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YOUR SSY ON THE FLY YOUR BRANCH PUBLICATION FOR SOUTHERN SARATOGA YMCA NEWS

OUR MISSION

To put Christian principles intro practice

through programs that build healthy

spirt, mind and body for all.

UPCOMING EVENTS &

IMPORTANT DATES

March 1-31st

Purchase Hannaford Blue Bag at the Clifton

Park branch when checking out, $1 per bag

will be given to the Y to support the Annual

Campaign!

March 9th, 11am

Genealogy Presentation

March 10th, 5:30pm

Horse Event

Saratoga Chamber of Commerce

GYMS A and B Closed

March 15-17th

Track Area Closed

Painting the walls in the track

March 17th

St. Patrick's Day

March 19th

Egg Hunt and Easter Bunny at Kidzlodge

10-10:30am 2-5 year olds

11-11:30am 6 and older

March 23rd 10:30am-12:30pm

Health Screening in Lobby

March 26th, 3-5pm

Scorch Inflatable in Pool 3-4pm

Egg Hunt in Pool 4-5pm

March 27th

Easter Sunday, Y is Closed

SOUTHERN SARATOGA YMCA

1 Wall Street, Clifton Park, 12065

March 2016

www.cdymca.org

The Y: Helping Those in Need

On February 17th, the Southern Saratoga YMCA invited our Running Start families into our facility for an afternoon filled with family fun! Families were able to bounce on our pool inflatable, Scorch and our bounce houses in the gym. Each family was able to leave the Y with a bag of health & beauty supplies as well as food to get them through the school break week. All items were donated by our mem-bers and Hannaford here in Clifton Park. Families that par-

ticipated were very happy and grateful to enjoy some fun at the Y and to be able to take home needed items to help their family. Thank you to everyone who donated items to support this fun event!

Its not too late to make a donation to the Southern Sarato-ga YMCA’s 2016 Annual Campaign. Programs like Running Start are run 100% on in-kind and monetary donations. Please consider making a donation today to help support the many programs offered at the Y to help individuals in need. 100% of your donation stays at our facility to help those in need. We currently are at 78% of our fundraising goal, help us to reach $120,000! Please stop by the front desk to make your donation today!

Top: Kids in action on Scorch the Dragon during our Break Week Bounce Day. Left: Children in our after school program helping fill bags with food and health and beauty supplies.

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Meet the Staff of the Southern Saratoga YMCA

Darrah Osgood Mike Scidmore

Program Director

Aaron Ditch

Membership Director

Kim Dandino

Childcare Director

Sarah Heslin

Executive Director

Molly Moran

Aquatics Director

Cheryl Misiewicz

Member Services Manager

Lisa Rivet

Wellness Coordinator

Do you have an improvement idea, or

would you like to thank someone, or

acknowledge a good deed?

Feel free to use a Member Comment Card, locat-

ed by the front desk.

Our team reviews all comment cards and follows

up with either a phone call, email or post’s them

on our comment card board.

Thank you, Southern Saratoga YMCA

Guy Beattie

Property Director

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Download the YMCA App

For facility closings, class cancellations, class schedules, and facility updated (pool or hot tub closure) please refer to our free app. To download the app, please following these simple directions or ask a YMCA employee to help you the next time you are at the Y:

Apple: - Go to app store - Search: Capital District YMCA - Click Download - You now have the Y APP - Open App and select your home branch To Receive notifications: - Click top right menu - Click Settings - Slide your push notifications on

- You will now receive any and all information we send out!

Employee of the Month: Cameryn Raymond, Sam Mysliwiec

Cameryn Raymond and Samantha Mysliwiec, popularly known on the

pool deck as Cam and Sam.

Cameryn has been with us since 2014, she started at the YMCA as a

lifeguard, always keeping the pool deck safe. Recently she became a

swim instructor, a position she truly shines at. She does a great job

teaching infants all the way to the adults. Cam is constantly implement-

ing new techniques for her lessons. She interacts with her students in a

positive and fun way and is an excellent role model for all who take les-

sons. Cam also does a great job at communicating with the parents

about their children’s progress, she involves the whole family in her pro-

grams making all feel welcome. Congratulations Cameryn!

