June 2024 Newsletter
The Eugene Family YMCA recently opened a new location and have seen thousands of new members join in an effort to positively change their health and wellness. Read some of their success stories in our June newsletter!
The Eugene Family YMCA recently opened a new location and have seen thousands of new members join in an effort to positively change their health and wellness. Read some of their success stories in our June newsletter!
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EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
HERE FOR GOOD<br />
A <strong>Newsletter</strong> for Donors, Members, Volunteers and Friends of the Y • <strong>June</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
PlayZone: Thriving and Reviving<br />
Creation of intentional spaces for drop-in childcare benefits families<br />
Denver, 2, and Quinn,<br />
6 months, thrive in<br />
PlayZone, the Y’s<br />
drop-in child<br />
care space.<br />
Denver<br />
eagerly<br />
seeks out<br />
his favorite<br />
staff member,<br />
Meesha, while<br />
Quinn beams<br />
with joy during their<br />
PlayZone sessions.<br />
Felix, Quinn and Zem<br />
her anxiety, resulting in successfully<br />
eliminating her medication.<br />
“The Y has been such a mental health<br />
break for me as a stay-at-home mom to<br />
Denver and as a special-needs mom to<br />
Jayce,” she says. “It’s a sanctuary for<br />
my mental health.”<br />
Jayce, 10, has Phelan-McDermid<br />
syndrome, a disability similar to<br />
cerebral palsy. Caring for Jayce,<br />
getting him to school and<br />
tracking his therapies<br />
can be overwhelming at<br />
times.<br />
The time that Denver and Quinn<br />
spend at the Y is vital for social<br />
development, connecting with<br />
caring adults other than their<br />
parents and fostering cognitive<br />
growth through play.<br />
This nurturing environment not only<br />
benefits the children but also allows their<br />
parents to flourish.<br />
Hannah, Denver’s mom, conquered a<br />
physical and mental fitness challenge and<br />
then trained for the Eugene Half Marathon.<br />
She’s also been better able to manage<br />
Hannah, Jayce and Denver<br />
“Having a place where<br />
I don’t have to be that<br />
person that goes and<br />
goes... to just come here<br />
and just be Hannah is worth<br />
its weight in gold,” she says.<br />
“A lot of people understand the<br />
mental health issues facing parents and<br />
especially stay-at-home parents. Then<br />
special-needs parents really can’t find the<br />
time for themselves. At the Y, I get to. I’m<br />
taking care of myself, but I also know that<br />
my child is getting the best care. That has<br />
been literally such a blessing for us.”<br />
Continued to ZONES on Page 11
PAGE 2<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
U Can Gym builds strength and community<br />
At 49, Jenn Smith found herself navigating life after a stroke, seeking a place to regain her<br />
strength and sense of community. She found it at the Y. “The Y is home for me,” Jenn says.<br />
“It’s a place where I go to find people that are like myself.”<br />
JUNE <strong>2024</strong> NEWSLETTER<br />
PAGE 3<br />
Among the many programs offered, U Can Gym stands out<br />
as an example of the Y’s commitment to supporting people<br />
of all abilities.<br />
Founded in 1987 by Loren Cushing, a former physical<br />
therapist, U Can Gym was born out of a need for a<br />
community space where people with disabilities could<br />
pursue personal fitness. Loren, a wheelchair user himself,<br />
recognized that a home exercise program didn’t work for everyone. “The Y was the perfect<br />
link for people leaving a hospital setting and moving into the community,” he explains.<br />
Loren on an accessible strength<br />
training machine<br />
Jenn’s journey is a testament to the program’s impact.<br />
After her stroke in March 2023, Jenn relied on a walker to<br />
get around. Now, thanks to the support and resources<br />
at U Can Gym, she’s walker-free, walking a half-mile on<br />
the indoor track every time she visits the Y, and even<br />
practicing boxing with the help of U Can Gym assistant,<br />
Mark!<br />
Today, U Can Gym is run by Jenny Adams, a personal trainer<br />
with a background in adaptive recreation. Since taking over<br />
the program in 2019 and moving to the new Y building, Jenny<br />
has seen the program flourish with the addition of new<br />
equipment and expanded space.<br />
The PeaceHealth Wellness Center on the second floor of the<br />
new Y is home to 4 adaptive cardio machines, 3 wheelchair<br />
accessible strength training machines, free weights and<br />
special items such as the ski ergometer and endless rope. With<br />
so many options and the Indoor Track, Jenny and her team can<br />
get creative with U Can Gym workouts.<br />
“It’s awesome. It has changed my life and made me a believer<br />
in movement. I’ve come to believe that movement is for<br />
everybody,” Jenn shares. “I’m really lucky because U Can<br />
Gym has been so open and accepting. It’s a real community.”<br />
