For A Better Us

The United Way of Northeast Florida, St. Johns County United Way, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, and Jewish Federation of Jacksonville have joined forces to help those impacted by Hurricane Matthew and any future natural disasters in Northeast Florida. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund committed $250,000 to seed this effort and is matching donations up to another $250,000. 

Here’s How You Can Help: bit.ly/flfirstcoastrelief.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced the creation of the fund on Monday. Curry said “there are a lot of people in this city that are hurting right now, there are people in this city that struggle to make it every single day and now they have significant financial burden on them. The First Coast Relief Fund will help get those individuals throughout Northeast Florida who need assistance to get back on their feet,” Curry added. “A hundred percent of all gifts will go to relief effort and any unspent funds will be used to seed a permanent disaster relief fund for Northeast Florida.”

The United Way of Northeast Florida has also partnered with the American Red Cross Northeast Florida Chapter and HandsOn Jacksonville to provide information on the most critical volunteer needs. Please visit HandsOn Jacksonville’s website for the most updated information.

Some helpful tips for interested volunteers:

1. It’s important for your safety and those around you to engage in safe volunteer opportunities and never arrive on a scene without proper training by an official disaster response organization.
2. Please register your volunteer interest with local agencies.
3. Please refrain from bringing donations such as clothing, food or supplies unless requested.

All kids have potential. From one child’s point of view, see the true impact of our words.

The Y nurtures the potential of every child and teen by supporting their unique youth development journey through holistic programming. From cradle to career, the Y provides all youth with the tools and resources they need to succeed in life. Click here to learn more about our Before and Afterschool Care and Early Learning programs.

The Y.™ For a better us.™

We know how difficult it can be to stick to eating healthy, but we want to make things a little easier by giving you this simple, easy-to-prepare recipe for Spinach Berry Salad. It’s a summertime favorite that can be enjoyed year round!

Spinach Berry Salad

Serves 4 | Prep time: 10 min.

Ingredients

• 4 packed cups torn fresh spinach
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh, or frozen, blueberries
• 1 small sweet onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Salad dressing:

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (can be omitted)
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

• In a large salad bowl, toss together spinach, strawberries, blueberries, onion and pecans.
• In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients. Shake well. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Nutrition
Calories: 158
Fat: 5g
Carbohydrate: 25g
Protein: 4g

For more information on the SEEDifferently™ initiative, contact Sara Glenn by email at sglenn@firstcoastymca.org.

Submitted by: Jennifer Ryan / Executive Director, Ponte Vedra YMCA

Members of the Ponte Vedra YMCA’s Flyers Swim Team recently gathered to celebrate a very successful 2015/2016 year with an award ceremony, and kicked off the new season with an Olympic-themed party. More than 40 swimmers enjoyed treats and fun with their teammates. The Flyers team has grown dramatically in the past two years under the coaching of Jennifer Salles-Cunha. So many swimmers wanted to join that an intermediate division was added in the Fall of 2015 under new coach Monique Salles-Cunha.

At the award ceremony, Coach Jen and Coach Monique presented their swimmers with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals. Bronze medals went to swimmers that participated in USA Swimming Competitions, Silver was given to those swimmers who competed in individual events at a championship meet, and Gold medals were awarded to the top two swimmers in each age group:

The Coaches also welcomed several new swimmers to the team. With the presentation of the medals, the coaches took a moment to acknowledge their accomplishments as well as their potential for the new season.

• Highlights from the 2015/2016 Season include:
  Jesse Hagy taking 10th place in the 100 yard Breast Stroke and 7th place in the 50 yard Breast Stroke with a time of 28.55 seconds.
• Jason Hepfer dominated his age group by placing in the top ten in six events, most notably winning first place in the 100 yard Butterfly with a time of 57.31. Jason also took 2nd in the 50 yard Butterfly, 3rd in the 100 yard Individual Medley, and 3rd in the 200 yard Freestyle.
• Reilly McCabe excelled in the 50 yard Freestyle and 50 yard Back Stroke, taking 7th and 8th places, respectively.
• Lilly McCabe was also in the top ten in the 100 yard Breast Stroke with a time of 1:09.59.
• The Sectionals event was attended by Jesse Hagy participating in three events and Lilly McCabe swimming in five.
• At the Summer Flags Event, Tristan Lewers did great in the Back Stroke, taking 9th place in the 100 yard and 7th place in the 50 yard, with a time of 38.35.
• Reilly McCabe shined by getting in the top ten in four events, most notably taking 2nd place in the 50 yard Free Style with a time of 28.23, the same event that she won when she was a ten-year-old.

