NEWSLETTER
Regional Aquatics Director Beth Valentine teaches lessons for the 2nd Grade Learn-to-Swim Program. Read more on page 6.
WAYNESBORO FAMILY YMCA
APRIL 2026
LEARN More about THE ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN & How to becomE A "U" Club Member On page 3!
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GIVE TODAY! Make a difference in the lives of your friends, neighbors and family. Thank you for your support on behalf of the Y!
We are excited to announce that Member Appreciation Week is just around the corner! As we celebrate our community at the Waynesboro Family YMCA, members are welcome to stop by the lobby for some special treats and opportunities. What’s happening: Healthy Snacks: Stop by throughout the week to join us for delicious, healthy snacks. Prizes & Giveaways: Don’t forget to register for a chance to win some fantastic prizes! We can't wait to see everyone there and show our gratitude for our amazing members.
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Join us for MEMBER APPRECIATION!
For more information or to set up a monthly gift withdrawal, please contact Anne Hudlow at: (540) 943-9622, Ext. 204 ahudlow@ymcawayensboro.org
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THIS YEAR'S (Anonymous) PROMOTIONAL SPONSOR! Give today!
April 20 - 24
Meet Aggie Gleason
Unlock Your Metabolism
Meet Emma Cuomo
If you’re looking to build strength, stability, and control without complicated equipment, sometimes the most effective exercises are also the simplest. One great example is the “fire hydrant,” a functional movement that targets the hips and glutes while reinforcing core stability—key components for everyday movement and injury prevention. To perform this exercise, start on your hands and knees with your back flat, like a tabletop. Keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, slowly lift one leg out to the side, then lower it back down with control. The goal isn’t to lift as high as possible—it’s to move with intention. Pause briefly at the top of the movement, making sure your torso stays steady and your hips don’t tip. This control is what makes the exercise effective, helping to strengthen smaller stabilizing muscles that often get overlooked. Aim for 12 to 20 repetitions on each leg, completing two rounds. As you grow more comfortable, you can increase the challenge by adding a resistance band around your thighs, holding a light weight behind your knee, or incorporating small pulses at the top of the movement. These progressions help build endurance and strength over time. Exercises like the fire hydrant are a great reminder that fitness doesn’t have to be complicated to be impactful. By focusing on proper form and consistency, you can improve your overall strength, support joint health, and enhance the way your body moves—both in and out of the gym. Emma served as a volunteer for the Waynesboro Family YMCA when she was 14 years old. At that time, she "started to get into working out" with lifting and biking. Alongside her involvement at the Y, she continued her years-long gymnastics training and became a member of the high school volleyball team. Now at 17, Emma is a highly valued member of our Fitness Attendant Team and a dedicated YMCA gymnastics specialist. She brings clarity, responsibility, energy, and a consistently positive presence to everything she does—making a meaningful impact on both members and staff. Emma will graduate this May from Appalachian Christian School and has been accepted into the Perry Honors College at Old Dominion University on scholarship. She plans to study Sports Management and Marketing, continuing her passion for fitness and helping others thrive. We are so proud of Emma and excited to see all that she will accomplish in the years ahead!
Member Diane Heavner with her trainer, Sue Clark Mirra, creates a more powerful metabolism with a heavy single arm row. Metabolism is not fixed—it is trainable. Boosting your metabolism isn’t about quick fixes or extreme routines—it’s about building sustainable habits that support your body’s natural energy systems. By focusing on how you fuel, move, and train, you can create a strong foundation for improved performance, increased energy, and overall well-being. Small, consistent changes in your daily routine can have a powerful impact over time. It starts with fueling your body smartly. Choosing nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods helps provide steady energy throughout the day, while prioritizing protein, fiber, and healthy fats supports muscle function and satiety. Staying hydrated is equally important, as even mild dehydration can slow down your body’s processes and leave you feeling fatigued. When you give your body the right inputs, it can perform at its best. Equally important is how you move and train. Increasing daily activity—whether it’s walking more, taking the stairs, or simply moving throughout the day—keeps your metabolism engaged. Pairing that with purposeful strength training a few times a week helps build muscle, which plays a key role in boosting metabolic efficiency. With consistency and intention, these habits work together to help you feel stronger, more energized, and better equipped to take on each day.