“U Can Gym has<br />
changed my life and<br />
made me a believer<br />
in movement.”<br />
—Jenn<br />
Jenn and Mark boxing at the Y<br />
Training for a Lifetime of Activity<br />
Kinsley, 3, and Jackson, 4,<br />
race around the gym, a<br />
testament to why their<br />
parents, Heather and<br />
Thomas, signed them<br />
up for Itty Bitty Track,<br />
Golf, and T-ball this<br />
spring.<br />
“They are very active,”<br />
says Heather. “Being here<br />
during the week keeps us all<br />
active together.”<br />
Kinsley and Jackson are<br />
among the first to join the Y’s<br />
new Itty Bitty Track and Golf<br />
programs, expanding the Y’s<br />
preschool sports offerings beyond<br />
basketball, soccer, and spring T-ball.<br />
Jackson, Kinsley and their parents<br />
“We know how<br />
crucial physical<br />
activity is for<br />
youth—to<br />
enhance<br />
health, mental<br />
well-being,<br />
and social<br />
skills,” says<br />
Pete LeMay, Youth<br />
Sports Director.<br />
“Introducing new sports at an early age<br />
sets kids up for lifelong success.”<br />
Since the new Y opened, more than<br />
700 kids have registered for Itty Bitty<br />
programs.<br />
“We are offering programs for families<br />
to play and learn together,” says<br />
Jericho, Itty Bitty Coordinator. “We want<br />
to create athletes for life and ensure<br />
that they are physically literate.”<br />
At the Y’s Tennis Center, the<br />
same philosophy applies.<br />
“Tennis is a lifelong sport,” says<br />
Tennis Director Darryl Wisner.<br />
“Our goal is to make it enjoyable<br />
at any level, building confidence and a<br />
love for the game.”<br />
For the first time, Youth Sports and<br />
Tennis have partnered to launch a unique<br />
pickleball camp for 5th- to 8th-graders.<br />
This program inspires a lifelong passion<br />
for activity by teaching pickleball basics<br />
through fun games and drills.<br />
“Pickleball camp is more than just learning<br />
a sport,” says Darryl. “It’s about fostering a<br />
love for movement and healthy living.”
PAGE 4<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
Y and Circle of Friends Make Waves<br />
with Program for Kids with Disabilities<br />
In May, the inaugural partnership between the<br />
Y and Circle of Friends launched with 13 families<br />
enjoying recreational swim in the small pool.<br />
Circle of Friends, a nonprofit created to serve<br />
families with children with complex disabilities,<br />
understood the significance of collaborating<br />
with the Y to enhance their support system.<br />
JUNE <strong>2024</strong> NEWSLETTER<br />
PAGE 5<br />
“This organization was born out of the desire to<br />
normalize differences and create a community<br />
for children with complex disabilities—the<br />
most marginalized individuals in the disability<br />
community,” says founder Katie Urhausen,<br />
whose daughter Jovie was born missing part of<br />
her brain. ”They don’t neatly fit into predefined<br />
categories—they are often medically fragile<br />
and have rare syndromes. They have a whole<br />
collection of needs.”<br />
Partnering with the Y meets the Circle of Friends’<br />
mission: normalizing differences and ensuring<br />
equitable opportunities for children with disabilities.<br />
“For my daughter, the water is where she feels the most<br />
free,” explains Chenoah, mom to 12-year-old Davida<br />
and Outreach and Events Committee Chair for Circle<br />
of Friends. “Even if Davida wanted to walk, her body<br />
doesn’t allow her to. In the water, she finds a sense of freedom and control.”<br />
In a gesture of profound generosity, Katie’s company, Deployed Logix, donated $250,000 to<br />
sponsor the Y’s warm water small pool in honor of Jovie and her peers.<br />
“We now have a space that really caters to families of children with disabilities,” Katie says.<br />
“It is truly a game changer for our families. It offers parents a reprieve from the relentless<br />
demands of caregiving.”<br />
Find Circle of Friends at www.coforegon.org<br />
“It is truly a game<br />
changer for our<br />
families. It offers<br />
parents a reprieve for<br />
the relentless demands<br />
of caregiving.”<br />
—Katie<br />
May Circle of Friends event<br />
Life Skills Education Program at the Y<br />
For over 20 years, the Y has collaborated with the 4J Life Skills Education<br />
Program, allowing high school and middle school students with disabilities to<br />
enjoy therapeutic and recreational swimming twice a week during the school year.<br />
“They are happiest and most active in the pool,” says Ian Jungjohann, Life Skills<br />
Coordinator at South Eugene High School. “The water is centering and grounding,<br />
making them feel at home and at peace.”<br />
The program serves students with diverse needs, including autism, orthopedic<br />
impairments and intellectual disabilities.<br />
“We’re proud of our long-standing relationship with the life skills classrooms<br />
at Roosevelt and South Eugene High School,” says Y Aquatics Director Sabrina<br />
Hershey Black. “Seeing the joy on the students’ faces fills my bucket!”