The new season started in September and the coaches and swimmers of the Flyers Swim Team are anticipating a fun and successful season for 2016/2017. Click here to learn more about YMCA Aquatic Programs.

By Beth Reese Cravey

James H. Winston, a Jacksonville civic leader, real estate developer and philanthropist, has been a YMCA devotee for 50 years.

The Y, he said, was “what we used to call gym and swim.”

But Friday he helped cut the ribbon to open the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast’s new flagship branch bearing his family name, which offers far more than a gym and a pool. The $21 million, 72,000-square-foot Riverside showplace will have programming for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility and be a hub for the area Y’s efforts to reduce chronic illnesses such as cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes, in a partnership with Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation and Florida Blue.

“It’s going to have everything you can think of,” said Winston, 82, who has served the First Coast Y in various leadership roles, including chairman of the corporate board. “It’s probably not duplicated anywhere in the U.S. It is an honor to share my family name with this fabulous facility.”

To continue reading, click here.

By David Jayo, Senior Adviser to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell 

In 51 cities across the country from Anchorage to San Juan, young people are charting their own paths in America’s great outdoors. They are cleaning beaches in San Diego, planting gardens in Houston, paddling rivers in Minneapolis and dissecting invasive lionfish in Miami.

Through the Department of the Interior’s Partnership with the YMCA of the USA, American Express, local governments and hundreds of nonprofit organizations, Let’s Move! Outside is getting millions of kids to play, learn, serve and work outdoors. Through hard work, strong partners, leadership and vision, we have not only met our ambitious goals – we have exceeded many of them.

To Read More, Click Here.

Cheers rang out in the halls of Edward Waters College, as 700 YMCA campers from across the First Coast sat awaiting the start of Thingamajig. First Coast YMCA puts on the Thingamijig convention in hopes of educating youth aged 7-15 about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through a hands on approach.

This year’s second annual Thingamajig was sponsored by Vystar and featured activity booths from Florida Public Archaeology Network, JEA, Mathnasium, Johnson Teens, VyStar, Claim It App, Baptist Health, Safe Kids Coalition, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Chick fil A of Mandarin, Firehouse Subs, Sratchwerks, Enviroscapes by AmeriCorp, SeeDifferently, Edward Waters College, Florida IT Network, and UNF School of Computing, Engineering, and Robotics.

Children spent the day in 16 hands on workshops, and they participated in challenges that allowed them to build marble roller coasters, create their own inventions and even launch off their own bottle rockets.

Although a great opportunity for summer fun, these activities also help to open the doors to strategic thinking, creative expression and great careers. At the Y, young people have numerous opportunities to learn, play and be inspired through STEM. Thingamajig is just one example of how we’re opening children’s eyes to the wonders of science, and how we’ve worked to make a difference in the lives of the children of our community this summer.

To view more photos of Thingamajig fun, click here.

by Lauren Crawford

Summer camp is often thought of as a place of fun- where lifelong friendships are made and kids have a chance to learn new things. That’s exactly what I found when visiting Camp Immokalee this summer. Immediately I was greeted with a sense of community, and I could tell that the kids shared a special bond with one another as they worked together with teammates in their daily activities.

Camp Immokalee is a First Coast YMCA resident camp where kids can participate in physical, social and educational activities such as fishing, canoeing, talent shows, archery, arts and crafts, and other teambuilding activities designed for personal enrichment.

Camp Immokalee Lifeguards

YMCA of Florida’s First Coast also partners with the Bridge of Northeast Florida in order to provide Camp Immokalee stays for Bridge program participants. The partnership is annually funded by the Deerwood Rotary Club and makes it possible for kids of diverse backgrounds to have opportunities that they might not otherwise have access to.

Camp Immokalee is one of the ways that the Y hopes to impact kids of our community, teaching them self-reliance, a love for nature and the outdoors, and the development of attitudes and practices that build character and leadership, and meaningful relationships.

For more information about camp Immokalee or other camp programs, click here.

After years of planning and construction, the new Winston Family YMCA is near completion and should open as expected Aug. 26. Construction is on schedule and the facility is about 85 percent finished.

Crews are working 13-hour days, seven days a week, according to Haskell project manager Alfonso Cawthorn…
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