Glacial Community Ymca Inc

Youth Development: Our YMCA nurtures the potential of every child through both full and part-time care options designed for the families we serve. Youth build meaningful relationships, lifelong memories, find a sense of accomplishment, and gain experience to discover the best version of themselves. Families and children across our programs learn how to build and enhance lives in our communities as strong kids, healthy families and capable citizens. Our early learning programs focus on holistically nurturing the child's development by providing a safe and healthy place to learn foundational skills, develop healthy, trusting relationships and build self-reliance through our five core values: caring, faith, honesty, respect and responsibility. On-site we offer accredited and licensed Child Care for children ages 6 weeks-6 years of age, Preschool Programs, Children's Movement Programs and Drop-Off Care for over 2,400 children. Off-site we provide a safe and engaging environment for school age children where they can explore nature, discover new talents, try new activities, gain independence, and make lasting friendships and memories for a lifetime. Serving 1,251 children, youth between 4K and 8th grade utilize our 16 state-licensed before and after school locations, 8 4K Wrap Around Care school locations, 3 Summer Day Camps, 6 Summer School Camps and Schools Out day programming. Our talented and intentionally trained staff are role models and professionals who serve with a caring heart. Staff complete value-focused activities with all youth while our inclusive care settings are centered on best practices for care and education for all.

Social Responsibility: Engaging our youth, teens, and families is our full-time job. We provide a friendly environment with structure and willing mentors, who lead and teach a variety of activities, helping to form relationships, encourage communication and promote an enriched, healthy life. Special Programs The Special Programs department of the Glacial Community YMCA provides programming for individuals with intellectual, developmental, physical, and social/emotional disabilities in the areas of recreation, physical activity and sports, socialization and community integration. Special Programs served 151 individuals with disabilities in programs at both the Pabst and Watertown locations in 2024. Service without Boundaries is a day program for adults with disabilities. The group is dedicated to doing service projects for community organizations and for the YMCA. The Service without Boundaries program has built relationships with the Oconomowoc Food Pantry, Zachariah's Acres, the Oconomowoc Public Library, Blue Butterfly Thrift Stores in Watertown and Oconomowoc, Shorehaven Life Fitness Center, Ablelight Thrift Store, Rainbow Community Care, and the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation. The group volunteers regularly for these community partners. Activities of daily living, social skills, physical activity, and a variety of learning opportunities are also a part of Service without Boundaries. This program meets a great need within the community that families had been asking for. They were looking for a place that could care for their adults with disabilities during the day that would be safe, fun, and would give them something meaningful to do. This program provides all of that and more. This program is running 4 days per week at our Pabst Farms location and 3 days per week at our Watertown location. There are 55 individuals who are part of the Service without Boundaries programming. Social Programs - Social programming offers respite opportunities for families while encouraging independence, social connections, and community integration for individuals with varying abilities. Participants partake in monthly events in the YMCA as well as summer programming opportunities. We provided monthly opportunities for socialization through Dinner and a Movie and Fun Friday. Summer programming offered a weekly hiking adventure day, and weekly day trips to a variety of locations throughout our state. We also offered a variety of outings throughout the year to various sporting activities, water parks, and theater opportunities. 93 individuals participated in social programs across both branches. Adaptive sports programs, adaptive fitness programs, and adaptive aquatics provide participants with varying abilities an opportunity to develop their fitness and sports skills while focusing on teamwork and sportsmanship. Adaptive Sports teams provided at the YMCA include softball, cornhole, swimming, basketball, bowling, track and field, volleyball and bocce ball. For those who aren't interested in competitive sports or who are looking for additional opportunities to work on fitness, both branches of our YMCA provide a weekly fitness program designed for individuals with disabilities. Adaptive aquatics programming provides 1:1 swim lessons for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as individuals with physical disabilities and Swim Team opportunities for those who have moved beyond swim lessons. The lessons focus on swimmers of all levels from those who are just being introduced to water to those who are working to learn stroke development and increase endurance to participate in a swim team. Adaptive aquatics is an extremely important program helping individuals with disabilities to increase their water safety as well as partake in a fitness activity that they can utilize throughout their lifetime. 151 individuals participated in Adaptive Sports and Fitness programming. Forever Well What was previously referred to as Active Older Adult programming, is now proudly designated as Forever Well. Forever Well programs are aimed at engaging empty nesters, retirees, and older adults, with a focus on maintaining wellness throughout the spectrum of life. Forever Well workshops, classes and events will keep members forever belonging, forever learning, and forever moving. We offer both land-based and water-based exercise programs that enhance the lives of our middle aged and better adults by increasing mobility and keeping them active. The wildly popular E-Gym serves 1193 members, most of whom belong to the Forever Well demographic. Not only do we offer programs for physical conditioning, but we also include a wide variety of social opportunities to keep them engaged spiritually and mentally. We offer bimonthly bingo, a container gardening class, holiday gatherings, and a place to play the very popular game of Pickleball. Additionally, we have provided the Forever Well population with opportunities to chat with a police detective and the mayor, learn sign language, participate in a writing class with a university level instructor and counselor, and also learn about Medicare and Advance Directives from professionals in these fields. The national support group for cardiac patients, Mended Hearts, has partnered with our Y to provide information and encouragement after a cardiac incident. We also partner with the Oconomowoc Area Senior Center to offer both local travel opportunities, as well as extended tours that take them to destinations around the U.S. We had 787 Oconomowoc Area senior adults participate in these travel opportunities. In addition to these programs, you will find our seniors gathering in our cafe lobby, our whirlpool, the indoor track, and other areas of our facility for coffee, a snack, or a walk, connecting with others in conversation and laughter. Excluding senior fitness programs and classes, we accepted 389 registrations from 247 senior individuals in 2024 by engaging them in social programs. Spiritual Development The Glacial Community YMCA offers membership and community opportunities to strengthen individuals and families in spirit, mind, and body. In the area of spiritual development, we look to accomplish this through opportunities to develop and strengthen faith, service, and care for others. Weekly programs are offered through the Y such as Bible studies for men and women, small group studies on enrichment, times of prayer for staff and members in need, and avenues of service. Leadership development for all full-time staff is an important part of our culture. This is accomplished through quarterly training for staff, partnership with the Global Leadership Summit, and more. We also encourage our members and staff to participate through one or more of our mission trip experiences to our international partners of Esperanza Viva in Mexico or the YMCA of Valparaiso, Chile. To date we have sent two teams to serve our partner YMCA in Chile and we will send our sixth team to love, care and serve the children at Esperanza Viva in Puebla, Mexico this year. Our Y also has commissioned and supports a former staff member as a now full-time missionary at Esperanza Viva. She has served in that role since 2020. We also seek to provide local outreach and service opportunities in the communities in which we are located. This is done through programs like our Thanksgiving meal give-a-way. In 2024 we distributed over 200 meals in our Watertown and Oconomowoc communities to families in need. We have also partnered with area organizations like Feeding America, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, Loaves and Fishes and more to provide service opportunities for both staff and members. The Glacial Community YMCA is fully committed to our mission as a Christian organization by serving, caring, and loving the communities in which we are located.