THE NEW Y: SUCCESS STORIES AND LOVE NOTES<br />
SMILES IN<br />
ABUNDANCE<br />
It is truly an amazing<br />
Y that embraces all<br />
people.<br />
I see smiles in<br />
abundance every time<br />
I’m at the Y.<br />
Its mission is being<br />
accomplished and then<br />
some. Thank you is an<br />
understatement!<br />
—Asha<br />
SPACE TO GROW<br />
The Y has given us a space<br />
to grow, a space to be strong<br />
and safe and place to call<br />
ours. I am honored to walk<br />
through your doors each day!<br />
My favorite thing to do at<br />
the Y is to cycle. The classes<br />
have reintroduced to me a<br />
confidence that I once had.<br />
As for my high-school<br />
daughter who experiences<br />
Down Syndrome and<br />
deafness, she loves the<br />
freedom and the activities and<br />
the councilors at the Corner<br />
Hut and Creation Station.<br />
To see her walk through the<br />
building and down the hallway<br />
to what she calls “Y High<br />
School” with independence<br />
and purpose makes my heart<br />
soar.<br />
—Monica<br />
EXCITING<br />
OPPORTUNITIES<br />
In my experience every<br />
day at the Y is an<br />
exciting opportunity to<br />
have a conversation or<br />
to make a new friend.<br />
Whether I’m in a class<br />
or walking to the coffee<br />
bar, something fun is<br />
about to happen.<br />
I can’t thank the people<br />
who put this together<br />
enough.<br />
—Brian<br />
SAFE SPACE<br />
The Y is the safest<br />
psychological space my<br />
family and I have ever<br />
experienced in Eugene.<br />
Doing the same experiences<br />
with so many people of so<br />
many backgrounds just<br />
doing their workouts in their<br />
own way brings a great deal<br />
of peace of mind.<br />
I’d actually given up feeling<br />
this in Eugene quite some<br />
time ago. It feels amazing.<br />
—Garian<br />
WE ALL DO BETTER<br />
It’s no accident that<br />
people have flocked<br />
to join. This is the best<br />
deal in town—exercise<br />
and community with a<br />
mission beyond oneself<br />
and core values played<br />
out at every turn.<br />
The YMCA mission<br />
and experience are<br />
consistent: Everyone<br />
belongs. Through the Y’s<br />
south windows, Spencer<br />
Butte is a beautiful<br />
backdrop to the steady<br />
stream of members, little<br />
tykes to seasoned adults,<br />
who enter the front<br />
doors with a bounce in<br />
their step.<br />
The Y knows we all do<br />
better when we all do<br />
better.<br />
—Brenda<br />
NEIGHBORLINESS<br />
The Y has been an<br />
integral part of my life<br />
since moving to Eugene<br />
in 2021. Many of the<br />
friends I’ve made I met in<br />
water aerobics.<br />
The new Y is<br />
welcoming, helpful and<br />
encouraging with all the<br />
neighborliness Eugene is<br />
known for.<br />
—Betsy
PAGE 8<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
When bingo meets exercise,<br />
older adults prevent falls<br />
When Diana Reiber fell last year, she was<br />
nervous about her balance. When she fell<br />
a second time, she hit her head and ended<br />
up with a concussion.<br />
According to the Centers for Disease<br />
Control and Prevention, Diana’s experience<br />
is common. About 36 million falls are<br />
reported among older adults each<br />
year—resulting in more than 32,000<br />
deaths. Each year, about 3 million<br />
older adults are treated in emergency<br />
departments for a fall injury.<br />
The prevalence of falls and the dire<br />
consequences of falling for some older<br />
adults meant that the Eugene Family<br />