Aggie Gleason has lived in the Valley for 23 years and has been part of the Waynesboro Family YMCA community for 7 years. She and her husband, Eric, are raising three children: Sophia, Luke, and Solomon. When she is not at the Y, Aggie enjoys knitting, reading cozy mystery books, and working at her family’s bookstore, Stone Soup Books. Aggie is a regular in Group Fitness classes and brings a joyful energy wherever she goes. She shares, “I love dancing and singing along with Natalie and Jessica’s classes. In Zumba, I don’t know all the moves, but the point is to just dance. I also love Erin’s yoga classes because of the moonflower poses, meditations, and the time Erin dedicates to savasana.” Yoga instructor Erin Cuomo first met Aggie years ago at a Mommy-and-Me story time at the library. Erin says, “Aggie is a faithful yogi. I always appreciate her smiling face when she enters the studio.” For Aggie, the heart of WFYMCA Group Fitness is the sense of connection: “I like how if you don’t go for a bit, people in class miss you and ask about you.
Functional Strength Training
$200 provides 4 strength training sessions to a senior member.
FITNESS FOCUS
FITNESS NEWS
LEARN TO SWIM PROGRAM
$150 teaches a child to learn life-saving skills through swim lessons
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In eight weeks, over 50 second-grade students receive one-on-one instruction on water safety. For many, it is their introduction to the water.
The first thing you notice on the pool deck isn’t the noise—it’s the courage. A line of second graders sit at the edge of the water, some bouncing with excitement, others gripping the wall with quiet hesitation. Over the span of eight weeks, many of them will learn how to float, how to tread, and most importantly, how to stay safe. But on day one, even putting their face in the water can feel like a victory. That’s exactly why “Learn to Swim” exists. The program began as a collaborative effort between the Waynesboro Family YMCA and Waynesboro Public Schools, working together to provide essential water safety education for local children. Several years earlier, the Waynesboro Family YMCA had launched a 2nd Grade Learn-to-Swim initiative to address the need for foundational swimming skills and water safety awareness among young students. This year the effort expanded through a partnership with the Staunton-Augusta YMCA. What began as a shared initiative has grown into a program now led by the Waynesboro Family YMCA, in close partnership with volunteers from the Staunton-Augusta YMCA. For Beth Valentine, who recently became the Regional Aquatics Director overseeing aquatics at both YMCAs, the need was obvious from the start. “There was a lot that needed to be done,” she said. “But we also saw a lot of opportunities.” Just a month into her new role, Beth and team—including Associate Executive Director, Kristi Hatcher and Aquatic Assistant Hailey Keagy—got to work immediately. They cleaned and reorganized the facility, expanded programming, and made a simple but meaningful change: offering family swim every day. “We want to bring the community back in,” Valentine explained. At the same time, she set her sights on something bigger. When she learned that a grant-funded swim program had been delayed, she made a decision. “I didn’t want to wait,” she said. “With summer coming up, I want these kids in the water knowing the safety around it. So we just went running.” Valentine is passionate about the water and she felt a sense of urgency to make sure “Learn to Swim” became a reality. She understood that without a true collaboration between the two Y’s, this program would have stalled. Staff and volunteers from The SAYMCA joined WFYMCA staff and even Board members. Everyone dove in to help. Before students even stepped onto the pool deck, the students and teachers from Westwood Elementary gathered in the lower basketball courts where they were greeted by Hatcher, Valentine and their recruits, which included SAYMCA Teen Director Eddie Santiago. The entire group learned how to become “water safety superheroes,” watching videos on the newly aquired LU Exergame System at the WFYMCA. “Not every kid has to love the water,” Valentine said. “But they need to understand it so they’re not afraid of it.” She recalls one student who, on the first day, refused to get his face wet. By day three, he was putting his face underwater. “That just shows what this program can do,” she said. The lessons focus on essentials: how to safely enter and exit the pool, how to float, how to tread water—skills that can make the difference in an emergency. For many students, it’s their first exposure to any kind of swim instruction. “There are kids