Samantha has been at our YMCA since 2014. She began here as a swim

instructor and lifeguard. In 2014 she took our YSI class and became a

YMCA Swim Lesson Instructor. Sam quickly became a go-to swim in-

structor and really helped our Saturday morning swim lessons thrive. In

January Sam was promoted to the Head Swim Instructor position. She

helps train new instructors, keeps a close eye on the progress of all of

our swimmers and makes sure lessons are always running smooth. With

Sam’s dedication and hard work we have been able to make our swim

lesson program grow. She is truly a cause driven leader. Congratula-

tions Sam!

Healthy Laughs

Caps Lock

A computer-illiterate client once called the help desk of a computer repair company asking how to change her password. "Okay," the technician said, after punching in a few keys. "Log in using the password 123456." "Is that all in caps?" she asked.

Member of the month: Todd Mace (Mace Family)

We have a lot of long standing members at our facility which is the greatest complement you can provide us. We have family's who generationally come to the YMCA because they understand the sense of community and the health and wellness benefits the Y provides. The Mace Family is a great example of one of those families. They have been active members for 14 years and we be-lieve they understand the benefits the YMCA can provide.

You can see the Todd and his family using the Southern Saratoga YMCA regularly throughout the week and weekends. Christopher is on our Swim Team and Nicholas participates in all sorts of pro-grams, like Junior Pacers for example. Melissa is an instructor for us and specializes in Zumba.

Congratulations to Todd and his family for being our March Mem-bers of the Month.

AARP TAX-AIDE PROGRAM

IS AT THE

SOUTHERN SARATOGA YMCA

TO PROVIDE FREE

ASSISTANCE WITH PREPARATION

OF INCOME TAX RETURNS.

THURSDAYS

(Now THRU APRIL 14th)

HAVE YOUR TAX RETURNS PREPARED AND ELECTRONICALLY FILED AT NO COST.

CALL 2-1-1 (A UNITED WAY SERVICE)

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

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Active Older Adult Corner: provided by Lori Delehanty

BITS & PIECES

Saratoga County Public Nurses will be here on Wednesday,

March 23rd from 10:30—12:30.

There will be a Genealogy presentation on Wednesday,

March 9th at 11:00 am See front desk for details.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH:

SAVORY BEAN-SPINACH SOUP

.15 oz. can small white beans, rinsed & drained

.1 3/4 c water

.1/2 c converted rice

.3/4 c chopped onion

.1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

.2 cloves garlic, minced

.8 c chopped fresh spinach leaves

.2 14 oz. cans vegetable broth

.15 oz. can tomato puree

In a 3—4 quart slow cooker combine vegetable broth, tomato puree, beans, water, rice, onion, basil, garlic salt & pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low for 5—7 hours or on high for 2—3 hours.

Just before serving, stir in spinach and parmesan cheese.

HEALTHY MONDAYS!

Monday can be a fresh start and an ideal day to take a few moments to make your health a priority and set up your healthy intentions for the week.

MAKE MONDAYS MEATLESS

MONDAYS!

On average, Americans

consume eight ounces of meat

per day — 45 percent more

than the USDA recommends.

Going meatless at least once a

week can help you consume a

diet lower in saturated fat and

reduce your risk for chronic

preventable conditions like

cardiovascular disease, cancer,

diabetes and obesity.

Interested in learning more?

Visit the USDA’s Choose My

Plate Tips for Vegetarians.

________________________

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Membership Department: provided by Aaron Ditch

February Raffle Basket

Winner:

Kathleen Schleich

Congratulations to my good

friend Kathleen, we hope you

enjoy your $50.00 gift card to

Wheatfields. I am so happy

your finally won.

Keep your eye out for our

February basket and be sure

to enter your name into the

drawing.

Did you know you could get

a free month of

membership?

Just have the friend who joins

with us reference your name

when they sign up and we will

take care of the rest.

