STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Wood River YMCA will celebrate its 12th anniversary on Saturday with a free Welcome Day for the community.
The community is invited to visit the Y from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. There will be opportunities to use the gym, pool and climbing wall, family activities such as arts and crafts and healthy food from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Children will receive raffle tickets for fun prizes as they complete crafts and other fun challenges. The final drawing will be for a one-month family membership.
In addition, all new members who sign up on Y Welcome Day will receive no initiation fee and their membership for the month of November free.
Free child watch will be provided from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“This is our anniversary, a chance to celebrate the Y and the amazing diverse population we serve,” said Jason Shearer, the Y’s CEO.
Shearer said the Y has 6,400 members. Many are skiers who use it only in winter; others use it while spending summers in Sun Valley.
The Y has members from around the world, meaning you can listen to a conversation in French as you’re running on the treadmill.
“This makes our Y very special. It makes for a rich culture,” said Shearer.
In addition to serving the usual suspects, the Y also provides free swimming lessons to grade school children, ensuring every child in the county gets the opportunity to learn to swim. It provides a free summer school program called Power Scholars to ensure children maintain reading and math skills during their layoff from school. And it offers afterschool programs for 110 kids.
“The Y is able to provide $878,000 in financial assistance and programming for adults and children living in this county,” said Shearer.
In addition to members, the number of day passes used at the Y is significant. Skiers often ski a few runs oat Sun Valley Resort, then spend the rest of the day in the pool or on the climbing wall.
There are 2,700 Ys across the United States providing youth development and programs encouraging healthy living skills for 22 million men, women and children regardless of age, income or background.
Want to know more? Visit www.woodriverymca.org, email info@woodriverymca.org or call 208-727-9622.