YMCA and PeaceHealth wanted to<br />
work together to create a solution. The<br />
collaboration resulted in Bingocize ® , a<br />
national evidence-based 10-week program<br />
focused specifically on falls prevention.<br />
“It is critical that we help community<br />
members retain their ability to<br />
balance as they age,” says Kim<br />
Miller, Eugene Family YMCA<br />
Health and Wellness Director.<br />
“Falls lead to serious health<br />
problems but they can be<br />
easily prevented.”<br />
Diana recently completed her<br />
second session of Bingocize ® ,<br />
a perfect combination of<br />
exercise, learning and playing<br />
bingo for prizes.<br />
In between<br />
chest presses,<br />
bicep curls,<br />
heel raises,<br />
side stepping<br />
and other<br />
exercises,<br />
YMCA Group<br />
Fitness<br />
instructor<br />
and Personal<br />
Trainer Mike<br />
Moos offers bingo numbers and asks fallsrelated<br />
questions.<br />
Diana at Bingocize ®<br />
“The questions make you think about how<br />
you can prevent falls and what might cause<br />
them,” Diana says.<br />
The quizzes remind participants about<br />
situations or household items that could<br />
cause a fall and an injury—rugs, darklylit<br />
stairwells or bathrooms, and tripping<br />
hazards on the floor.<br />
The other critical component<br />
of the program is the social<br />
connections made among<br />
the participants. The end<br />
of the session in March<br />
brought conversation<br />
about who was a Y member<br />
and would be signing up for<br />
other group fitness classes.<br />
“I just love it,” Diana raves. “It<br />
brings fun to exercise and learning.”<br />
JUNE <strong>2024</strong> NEWSLETTER<br />
Growing Evidence-Based Health Initiatives<br />
LIVESTRONG ® at the YMCA, a longtime over-capacity program,<br />
has been able to expand from 3 to 4 sessions annually now<br />
that the new Y is open. In the constrained old Y at 2055<br />
Patterson Street, staff maintained a waitlist of 40 people<br />
or more for the 12-week course focused on regaining<br />
strength, flexibility and confidence after a cancer<br />
diagnosis.<br />
PAGE 9<br />
“Adding an evening session has allowed people who work a<br />
9-to-5 job to be a part of LIVESTRONG,” says Sally Cummings,<br />
LIVESTRONG ® at the YMCA Coordinator. “We are now able to<br />
serve an entirely new population of cancer patients who<br />
need and want a proven fitness program.”<br />
The Y isn’t only interested in expanding existing<br />
programs, however. Through its partnership with<br />
PeaceHealth, programs to serve patients who had<br />
bariatric surgery, youth identified as obese and older<br />
adults at risk of falling (read the story<br />
about Bingocize ® on the opposite<br />
page) have been piloted at the Y.<br />
A long-awaited Pedaling for Parkinson’s program is being<br />
planned for the Cycle Studio to help patients maintain<br />
fitness and balance while managing the symptoms of<br />
Parkinson’s.<br />
“As a trusted expert in health initiatives, we understand<br />
how critical it is to address specific diseases that<br />
significantly affect portions of our population,” says<br />
Kim Miller, Health & Wellness Director. “We have been<br />
looking for the opportunity to help the more than 1,000<br />
individuals living with Parkinson’s in Lane County. We<br />
finally have the tools and the space to do this!”<br />
The Y is also partnering with experts in the field of<br />
Diabetes management, Alzheimer’s and nutrition to bring<br />
lectures and hands-on workshops to the community.
