Get $125 OFF annual membership to Pittsfield Y

THE DRIVE FOR 125
This coupon entitles the bearer to $125 off an annual membership
to the Pittsfield Family YMCA, 292 North St., Pittsfield.
Celebrating 125 years.
This is for “New” Members Only!
Membership categories that are eligible for this offer are:
Adult, One Adult/Two Adult/Three or more Adults with children and Seniors
The 125th membership sold will be Free.

For more information, call 499-7650 x13 or email migreen@nycap.rr.com.
This offer expires 12/31/2010 and cannot be used with other discount offers.

Shop to Benefit the YMCA

Today kicks off one of the four JcPenney Round-Up Campaigns in an effort to raise money for the YMCA's After school care. Your spare change can truly make a difference for YMCA's all over the country. Our local participating JcPenney is located on Old State Road & Rte 8 in Lanesborough, MA 01237. As it states in the flyer to the left, "The average amount donated from this campaign is only $0.38 per customer which may not seem like much, but this averages to $4.7 million raised by this campaign nationwide." No amount is too small.

Non-Profits Team Together for National Poetry Awareness Month

The Pittsfield Family YMCA is happily celebrating National Poetry Awareness Month. The YMCA has paired up with the Storefront Artist Project and the Berkshire Museum to formulate a special poetry class for children between the age of 6 and 12. This session consists of 3 classes: the first class will discuss poet Julio Granda's works and styles which will educate children on poetry. The second class will be producing the poems through one-on-one time with instructor Curtis Asch, Education Program Manager at the Berkshire Museum. The last class will be to put the finishing touches on the poems, create coinciding artwork to go along with them, and present them for the April 10th opening reception. The classes will take place on March 31st, April 5th and April 7th at the Storefront Artist Project located on 124 Fenn Street from 4 - 5 p.m. Registration is required so please click here to sign up your child: members or non-members.

Much, Much More to Come: Exciting Fundraisers

We have a whole group of new things coming up for the Pittsfield Family YMCA. Outdoor baseball, Summer Camps, Master Swim class, Slayton Studio child care photos, swim lessons and 2 fun and exciting fundraisers!

More is to come on the above listed events, but the YMCA wants to release some tidbits of information.

Reminder: Outdoor Baseball starts on May 1st and the registration deadline is April 19th. It is an outdoor league that takes place up at Berkshire Community College.

Our 2010 Summer Camp brochure has been released in both hard and online copies. Stop by 292 North Street to pick up a hard copy or click here to see it.

The YMCA is introduing a new co-ed golf camp this year!

Our Master Swim class takes place on Sunday mornings from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. It will now be led my Mark Snowise, MD who will teach avid swimmer various skills and techniques that will help them to gain more strength and stamina in the pool. Snowise is a nationally ranked triathlete who is also looking to help prepare other inspiring triathletes for the long haul. Read the press release by clicking here.

Slayton Studio will be in the Pittsfield YMCA building on April 1st at 8:30 a.m. to take precious photos of the YMCA's babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers so that parents may have a darling keepsake memory of their children at any age. 20% of the funds raised from this event will benefit the YMCA so this is a great opportunity for both the organization and the parents. Email Child Care Director Laurie Vanuni at lvanuni@nycap.rr.com if you have any additional questions.

Swim lessons start up again on March 30th. Enroll your child from the age of 6 months to 12 years of age to get swimming lessons from our Aquatics staff. Click here for times and registration details.

Two great fundraisers are right around the corner!! Our next fundraiser will be the JcPenney Round-Up Campaign. This will take place at JcPenny at the Berkshire Mall from March 24- April 6th. Again, this fundraiser takes place at the registers in JcPenny. If a customer's total comes to $14.24 then that person will be asked if they would like to "round-up for the afterschool fund." The national YMCA headquarters states, "The average amount JcPenny collected from a customer was $0.33." Now, this may seem like nothing, but this ended up totaling $4.7 million collected nationwide through JcPenny for After School care. So never think that any donation is too small.

The second fundraiser will take place on April 13, 2010 at Arizona Pizza located on 660 Cheshire Road in Lanesboro, MA. 20% of the proceeds from you dinner will be donated to the YMCA that day as long as you request for the funds to be donated to the YMCA's Reach Out for Youth Program.

Well, the YMCA is excited because we will be having 3 fundraisers between March 24th and April 13. The Slayton Studio for our daycare programs, JcPenny for our After School programming and Arizona Pizza for the Reach Out for Youth 2010 Campaign! Please take the time to be active within your community and help out the children that are active within your local YMCA!

