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!