PAGE 10<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
JUNE <strong>2024</strong> NEWSLETTER<br />
become a cherished routine.<br />
PAGE 11<br />
Fostering Family Bonding and Youth Joy<br />
Foam balls fly across the gym while shrieks of glee echo down the<br />
hallway of the Youth Wing. It can only mean one thing: It’s family<br />
dodgeball, a highlight of Sunday Fundays.<br />
Sunday Fundays have quickly become a beloved tradition at the Y,<br />
part of a vibrant new lineup of youth, teen and family activities that<br />
has transformed the Youth Wing into a hub of joy and connection.<br />
The recent expansion to the new Y has opened up a world of<br />
opportunities for the community. Youth spaces now buzz with activity,<br />
offering kids and teens a place to hang out and families a chance to<br />
bond over shared activities. Since opening, the Y has welcomed 289<br />
individuals to 19 events, as well as more than 700 families to the<br />
annual Healthy Kids Day in April!<br />
During the school year, there’s a new event on the schedule every<br />
weekend, ensuring there’s always something fun going on for<br />
youth and their families:<br />
• Friday Family Fun Nights<br />
• Sunday Funday<br />
• Middle School Madness (a night out for middle schoolers)<br />
• Teen Takeover (high schoolers only!)<br />
• Parents Night Out – Kids Night In (drop your kids off and enjoy a night out)<br />
You’ll often find Em, Youth Program Coordinator, at these events. He’s<br />
deeply passionate about providing fun and enriching environments to<br />
youth, especially during Middle School Madness.<br />
“Middle School Madness is vital,” Em explains. “It fills a significant gap<br />
in resources for this age group by offering a safe space where middle<br />
schoolers can socialize and simply enjoy being kids.”<br />
For Sacia, mother of 14-year-old twins Zeca and Gabriel, Middle School Madness had<br />
“They meet up with friends from other middle schools that they don’t get to see regularly.<br />
After Middle School Madness, they have a sleepover at someone’s house. It’s become a<br />
routine,” she shares. “I’ve enjoyed it because it is completely safe. I totally trust the staff<br />
there. It’s a good first experience to go out and stay out late without parents.”<br />
Caitlyn, Pete and their kids<br />
Continued from ZONES on Page 1<br />
Parents Caitlyn and Pete have also discovered the joys of the Y’s<br />
programming. They have dropped their kids off at Parents Night Out –<br />
Kids Night In twice and enjoyed time alone with date nights to Sweet<br />
Life and Prince Puckler’s.<br />
“We can just drop the children off, knowing they will be well cared<br />
for,” Caitlyn says. “Last time, they had a blast. They made friends, came<br />
home with artwork, and slept like rocks. It was great!”<br />
Quinn’s parents, Felix and Zem, also cherish the time they get to focus on their own selfcare<br />
while Quinn explores in PlayZone.<br />
“In some ways, it doesn’t even matter what we are doing at the<br />
Y,” says Zem. “It is an opportunity to have a break and return to<br />
Quinn refreshed and rejuvenated.”<br />
Especially during the early postpartum period, the Y provided<br />
a supportive community and much-needed relief for these tired<br />
parents.<br />
“We’re just very appreciative to have this space, to have a place to go, and to be in a<br />
community,” Felix says. “It was extremely helpful, especially when Quinn was between six<br />
weeks to two months, just to be with other adults and have a place where Quinn is in good<br />
hands and is loved by the Y staff.”<br />
Positively impacting thousands of youth and their families.<br />
PlayZone (6-week to 4-year-olds)<br />
8,081 visits<br />
742 youth<br />
KidZone (5- to 10-year-olds)<br />
5,565 visits<br />
775 youth<br />
Denver and Meesha in PlayZone<br />
Since December 2023
PAGE 12<br />
Be a force for good in our community!<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA<br />
Your gift supports healthy living programs, transformative services<br />
and the financial assistance program.<br />
The Y is a cause, a nonprofit with a mission to strengthen our<br />
diverse community by offering programs that build a healthy<br />
spirit, mind and body for all. Our mission thrives on the kindness<br />
and generosity of individuals. Please join us in ensuring that<br />
EVERYONE is our community has the opportunity to learn,<br />
grow and thrive at the Y by making a gift to the Annual<br />
Campaign. Your donation is not merely a gift—it’s a partnership<br />
in nurturing the heart of our community.<br />
BE A FORCE FOR GOOD<br />
WHEN YOU GIVE TODAY<br />
$50 DONATION<br />
Build water safety skills or provide<br />
healthy snacks for youth<br />
$100 DONATION<br />
Build confidence through<br />
youth sports clinics and leagues<br />
$250 DONATION<br />
Provide enrichment activities<br />
for youth after school<br />
$500 DONATION<br />
Support individuals in cancer survivor<br />
and disease-prevention programs<br />
If you are interested in being a force for<br />
good, please consider the following:<br />
• Make a one-time or monthly recurring donation<br />
• Checks can be made payable to the Eugene Family<br />
YMCA, 600 E. 24th Ave., Eugene, OR 97405. Be<br />
sure to include “Annual Campaign” on the memo<br />
line.<br />
• Online donations can be made by using your<br />
camera app to scan the QR code, or by visiting<br />
eugeneymca.org/donate<br />
• See if your employer will match your gift by visiting<br />
eugeneymca.org/matching-gifts<br />
• Donate appreciated stock<br />
• Consider the Y during your Estate Planning<br />
The Eugene Family YMCA is a 501c3 non-profit.<br />
EIN 93-0500679<br />
QUESTIONS?<br />
Danielle Uhlhorn<br />
Chief Development Officer<br />
giving@eugeneymca.org<br />
SPONSORING THE<br />
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA