Saratoga Regional Young Mens Christian Association

Healthy living. The saratoga regional ymca focuses on healthy living by advocating health and well-being from the inside out - the spirit, the mind, the body. The srymca provided people with the supportive relationships and environments they need for their successful pursuit of health and well-being. This is particularly important as our nation struggles with an obesity crisis, families struggle with work/life balance and individuals search for personal fulfillment. We bring families together and offer sport, recreational and social networks that build relationships and strengthen bonds. Our programs are accessible, affordable and open to all faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. Need based financial assistance and srymca community benefit support allow people to overcome barriers to participation. Sry healthy living programs include family nights, group fitness classes, cpr and first aid classes, lifeguard training, obesity programs, pre-natal programs, personal fitness training, adult learn to swim programs, and basketball and tennis leagues. The emphasis of health of spirit, mind and body is embodied in the health and wellness programs of the y. Sry programs stress proper exercise, nutrition, stress management and avoidance of abusive substances and behaviors. The programs are designed to serve people of all ages, with specific programs for children through seniors. Y wellness areas are staffed with knowledgeable and trained individuals who can answer questions and offer support to members who are looking for a program tailored to their needs. Obesity rates in the united states have increased drastically and the center for disease control and prevention has recognized obesity to be common, serious and costly. They estimate that more than one third of us adults (34.9% or 78.6 million) are obese, and that obesity related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers - all of which are some of the leading causes of preventable death. A cdc study produced statistics showing that the estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the us was $147 billion and that the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. The new england journal of medicine has noted that the current generation of americans could be the first to lead shorter lives than their parents. The ymca is uniquely positioned to help combat the obesity crisis in america, and we design our physical programs to introduce people to healthier lifestyles by incorporating better eating habits through our nutrition classes, assisting in developing attainable goals by interactions with our floor staff, utilizing fitness assessment programs, and incorporating group and individual exercise programs. The saratoga regional ymca is targeting this growing crisis and designs programs to shift how we focus our work inside and outside of the ymca to engage health seekers - children, youth, teens, adults, seniors and families whose successful pursuit of health and well-being requires continuously supportive relationships and environments. Inside the y we can influence and motivate health seekers to make positive changes in the pursuit of well-being and outside the y we can help create and sustain healthier communities. Recently, the y has beecome deeply committed to expanding evidence based programming helping people stricken with diabetes, high blood pressure, parkinsons, and cancer.

Social responsibility. Our ymca provides a variety of programs to develop personal educational/vocational/leadership skills, and we partner with other community organizations to identify and respond to community needs. Our ymca partners with the us navy making access to y facilities and programs affordable to enlisted personnel and their families. We also support the ymca movement internationally participating in the ymca of the usa world service campaign and are involved in supporting ymca's in need throughout the world. We promote volunteerism and giving through our annual support campaign, the proceeds of which are used to provide need based financial assistance for y programs and memberships to individuals and families. We support many local organizations by donating ymca memberships for them to use to raise money in their silent auctions. These are all community building efforts that lay the foundation for future generations to thrive. At the saratoga regional ymca, many programs are offered throughout the year to help build strong communities in our service area. Healthy kids day is held annually providing many activities that offer health related information to children and families. Other community days, blood drives, health screenings, health fairs and member appreciation days are held throughout the year to help build a sense of community among members. The saratoga regional ymca participates in many community collaborations including a membership contract with the united states navy, a shared facility with saratoga hospital, a partnership with franklin community center, and space sharing agreements with the saratoga springs city school district, the corinth central school district, and skidmore college. The y's saratoga branch includes building space for the saratoga springs senior center helping the y to become more of an intergenerational center and combatting the issue of social isolation that confronts many older adults.