Outdoor Baseball and More

If you have not been to the Pittsfield Family YMCA in quite some time, then try stopping by and requesting a complementary one day guest pass. And if you like what you see, then do not forget about our 2 promotions that are currently running: 90 days for $90 for single adults and 90 days for $180 for families. These apply to new members only so why not try out your local YMCA? You can also contact me by email at sjacobs@nycap.rr.com and I will gladly email or mail you a guest pass.

Don't forget about our Poetry Contest! Write a poem about "What Family Means to You" and be in the running to have your poem displayed at Storefront Artist Project for National Poetry Awareness Month.

Youth Baseball sign ups are now available. Enroll any child who is between the age of 3 to 9 years old in our outdoor league that takes place at Berkshire Community College. Members can sign up online by clicking here. Or in person at 292 North Street. If you need any additional information on the league then please feel free to contact Youth Sports and Wellness Director Eric Tyer at 413-499-7650 ext. 33.

Hello March

Please keep in mind that our next Kid's Night Out this month will be on March 13th from 6-9 p.m. so drop off your children and let them have a blast!

The YMCA is excited to see the turnout we will have for the launch of our second session of Zumba this Thursday March 4th at 6:45- 7:45 p.m. Bring your friends and dance the calories away!

Our March newsletter will be coming out this week. If you are not already on our mailing list make sure that you sign up by emailing Marketing & Membership Director Susan Jacobs at sjacobs@nycap.rr.com or by clicking here and filling out our form. This is a great way to stay current with up-and-coming events, promotions, innovations, classes, and more!

Thank you for being an avid member of the Pittsfield Family YMCA!

Session 2: Zumba

A reminder to all that there will be no Zumba class this Thursday February 25, 2010. Next week on March 4, 2010 Zumba will resume for another 6 week session. There will now be 2 Zumba classes a week. One will be at the same time frame on Thurdays from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Our additional class will now be on Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. Join the party on either day or both days for a fun cardio workout at the same low price of $2 for members and $5 for non-members.

The YMCA will also be offering a Woman's Support Group on Thursday nights from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is hosted by our front desk staff member: Valerie Soules and is open to all at no cost.

YMCA Hosts Poetry Competition for National Poetry Awareness Month

The YMCA is pleased to announce that we will be pairing up with the Storefront Artist Project to generate a poetry competition for April. The contest will run from February 19, 2010 until March 12, 2010 at 8 p.m. Contest rules and details can be found at our front desk at 292 North Street.

Everyone is encouraged to submit a poem. The contest is open to both members and non-members of the community. The poems are to reflect "What Family Means to You" since we want this competition to be able to reflect the YMCA's mission as much as possible.

Again, if you have a request for any programs or events that you would like to see happen at the Pittsfield Family YMCA please feel free to email me at sjacobs@nycap.rr.com.

Weekends for Children

As a reminder, I would like to post information about Kid's Night Out which will be this Saturday (2/13/2010) from 6-9 p.m. Let your child between the ages of 5-12 have a blast at the YMCA swimming, playing basketball, or watching a movie with their friends. And we love that we made it the night before Valentine's Day. Parents, this is a chance for you to enjoy a romantic night with your loved one. Let's not forget the fact that Kid's Night is also open to members and non-members this time! We hope to see you there!

Anyone can register for the above event by calling Earl Persip III at 413-499-7650 ext. 37.

Youth Indoor Soccer sign-ups have been growing. It is great to see the number of parents who want to see their children stay active and healthy. Sign-ups are available for children between the ages of 4- 9 and our early registration ends on February 15, 2010. To get your children involved call Eric Tyer at 413-499-7650 ext. 33.

Lastly, why not join the YMCA with your family? Escape the winter chill and join the YMCA. As of last week we started a 90 Days for $180 promotion. This way a family can try out the YMCA for 3 months for a $70 discount.

Read our press release that went our regarding both our Indoor Soccer League and new family promotions by clicking here.

Expanding our Indoor Triathlons and Family Outlook

Our second Indoor Triathlon will take place on February 27, 2010. We are putting a new spin on it. Traditionally the event has been for adults only, but we have had a high request for a Triathlon for children. As a result...the adults will start at 9 a.m. on the 27th with 20 minutes at each of the 3 stations of cycling, running, and swimming. Children from the age of 7- 13 years old will kick off at 11 a.m. and enjoy 10 minutes at each session. Families are encouraged to register since this is now a fun event for many ages. This is a part of our "Fun, Friendly Family Fitness" theme. And as always, the top 3 males and females as well as the top 3 boys and girls will receive honorary prize medals. To register for this event call Fitness Director, Eric Tyer at 413-499-7650 ext. 33.

A quick reminder that we have added a new promotion of 90 Days for $180 that is exclusively for families. We want the YMCA to be more welcoming to the great amount of families that are present within the area. So if you were thinking about joining the YMCA and just weren't sure, try out the YMCA for 2 dollars a day for about a 3 month period. If you decide to stick with us after the trial period, then we will credit the $180 to your annual membership fee.