who don’t even own a bathing suit,” Valentine said. “This could be the only chance they ever get to learn water safety.” That reality is not lost on Alexis Palmerino, a second-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary, where 56 students are participating in the program for the first time. “This is a really important safety thing that all kids need to know,” she said. “We never really know what situation we’re going to end up in, so it offers peace of mind that they’ll be safe near water.” For her students, the program has quickly become a highlight of the week. “Every Friday they look forward to swimming,” Palmerino said. “They’re excited, they’re ready to get in the water, and they love the people at The WFYMCA.” But beyond the excitement, she’s seen something deeper: confidence. “It’s an opportunity to do something outside of their normal routine,” she said. “And that makes a big difference.” That difference is exactly what Marcia Geiger had in mind when she encourged the Y to bring the program back. “It is such a benefit to the children,” Geiger said. “And such a benefit to this community.” As President of the Waynesboro Family YMCA’s board, Marcia has been advocating for the program for years. She remembers previous years when similar efforts brought children into the pool—and how powerful those moments were. “I kept asking, ‘When are we teaching the children again?’” she said. “This is huge for these children. It’s a gift they’ll have for the rest of their lives.” Marcia didn’t just sit on the sidelines—she got in the water herself, volunteering alongside other community members, including fellow service organization members and YMCA board leaders. “We are all about children,” she said. “This brings all of our work together in one place.” That sense of shared purpose extends throughout the program. Volunteers help guide students from the gym to the pool. Staff from both YMCAs step in to support. Community members answer the call to participate. “We can always use more volunteers,” Valentine said. “But it’s so satisfying. You hear people say, ‘I helped this child do this today,’ and it’s just—it’s good for your heart.” The collaboration between the two YMCAs has made all of it possible. By sharing staff, space, and support, they’ve created something neither could have done alone. And for the children, that collaboration shows up in simple, powerful ways: a moment of trust, a first step off the wall, a face going under the water for the first time. Eight weeks may not be long enough to turn every child into a professional swimmer—but that’s not the goal. The goal is: Safety. Confidence. Opportunity. And as the program continues to grow—with hopes of expanding to more schools and becoming a regular offering across both communities—it’s clear that “Learn to Swim” is already making waves far beyond the pool.
WFYMCA Board President, Marcia Geiger, played a pivotal role in bringing the Learn to Swim program to the Y. She has been a source of support to Regional Aquatics Director Beth Valentine.
WFYMCA and SAYMCA Unite with Water Safety Initiative
AQUATICS
CHILDCARE!
CHILDCARE NEWS
The Sun is Shining Brightly for our Preschoolers
Our childcare kiddos have been soaking up every moment of this beautiful spring weather, and it has truly brought a renewed sense of energy and excitement to our days. With sunny skies and warmer temperatures, we’ve been able to spend more time outdoors, enjoying extra trips to the playground and taking adventures along the Greenway. Both children and staff are embracing the fresh air after a long, cold winter. The change in seasons has created the perfect opportunity for hands-on learning and exploration. Our preschoolers, in particular, have been fascinated by the arrival of new insects. From spotting tiny ants to watching buzzing bees, these moments spark curiosity and lead to meaningful, open-ended conversations. These discoveries naturally carry over into the classroom, where children ask questions, share observations, and build on their understanding of the world around them. Our school-age group has also been making the most of the season by exploring the Greenway expansion. They’ve enjoyed observing native plants beginning to bloom and listening for birds along the trail. These outings not only encourage physical activity but also help children develop a deeper appreciation for nature and their local environment. Spring has truly refreshed our childcare program, providing countless opportunities for movement, discovery, and connection. We look forward to even more outdoor adventures as the season continues!
$25 gives a preschool child one week of lunches. $85 provides one week of afterschool care.