Chinese New Year: A Success

The Southern Saratoga YMCA hosted a Chinese New Year festival for the

first time on February 8th. The event was considered a success! We had

Hop Gar Kung Fu Academy who provided the Lion Dance accompanied by

drums. Chef Jessie provided the cooking class where kids learned how to

make wonton soup and fortune cookies. There was an arts and crafts

room where families made construction paper lion dance figures, Chinese

drums and monkey masks. We also had a table to find out what was cel-

ebrated the year you were born, this year is the year of the monkey.

Thank you to all of our volunteers the night of the event: Cheryl Mis-

iewicz, Laurie Wiedenhoefer, Lori Delehanty, Chef Jessie, Terrance

Clarke, Lauren Clarke, Lochlain Clarke, Keith Martin, Cheryl Granato,

Darrah Osgood and our Black and Latino Achievers students.

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Science Crew The SUNY Poly Children’s Museum of Science and Technology

Science Crew is a multi-week STEM based after school program that is being piloted for children in our afterschool program at

the YMCA. Students in grades 2-5 will be introduced to a variety of science, technology, engineering and math concepts in this hour-long, weekly program. Science Crew provides an opportunity for children to be immersed in hands-on inquiry

based learning over the course of 15 weeks.

Topics that the Science Crew program includes are:

Countertop Chemistry

Magnetism & Electricity

Simple Machines

We are very excited to collaborate with the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology in bringing STEM Activities to our

afterschool programs!

Childcare Department: provided by Kim Dandino

Parents Night Out

Moms and Dads, do you need some

time to go to dinner, shopping, the

movies, or just time to relax for a few

hours? Take advantage of our

Kids/Parents Night Out program

options. Kids love their time at the Y,

in our safe, fun setting, playing

games, telling stories, watching

movies, making crafts, and enjoying a

snack while supervised by our Child

Watch Staff. Your child will love this

fun home away from home! Please

register at our front desk.

Reservations are recommended.

All ages are welcome!

Schedule: Fridays 5:30pm-8:00pm

Cost: Members $12

Community Rate $16

Drop and Shop

Need time to yourself, for grocery shopping, a hair cut, or a doctor’s

appointment? We can help with our Drop and Shop baby-sitting service. We’ll watch your children, giving you stress-free time while your children

enjoy time with friends playing games, making crafts, and more.

Ages: 6 weeks + up

Cost: Members Only

$7 per child per hour (Up to 2.5 hours)

Schedule:

Mon-Fri. • 8:30AM-1:30PM

Mon-Thurs •3:45-8:45PM

Saturdays • 8:45AM-3:00PM

Sundays • 8:45AM-3:00PM

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New Property Improvements

Locker Room Improvements

We heard from members that our shower values in the locker

rooms have been leaking and are hard to turn off. Our Maintenance

Technician has been building the parts needed for this repair prior

to entering the locker rooms to ensure the locker rooms are closed

as little as possible.

We now have two shower valves to finish in Men’s locker room and

5 in ladies locker room. As we continue to repair the remaining

shower valves notice will be posted well in advance when ladies

locker room will be closed.

Notice has been posted on our sandwich boards as you enter the

facility. Please keep an eye on the sandwich board as future dates

will be set for the remaining valves in the Women’s Locker Room .

Thank you for your patience

Track Closure

WE’RE SPRUCING UP THE TRACK

Stay tuned for a fresh clean look on our track walls. TRACK WALLS WILL BE PAINTED

The Southern Saratoga YMCA is continuing its brand revitalization in the track area. Please

stay tuned for a fresh look in this area. We will be converting our walls to match our brand

revitalization.

Track Closed March 14-16th

Property Department: provided by Guy Beattie

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WELLNESS DEPARTMENT

SSY SPRING HAS SPRUNG DISTANCE

FESTIVAL!!!

Sunday, May 1st

8:00 am: 22nd Annual Anyone Can Tri Outdoor Triathlon:

$45

8:30 am: 10 Mile/5K Run and 3K Walk $35/$25/$15

11:00 am: Kids Outdoor Triathlon $20

Register On-Line at

www.zippyreg.com

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Please contact Aaron Ditch at aditch@cdymca.org to help volun-

Please help Welcome Lisa Rivet as our new Wellness Coordinator!

