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Giving Youth a Voice
| As part of our new five-year strategic plan, we are committed to finding ways to strengthen our impact, both in achieving excellence in all core program areas and in building our staff and volunteer capacity.
Many youth have their first job or volunteer experience at a YMCA and we strongly support developing our next generation of leaders by helping them realize their full potential.
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Sarah Austin and Geoff Smith with souvenir from the Diamond Jubilee Young Leaders Forum
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We recently sent two of our YMCA young leaders, Sarah Austin, Summer Camp Administrator and Geoff Smith, Senior Program Staff, Child and Youth Membership Services to the Diamond Jubilee Young Leaders Forum in Toronto last month.
Visit Giving Our Youth a Voice to read about Sarah and Geoff's experience or check out the YouTube video created at the Young Leader's Forum to learn more about how YMCAs are engaging youth.
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New Members of the Board of Directors
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 | Andrea Scherer
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A big welcome goes out to our new YMCA Board Members, Andrea Scherer and Rana Brar Thiara. Both were officially voted in at the YMCA of Oakville Annual General Meeting, held last month.  | Rana Brar Thiara
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Other appointments: Lindsay Williams, former Vice Chair, takes over as Chair, a position formerly held by Jarvis Sheridan who remains on the Board as Past Chair. Gail Cosman takes over for Lindsay Williams as the new Vice Chair. Visit Board of Directors to learn more about our Board and their role in our association.
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Volunteer Survey
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Our volunteers are an important part of how we help individuals and our community succeed.
From July 5-26, we will asking our volunteers to tell us about their YMCA volunteer experience and how we can serve them better. Their feedback is critical in helping us focus on our strengths and to seek opportunities to ensure our volunteers have the best experience possible. Click to go to the Volunteer Survey.
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YMCA Member for Life!
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As a YMCA, we help our members reach their health and fitness goals every day.  We recently received a letter from one of our members, Beth Christie, who completed the OTMH Classic 5K Run on June 17. Beth's journey from a quadruple bypass surgery to entry into our YMCA Cardiac Rehab Program to her training for the 5K Run is a true testament to what can be achieved with passion and persistence. As Beth states, she has achieved a lifelong dream of running a marathon. Beth, we're so proud of you and how far you've come! You are an inspiration to all of us. Visit Beth's story to read her journey. |
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Running Clinic Wrap-up
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Our Triathlon Clinic wrapped up in June and we were proud to see so many of our participants complete their first ever triathlons in either Guelph Lake and Welland.  YMCA 5K and 10K running clinics also continue to be very popular. More than 40 participants in our spring clinics completed their goal races in May and June.. including Beth! Our Half Marathon Clinic started in June with 30 runners and it will continue into October with the goal race being the Scotia Bank Half Marathon on October 14. Congratulations to all of our past participants and good luck to our Half Marathon Clinic participants in October! |
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Child Care Job Fair on July 26
| We're expanding and hiring! Mark your calendar to attend our Child Care Job Fair on July 26.
The YMCA of Oakville is a non-profit organization that cares for more than 2,000 children and families across Oakville every day. We also care for and invest in our staff, many of whom have been with us for many years, enjoying a progressive career path.
Here are just a few of the top reasons to work with us:
- A competitive salary, benefits and pension package
- We have a strong commitment to our staff and continually offer new development and training opportunities.
- We are a reputable, non-profit organization, located at 41 sites throughout Oakville.
Join us on Thursday, July 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Peter Gilgan Family YMCA, located at 410 Rebecca Street in Oakville. Visit YMCA Careers to learn more about us and available positions. |
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Child Care Spaces Available
| We have Junior child care spaces available at the following  child care centres:
- Waterford
- Oakville Trafalgar
For more details, contact Gillian Beaver at 905-845-5597, ext. 312 or gillianbe@oakville.ymca.ca. For more information, visit child care availability.
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Grab a Board for YMCA's Skate Park
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 Youth looking to practice their boarding skills and have fun this summer can check out our YMCA Skate Park at the following locations:
- Kerr Street Ministries
- River Oaks Community Centre
- Clearview Community Church
Visit Skate Park Schedule for a list of dates and times. See you on the slopes! |
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Summer Swimming
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Online Report CardsSwim lesson online report cards are now available online. Visit report cards to view your child's progress cards.  Swim Lesson Program Break runs from July 2-8. There are no swim lessons during this time. Please visit our Membership Services Desk or call our Aquatics department at 905-845-5597, ext. 244 if you would like to make any changes to your sessions. Our summer swim session runs from July 9-Sept. 2. Reminder: Registration is not required if your child is already currently registered in our swim program. Visit Aquatics for more information on swimming at the Y.
