to UW-Superior for an internship and career fair. There, we communicated with several students who were looking for future internships in the departments of IT, Finance, HR, and Wellness and a few interested in our part time Youth Specialist role.
Volunteer Updates
HUB: We’ve had 5 of our Duluth Leadership staff attend Annual Campaign and others who have either finished or are finishing up their Global Leader Projects! Representing the Mountain Midwest Hub, Mitchell Lochner traveled to Chicago to attend the Leadership Forum. This was a 3 and a half day event where leaders from around the country joined together and discussed what the future of Leadership Development looks like across the Y Movement. The following week Elli Grapp traveled to Spokane, Washington to train Cultural Lenses and Dimensions of Diversity to local Y staff.
UMD Hockey season has begun and we raffled off 6 more sets of tickets. This round’s survey question was if they preferred Halloween or fall related decorations. We collected 104 responses from staff and AmeriCorps members and 40 said Halloween and 64 said fall. The fun committee also hosted a Bingo event at the EWC. 25 staff and AmeriCorps members attended, and several prizes were awarded!
Development
Annual Support Campaign: Giving season is upon us, and from October 16-20, some of our staff had the opportunity to participate in the Annual Campaign Training hosted by YUSA, which offered the opportunity to gain new tools and knowledge on how to plan and execute an effective and engaging Annual Support Campaign. Using the knowledge offered, staff members from each branch have collaborated to plan our Annual Support Campaign, which will be hosted on November 6th – November 27th. Our members, staff, and friends of the Y will have the opportunity to help us raise funds through our Scrabble activity within the branches, where scrabble letters will be available for purchase. With this activity, your donation to the Y will not only help us create a beautiful display of words that reflect the Y, but will allow us to provide financial aid to our members, whether they’re new to the Y or a familiar face. We welcome you to join the fun and help keep the Y accessible to all!
Starting on October 3rd the Y’s Flock of flamingos started making their rounds to desks throughout the association! Staff members had the opportunity to donate to the Y’s Annual Support Campaign to send a flock of pink flamingos to the desk of their choosing, and our staff had a great time surprising their co-workers with a group of our pink pals. The Flock enjoyed the beauty of Duluth’s autumn, but come November they’ll be taking a break until our next round of Flocking arrives!