Lisa Rivet comes to us from the Troy branch. Lisa has 17 years of experience and teaches many formats, in-cluding Pilates Mat, Step, Spinning, Pedaling for Parkinson’s, and other strength based classes. Lisa will be here full-time as of Monday, March 8th.

Wellness Director Update

Gina Laviolette, our past Wellness Directors, last day with us was Friday, February 26th. We are currently looking for a new Wellness Director and hope to have someone hired by April 1st. We wish Gina the best in her future endeavors, she will be greatly missed here at the branch!

2016 Indoor Triathlon

Please see below for a photo of the participants and volunteers of

our 2016 Indoor Triathlon. Thank you to all participants, we hope

you enjoyed yourselves. A special thank you to our volunteers who

helped make the event a successful one.

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Will You Sew For A Cause? February is Heart Month and all around the Y, we are raising awareness of heart related diseases and some habits to stay healthy. Back by popular demand, we are excited to announce another way to give back to our community through the Hug A Heart program. What is Hug A Heart? Hug A Heart is a program where you can volunteer to sew a heart-shaped pillow that will be donated to cardiac patients at local hospitals. These heart-shaped pillows are used to help ease pain and aide in post-surgery recovery.

Completed pillows can be dropped off at all Capital District YMCA locations by March 31. Thank you for taking the time to help us strengthen our community.

DIRECTIONS TO SEW THE HEART PILLOW

1. Use fabrics that are comforting to the touch – fleece, microfibers, flannels, 100% cottons or velvets. It should

be washable at 40° C. Fabrics do not have to be the same. Play with some fun and cheerful combinations

that are soft, feminine designs for women, or special designs for men.

2. You will need two pieces of fabric about 16 x 20 inches (40 x 50 cm). Pin or trace the heart pattern on the fab-

ric and cut. There is already a ½ inch (1.5 cm) seam allowance in the pattern.

3. Place fabric right sides together and stitch all sides with the ½ inch (1.5 cm) seam allowance, leaving a 4 inch

(10 cm) opening to turn.

4. Clip excess fabric at corners and notch inside and outside curves.

5. Turn pillow right side out.

6. Press lightly, then stuff with fibrefill (about 170 grams).

7. Stitch fabric opening closed by hand or machine.

8. Place in a plastic bag, close with a pretty ribbon/card.

9. Bring the completed pillow to your closest YMCA so we can deliver to Ellis Medicine.

See the front desk for a template.

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Saturday Night Live!

Join us select Saturday Nights

through out the school year with

your friends for a night of fun!

Every night there is a different

theme.

Basketball, sports, games, bouncy bounce, movies, pizza, concession,

and more!!!!!

Grades: 5th– 8th

Time: 7-10pm

Begins: September 26th!

Cost: $5 for members

$7 for non-members

For more information please contact:

mscidmore@cdymca.org (518)371-2139 ext. 5555

Program Department: provided by Mike Scidmore

Sports Camp Is Back!

The February Ultimate Sports camp will be back! We will learn how to play soccer, basketball, football, floor hockey, lacrosse and more!

Camp Runs February 16th - 19th. Be sure to get a spot today!

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

It was a fun Friday at SSY with our President’s Week Bounce Night. At least 50 families came through the doors to bounce those mid-winter blues away! In addition to bouncing and dancing, children were able to

compete in scooter relays! A BIG thank you to Program and Prop-erty staff for helping to set up and over-see safe use of the bounce houses.

Things to Remember!

When entering the gyms this winter season please

be sure to have a change of shoes and or make

sure the soles of your shoes are completely dry

and do not have any salt debris on them before

entering the gyms. Thank You.

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Please join KidzLodge as we congratulate Emma

Petrus on receiving the Cause Driven Leader

award for the month of February.

Emma has been employed at Kidzlodge since

December of 2014 as an Assistant Teacher in

Porcupines, one of our K-Care classrooms. Emma

is the type of person that parents feel at ease

leaving their children with and administrators feel

lucky to say are on their team; she is constantly

upbeat, patient, professional, and mature. Addi-

tionally, kindergartners need a lot of warmth and

understanding and Emma provides them with that

day in and day out. As the Lead Teacher in Em-

ma’s classroom stated, “Emma enjoys working

with all children and giving them her full atten-

tion. She does projects and gets the children to

use their creativity. She also loves playing/

interacting with them in the Adventure Center.”