Check us out on PcTV this afternoon at 3 p.m. on Civitan with Edward Burniske. The YMCA's Executive Director and Marketing & Membership Director can be found on local access discussing our new changes and what is in store for the YMCA for the year of 2010.

Celebrate with Us

It's not too late to sign up for our Annual Celebration. It is happening tonight at the New Mazzeo's Ristorante located on 115 South Street. Join our avid members, staff and Board of Directors for our recap of the year 2009, an award ceremony, our guest speaker Denis Guyer and more. Please remember that everyone is welcome to come.

I just wanted to send out a reminder that we are offering a Red Cross Lifeguard Certification class that starts on February 7, 2010 and will be hosted by our Aquatics Director. This could be a great new job opportunity for anyone who is over 15 years of age and is looking for a change or something new.

Doing More For Our Children One Step at a Time

Swim lessons are starting tomorrow for our winter session! It is not too late to sign up for the term that runs from January 19 until March 6. Contact our Aquatics Director Georgette Keator at 413-499-7650 ext. 11. or click here to register your child online.

We are happy to announce that we will be offering Kid's Night Out once a month in 2010 spanning from February to May and then picking back up again from September to December. The exact dates of these events can be found here. For those of you who do not know exactly what Kid's Night Out entails, it is a nighttime event that spans from 6- 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. During this time period children come to the YMCA and get the chance to watch a film, swim in the pool and play basketball and games in the gymnasium. This is all planned and monitored by our Afterschool Director and his staff. The age range for this event is 5-12 years of age. We want children to be able to meet one another within our community and to make new friends during the event. Parents get the opportunity to breath for a night and have some quality time with friends, family, or even themselves knowing that their children are having fun at the YMCA. I am glad that we are able to make this night more stable by being able to offer it on a monthly basis. If you miss one then you can always check out the website and know when the next one will be occurring.

From one of our babysitting surveys I was told that a person was unaware of what our babysitting services would include. Babysitting at the YMCA is a 90 minute service where a parent can bring their child with them and have them safely watched by a certified babysitter for $4 a child. This is convenient for parents who do not use childcare, but still want to enjoy our fitness facility, fitness classes, pool, and more. We want to bring this back so that we are still sticking to our nationwide "family friendly" image.

Week 3 of January, Week 3 of New Beginnings

I am extremely happy to hear the positive feedback we have been receiving from our members and non-members regarding our fitness class additions. Not only have our new classes been a hit, but I am hearing that there has been an increase in the attendance of our traditional classes and our fitness center. Keep up those New Years resolutions, stay healthy and keep attending our facility!

Look out for the nationwide brand revitalization of the YMCA's that will be happening. I attended their webinar this afternoon and the new strategy is looking more and more complete each month.

We launched a survey this morning around 9:45 a.m. regarding bringing babysitting back to the YMCA. The YMCA stands for kids and families so this aspect is really an integral part of our mission. Please click here to take our survey. Everyone's opinion is important in this decision- making process.

We are looking to expand our youth programs so that there is more for children in Berkshire County to do, especially during the cold winter months. If you have any ideas or comments please email me at sjacobs@nycap.rr.com.

Sticking to Our Mission

It has come to our attention how important our community thinks that it is for us to be there for our children. The YMCA has been a place for decades where kids can grow up in a safe, fun, and welcoming enviroment. It is an establishment where kids become teens, teens become young adults, and young adults become adults who represent us and decide later where they want their children to strive here. We want to be able to grow with our children and help to decrease the rise in teen drinking and teenage pregnancies.

Currently we have strong youth programs and are looking to start additional stimulating groups for our youth. If you have any feedback or requests for additional programming feel free to email me.

Thankfully, we have been recently recognized for our new programs of Dodgeball, Vinyasa Yoga, Tango, and Zumba. We hope to use these programs to better our image by being more welcoming to our local non-members and by now offering all of our fitness programs to non-members for $5 a class.

Next month we will also be adding our Youth Indoor Triathlon due to the success of our adult version last weekend.

Up and Coming Events

The new year is bringing new changes to our YMCA facility. I am happy to see that things are changing so quickly.

Tango and Zumba have their kick off next week and are quickly bringing in anxious members and non-members.

Our Indoor Triathlon kicks off tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. and everyone can still register online or at our front desk. Just go to pittsfieldfamiyymca.org and click on our link to register or visit 292 North Street.

We are going to also be making all of our fitness classes available once again to non-members for a flat fee of $5 each class. Enjoy yoga, vinyasa yoga, kickboxing, cycling, lunch crunch, boot camp, and more.

Our local media has been great to us and is also enthusiastic when it comes to seeing Pittsfield and North Street come alive again.

It should be an enticing and stimulating year of 2010.