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In This Issue

Share the Health!

Dive Into Autumn!

Meet the Staff

MLA Celebrating NYC!

Sports Camp – The Y’s Four

Core Values in Action!

Books? Summer Day Camp

Had Them Covered!

Personal – From

the Spin Zone!

Laughter – The Best Medicine!

Y Core Values

Responsibility – Campers learned about responsibility through a special presentation by UNICEF – see full coverage of the event in the Queens Gazette!

Caring – Kerwin, Tatinisha,

Stephanie, and Carmen showed

caring for the Ridgewood community,

as they each coordinated a

presentation for Ridgewood’s 2012

National Night Out Event.

Enjoy This Issue?

Feel free to share this newsletter with

anyone you think may find it

interesting, fun or useful.

Questions, Comments,

Ideas?

Contact Caitlin Moonesar at cdee@ymcanyc.org; or Charles Geyer (newsletter editor) at: cgeyer@ymcanyc.org

CREATIVE NAME The RIDGEWOOD YMCA NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS, STAFF AND FRIENDS

SHARE THE HEALTH! This fall, we are waiving our joiner’s fee for all new members! This $75 savings is a deal too good to let go. For you, this is the best time to get your friends to sign up here at the Ridgewood YMCA and cash in on our Member-Get-A-Member rewards.

The Member-Get-A-Member rewards are some of the best around! You already know all of the great things that are happening here at the Ridgewood Y – from fitness classes to Child Watch. There's something here for everyone, so be sure to spread the word. And for every friend you refer to the Ridgewood Y, you earn yourself a choice of

premium YMCA gear. Pick from backpacks, jackets, pants and more! Don’t forget, the YMCA is accessible to everyone. Through generous donors to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, we are able to offer financial assistance to any who find our fees beyond their current financial capacity. So there's no reason not to

join – especially this fall!

DIVE INTO AUTUMN! No, no, we aren’t building a pool, but there are some great aquatic advantages to your membership that you should be aware of.

If you, or you child needs to learn how to swim, the YMCA has a well-deserved reputation for offering some of the best swim instruction around. Starting as early at 6 months old, and as mature as 99 years old, our progressive swim lessons can teach anyone how to be safe around water, provide proper techniques for all the basic strokes, or fine-tune your current swimming form. And as a Ridgewood YMCA member, you will only have to pay member rates to join in swimming classes at any NYC YMCA!

Or, if you're just looking for a space to swim, you can have that too! Your Ridgewood Y membership allows you 10 visits at any other NYC Y, for lap swimming or family recreational

swim, according to schedule (be sure to check; each branch schedules independently). And, if you want to visit more often, a Queens-Wide membership or a City-Wide membership will give you unlimited access to the included YMCAs. Don’t forget your swim cap!

The closest NYC YMCAs to the Ridgewood Branch are: the Long Island City YMCA,

located at 32-23 Queens Boulevard, Queens; and the North Brooklyn YMCA, located

at 570 Jamaica Ave in Brooklyn (near Highland Park).

RIDGEWOOD YMCA

69-02 64th Street , Ridgewood, NY 11385

September 2012

ymcanyc.org/ridgewood

RIDGEWOOD Y PRESS

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MEET THE STAFF

AMAL MOHAMMAD Q.: Please share your current position and a little bit about what you do for the Ridgewood Y? A.: I was this summer's head teacher for My Little Academy (MLA) Summer Camp. I planned fun and exciting activities to stimulate children’s interests while incorporating the Y values. Q.: And your first job with the Y? A.: I was a Universal Pre-K teacher at the Cross Island YMCA for a year and a half. I was also assigned Manager-on-Duty once a month. Q.: Best advice you received or would give someone who was considering moving with the Y? A.: To trust your instincts and stay true to yourself. I would also suggest that you smile! Q.: Tell us something about Amal that we might not know? A.: I love

shoes!!! When I was a teenager, I had over 100 pairs of shoes. I also love to eat. I will challenge anyone to steak-and-potatoes throwdown any day of the week! And I am really reserved and observant when I meet a person, but once I get to know you, I can be the biggest goofball.

MLA CELEBRATING NYC! The exciting Summer MLA season flew by, with excellent educational and recreational experiences for all. Participants are

anticipating the start of a new school year with great memories and great new knowledge about our city and our world.

In session three of MLA Summer, campers learned fun and exciting facts about the borough of Manhattan, observing the shapes and sizes of skyscrapers, taking an imaginary journey through the neighborhood of Harlem, listening to beautiful jazz music, and even decorating portions of a paper New York skyline with our own make-believe "graffiti artist" masterpieces! Children and volunteers worked hard and had a ball coloring our re-imagined cityscape (see right).

Congratulations to all our campers and volunteers for a summer of fun, energy, creativity and imagination.

SPORTS CAMP – THE Y’S FOUR

CORE VALUES IN ACTION! Throughout the summer, Sports Camp, led by Head Counselor Omar, featured a variety of skills-based sporting activities that promote team-building and sportsmanship while reinforcing the YMCA’s four core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. Campers

utilized the Ridgewood YMCA gymnasium and Mafera Park, and really loved participating in the Big Apple Games at IS 291. These games allowed for participants to learn great new activities like table tennis, table hockey and bumper pool, as well as honing more familiar skills at football, soccer and basketball, all while becoming responsible and caring members of a true team effort.

BOOKS? SUMMER DAY CAMP HAD

THEM COVERED! Twice this August, librarian

Danielle Kalan of the Queens Library visited our Express,

Creative and Sports Camps

and explained how kids can obtain library cards and take

advantage of all the great

opportunities that involvement with the library can offer.

Campers also won prizes, including nifty

pencils, library-card holders and other novelties, for correctly answering questions

about the library. Ms. Kalan brought four

Queens Library summer reading books with

her and read to the campers The True Story of

the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka. The

program was fun and engaging for all ages – staff included!

PERSONAL – FROM THE SPIN ZONE!

Sonia the Trainer, our Spin Instructor, has this heartfelt greeting for her terrific students: "I want to say congratulations and thanks to all you members who have been coming to Tuesday Spin class, starting as beginners in early 2012. In January, many of you told me you had never taken Spin because 'it's too hard,' or 'I have knee problems,' etc., etc. I encouraged you at least to try, to go at your own pace, and to know that you could do this. And eight months later – boy, are you proving it! With strong, non-stop riding, song after song! The smiles on your faces make me so happy. I have to thank you for letting me help you fulfill your Spinning dreams! You have become my family here at Ridgewood. Great job everyone!"

LAUGHTER – THE BEST MEDICINE! A GRAB-BAG OF YMCA GOOFS, GAGS & GIGGLES…

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she

was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know

where the heck she is.”

― Ellen DeGeneres