Hello again friends!

We have been busy away from our blog here at the Pittsfield Family YMCA. We will be reviving it this summer. Be on the lookout for giveaways, program news, event information, and much more!

Looking to exercise, swim, and have fun over the summer? Currently new adult members can join the Pittsfield Family YMCA for 90 days for only $90!

Please like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Family-YMCA/260398555463
(Like us by noon on July 3 to be entered for a chance to win a Wing Fling T-shirt!)

Please follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PittsfieldYMCA

At the YMCA we are for Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. Have a great day!

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!