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Planting Seeds for the Future
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 Drop by and visit our YMCA youth garden, created once again this year by our Youth Leader Corp. Last week our youth planted tomato and pepper plants and some bright, yellow marigolds. Youth were also given a cup, soil and bean seeds to take home and bring back to plant once they start sprouting. The hands-on nature of this project encourages youth to eat healthy, plus it develops essential social and team building skills and promotes a respect for our environment. |
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Ride for YMCA Strong Kids!
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Mark your calendar to join us on Thursday, August 8 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for our Ride for YMCA Strong Kids.  To sign up, form a team of 10 people to ride on our Cycle Fit bikes for one hour at the Peter Gilgan Family YMCA. You can collect pledges before the event, or ask everyone you know to donate at the event. Our goal is $12,000 with proceeds going directly toward providing children with a summer day camp experience. There will be prizes, a DJ, BBQ and much more! Join the fun and help us send over 50 deserving kids to camp this summer! To register your team, or for more information please contact Sarah Austin at sarahau@oakville.ymca.ca or 905-845-5597 ext. 410. |
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Ignite Summer a Success!
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On June 21, the YMCA Board of Directors kindled a dream of  camp for more kids this summer. The event was an outstanding success, raising more than $11,000 in support of the YMCA Strong Kids campaign. Proceeds from the event will give 60 deserving children from families who cannot afford it, the chance to experience YMCA summer camp! We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to O'Finn's Irish Temper for hosting the evening, to all those who generously donated silent auction items, volunteered for the evening and came out in support of a great cause. |
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A Memorable Swim the Lake
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Our 8th Annual Swim the Lake event saw swim lesson participants, families, youth, adults, YMCA staff (including our President and CEO, Darryl McKenzie!) and many others from the  community swim a total of 12,440 lengths in our pool. The annual event, in support of our YMCA Strong Kids campaign, raised a total of $5,277 towards our year-end goal of $10,000 to help more children and families in Oakville. From a charity BBQ to swim prizes to appearances by Olympic swimmers Sinead and Colin Russell, it was a fun-filled event for all. But the most memorable part just might have been the looks on our young swimmers' faces when they received medals of their own for participating! To sign up for the next Virtual Swim the Lake Challenge - the English Channel visit Swim the Lake. Where you snapped? Check out our photos on Flickr!  |
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Events Calendar
| | Mark your calendars!
Summer Program Schedule
July 3 to Sept. 4
GRAVITY classes
Try one today!
Half Marathon Clinic
June 13-Oct 13
Swim lesson program break
July 2-8
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Do you love our Y?
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Make sure you let everyone know by voting for us in the Oakville Beaver 2012 Reader's Selection Awards.
Entry deadline is July 13, and all winners will be announced July 27.
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You're Invited!
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Peter Gilgan
Family YMCA
10th Anniversary
Mark your calendar to join us on Sunday, September 23 when we will be hosting a community BBQ in celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Peter Gilgan Family YMCA.
Stay tuned for more details!
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Bye Bye Bio Reminder
| As mentioned last month, our Biostrength equipment is 10 years old and being discontinued. In September, we will replace this equipment with newer TechnoGym Selection Line pieces.
To find out more, visit Biostrength replacement. |
CIVIC HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
| On Monday, August 6, we will be offering the following schedule:
Open 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Cycle Fit 9:30-10:15 am Playtime (3-6 yrs) 9:15-10:45 am Morning Mix (6-13 yrs) 9:15-10:45 am Child Minding 9:00 am-noon Wellness Centre 9:00 am-4:45 pm Pools 9:00 am-4:45 pm Adventure Centre 1:00-4:00 pm |
STUDENT SUMMER MEMBERSHIP OFFER
| Just $45 per month!
Do you know a student who wants to stay active this summer? Tell them about our special student summer membership offer for just $45 per month until the end of August.
For full details, see Student Summer Membership Offer.
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Family Summer
Fun Tips
|  | Explore nature and get active together at one of our many local conservation areas.
Suggested activities:
- Swimming
- Try Valens Conservation Area, one of our popular summer day camp program sites!
- Making sandcastles on the beach
- Hiking on the Escarpment
- Exploring rare environmental areas
For more information, see Conservation Halton.
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Summer Crafts
to Try
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Rain Sticks
(ages 7+)
Materials: Paper towel rolls, tape you can paint on, glue, paint, uncooked rice, toothpicks.
Instructions: Pre-poke holes into the side of the paper towel rolls. Poke toothpicks through the holes (glue both ends). Next, tape one end of the roll closed. Add rice and tape the other end. Have kids paint the rolls any way they want. Finally, cut off the ends of the toothpicks sticking out.
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YMCA of Oakville
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Mission: The YMCA of Oakville is a charity that strengthens community in spirit, mind and body. Charitable Registration # 11906 4400 RR0001 410 Rebecca Street Oakville, ON L6K 1K7 905-845-3417 ymcaofoakville.com
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