2016 is going to be a great year at the Portage Township YMCA. I sat down with the Y’s Executive Director, Amber Alexander and she filled me in on what’s to come.
YMCA Winter Olympics
A big focus is going to be on member engagement. They are looking to increase their member retention and have lots of fun things planned for their members. One of which is the YMCA Winter Olympics. The idea is based off of the Winter Olympics that the staff of the popular television show The Office held on season one. February 22-26, YMCA members can take part in the “Olympic Games”.
“We did this two years ago for the staff and it was really fun,” Amber said. “I think that our members will have a lot of fun with it.”
Food
Community engagement is also very important to the Y, and they will be doing more with craft fairs, fun events are planned like a community Top Chef event, and what they call the “Portage Township’s Best…”
“We approached local restaurants and will have them come in with samples to see who has the best dish in Portage. For example, this March we are going to find out who has the best chili,” Amber said. “We are inviting the community to come in and test the dishes and decide on their favorite. And the Top Chef event allows anyone from the community to come in and show off their cooking skills.
For the Kids
They Portage YMCA has revamped their summer camps. There are two: A Day Camp and Adventure Camp, and the Y partnered with the City of Lake Station to utilize Riverview Park. It’s a project that was five years in the making and it’s finally a real thing.
“We want to house the summer camp in the Y, but travel to Riverview Park,” Amber said. “The kids in our camp can learn archery, canoeing, fishing, they will have access to a swimming pool and water park there. Mayor Anderson and the City of Lake Station are very excited about this. Lake Station is in our service area so there is an entirely new group of kids there that we can serve.”
Amber said that the Y has also been working with Lake Station schools throughout the year to provide before school childcare. They already offer it to Portage schools, and it was a need that parents expressed to the Lake Station schools. The Y will be starting the childcare this coming fall.
Religion
Not everyone knows that all YMCAs are Christian-based. There is a Power of Prayer group that meets at the YMCA weekly. It’s chaired by Deacon Arthur Johnson, who is the Vice President of the YMCA Board, and the group is looking to expand in 2016. There is also a Chaplain Program at the Portage Y. Reverend Derrick Hill is the YMCA Chaplain, and he comes to the Y on Saturdays 9am-12pm and Tuesdays 2pm-5pm. He’s available to speak with anyone regardless of whether they are members or not.
“A lot of people think of the YMCA as a swim and gym and we have so much more to offer,” Amber said.
The YMCA’s Brewfest will be returning, but the annual Bowl-a-Thon came to an end after Camelot Bowl closed. There will be another annual shutdown where the YMCA will be cleaned from top to bottom, and new roof is being added.
“The YMCA has been in transition for the last three years and now the transitioning is done,” Amber said. “This will be a building and a growing year for the Y. We want to build more relationships and get going strong. People can expect some exciting stuff from the YMCA.”