At the same time, Emma’s positive influence has

extended to other classrooms at Kidzlodge and

that can be contributed to her consistent willing-

ness to be a team player. For example, she is

always willing to help out no matter which age

group she is being asked to work with. Not only

that, but she does so with a smile and a positive

attitude.

Emma’s commitment to KidzLodge is highlighted

in everything that she does and we are happy to

have the chance to spotlight her this month.

Thank you, Emma!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 2016

Watch for the announcement regarding Kinder Care Registration

March 2—Dance Lessons with Miss Eve will resume

March 9, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. — Family Fitness Fun Night at Kidzlodge

March 19- Easter Egg Hunt at Kidzlodge

March 26, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. — Family Fun Swim

March 27—Easter Sunday — Southern Saratoga YMCA is closed

April 2016

April 30– Healthy Kids Day

May 2016

May 3—Teacher Appreciation Day

May 6 —Mother’s Day Breakfast at Kidzlodge

NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY—FEBRUARY 5, 2016

In support of women fighting heart disease, the staff and children wore red.

CHINESE NEW YEAR PHOTOS

One of our Raccoon

children’s parents read a

story to the class and

helped them make fish

with Chinese paper.

Kidzlodge Early Learning Center: provided by Libby Volkmann

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Aquatics Department: provided by Molly Moran

Barracudas

The Barracudas season is coming to an end.

Right now we are preparing for Leagues,

States and our Jessica Salmon even made it

to Nationals in Greensboro North Carolina!

Wish our Barracudas the best of luck!

Spring League:

Try Outs will be April 11th-15th

League begins 4/18 and runs through 6/10.

Contact Dan Carter regarding Try Outs-

Dcarter@cdymca.org

518-371-2139 x 5531

Water Polo

We are pleased that we

are going to be offering a

water polo club at the

Southern Saratoga YMCA.

There will be an free informational day at

5:45p on Saturday March 26th. After that

water polo will be on Saturdays at 5:45,

the cost is $35 for 7 Saturday evenings

beginning April 2nd. Please reach out to

Molly Moran with any questions at

518371-2139 x 5530.

March Family Fun Night

Please join us for some Aquatic Easter Fun on

Saturday March 26th from 3p-5p.

Open Swim

Scorch will be inflated from 3p-4p.

Underwater Easter Egg Hunt from 4p-5p.

Please bring family and friends and come join

us for some fun!

Pool Rules:

A friendly reminder of the pool rules

The pool is open only when a lifeguard is on duty.

A soap shower is required before entering the water.

Swimsuits are required—please do not wear cut-offs or street clothes.

Please do not enter the water if you have any communicable diseases, rash-es, or open sores; please do not wear bandages in the water.

Urination, discharge of fecal matter, spitting, and nose blowing are all pro-hibited.

Please do not bring glass, food, or gum into the pool area—plastic water bottles are okay.

An adult must actively supervise children under the age of 12.

Children who are not yet potty trained must wear swim diapers or tight-fitting plastic pants over their diapers.

An adult in the water must accompany children who do not swim on their own, and/or who are wearing floatation devices. No Aqua Joggers are allowed in open Swim.

A swim test may be required to determine if a participant may swim in the deep end.

Please walk slowly on the deck at all times.

Dive in the deep end only.

Perform forward jumps and dives only--no flips or twists.

No wrestling, dunking, or sitting on other people's shoulders.

Please stay off of the ropes and lane lines.

Kickboards are for use during swim lessons and lap swim only; barbells and mats are for use during swim lessons and adult fitness classes only.

Lap lanes are for continuous lap swimmers or joggers only.

Pool set up may change depending on the number of swimmers present, and the types of activities going on at the time.

When you hear 3 short whistle blast, please exit the pool immediately.

Please cooperate with the lifeguards--they are here to help ensure that your swim is a safe one, and they have the

authority to make decisions regarding abuse of the rules or unsafe conditions.