Dow Bay Area Family Y and Saginaw Y Team Up for Olympic Day

[Bay City, June 18, 2012]– On July 27, the entire world will turn attention to a spectacle that has captivated audiences for centuries. On June 30, all youth in the Great Lakes Bay Region will get a taste of what the Olympics are about. This free event, Olympic Day, will showcase some of the regions past Olympians, and will offer events, games, and prizes for all members of the community.
The Saginaw YMCA and Dow Bay Area Family Y– leading nonprofits that strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility – offer an exciting array of activities and competition, a day that is sure to be an exciting time for the whole family. The event will be at the Saginaw Valley State University Ryder Center, beginning at 9:00am in the morning, and ending at the Ryder Center at 11:00am. Separate activities will be held at each individual location, both Bay City and Saginaw at each YMCA facility, with more games, camps, and all types of adventure and summer fun! Area college athletes will be on location, playing games, giving pointers, and enjoying physical activities with all youth. .
“This will be an exciting event that will capture the extraordinary spirit of the Summer Olympics,” Tammy Brinkman, CEO/Executive Director of the Dow Bay Area Family Y said, “This is an incredible opportunity for all families that live in the Bay Region to talk to and learn from those who are the very best at their individual life passion.”
The Dow Bay Area Family Y is located at 225 Washington Ave. in Bay City. The YMCA of Saginaw is located at 1915 Fordney St. in Saginaw. Each location will be doing a site-specific event from 1:00pm-3:00pm, with games and more activities.
Don’t miss out on a FREE, exciting event that will be enjoyed by all families in the Great Lakes Bay Region!

Breakfast and Lunch Served for Youth 18 and under at the Dow Bay Area Family Y

[Bay City, June 11, 2012]– Beginning on June 11, the Dow Bay Area Family Y will be opening its doors to any youth in the Bay City region who may be in need of a meal, something many of us take for granted. One of seven locations around the Bay City area, breakfast and lunch will be served for free to any child under the age of 18. Those who are 18 and over who participate in a public or nonprofit private school program established for the mentally or physically handicapped are also eligible for assistance. The Dow Bay Area Family Y is the only partner in the Summer Food Service Program to have its facility open throughout the entire summer.

Breakfast will be served from 8:00am to 8:30am, and lunch will be served from 11:30am to 12:30pm. There will be two serving sites at the Y. For younger youth, the food will be served in the Childcare wing next to the South parking lot entrance, and older children’s food will be served in the Family Center, located on the first floor between the North and South parking lot entrances.

The daily breakfast menu will be a combination of a variety of cereals, crackers, fruit, and milk. The daily lunch menu will be a repeating program of pepperoni pizza on Monday, breaded chicken nuggets on Tuesday, breakfast tacos on Wednesday, hamburger on Thursday, and peanut butter or turkey and cheese sandwiches on Friday.

For more information about the Y and its programs, please call 989-895-8596, visit http://www.ymcabaycity.org, or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DowBayAreaFamilyY

Explore Bay City, Become a Superhero, Splash in the Pool

Summertime is a time of adventure and play, allowing us to escape from our everyday lives and enjoy the beautiful weather to the fullest! Children need a safe environment to keep them active this summer, where they’re nurtured and inspired to reach their full potential. Parents need a place where they know their kids will be entertained, as well as supervised and educated in physical activity, teamwork, and life skills, just to name a few.

The Dow Bay Area Family Y– a leading nonprofit that strengthens community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility – offers an exciting array of summer camps that are sure to peak the interest of even the most stubborn couch potato. During this season of activity, the Y is encouraging the community to come view the brand new, state-of-the-art facility and explore all of the options for summer fun! 

Camp Splashapoolooza is one such camp featuring the incredible aquatics area at the Dow Bay Area Family Y.   This camp is filled with splashtacular water activities in and around the water, American Red Cross swim lessons and aquatic themed arts & crafts including tie-dying and window art!  Other camps include Superhero Hype, where each child can become their favorite superhero, or create a superhero of their own! Multiple sports specific camps, including volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and baseball and softball camps, will help hone each camper’s skill and love for the game. 

“We’re thrilled to provide the Bay City community with quality summer camps,” Angie Buda, Childcare Director said, “From Camp Iroquois, our longstanding all-day camp, to our outstanding weeklong specialty camps, there really is something special for kids of all ages!”

Camp Iroquois is available Monday-Friday from 7:00am-6:00pm for ages 6-12.  Specialty camps are available for kids 3 to 16 years of age.

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to SAVE and get into all of your favorite programs early! Receive a $10 discount on all summer camps when you register by Friday, June 8!

Bay City, MI

The Dow Bay Area Family Y is encouraging parents to help keep their kids physically active and mentally engaged by signing them up for the Y’s summer camps. Summer is a critical out-of-school time when children and teens can benefit from enriched learning, new experiences and making new friendships. The Y’s camp offers all of this and more.

“While summer should be a time of exploration, youth are sometimes less involved in activities that engage their mind and body,” says Tammy Brinkman, CEO/Executive Director. “When at camp, kids have the opportunity to take on new responsibilities, gain independence, and develop essential social skills and new relationships. As a result, they become more confident, open to trying new things and grow as individuals and as part of a group.”

The Dow Bay Area Family Y provides exciting camp programming for children and teens, including aquatic camps, health and fitness camps, sports, camps, and childcare camps. To ensure that all youth have the chance to experience camp, the Dow Bay Area Family Y offers financial assistance to those in need.

A leading nonprofit committed to nurturing the potential of youth, the YMCA has been a leader in providing summer camp for more than 125 years. The Dow Bay Area Family Y continues to give youth an enriching, safe experience with caring staff and volunteers who model positive values that help build their kids’ character. According to YMCA camping experts, there are five reasons why children and teens should attend summer camp:

1. ADVENTURE: Summer camp is all about a wide variety of fun adventures and new experiences. YMCA camps have a new adventure for every child and teen.
2. HEALTHY FUN: Camps offer fun, stimulating activities that engage the body and mind, and also help children and teens learn the importance of nutrition to help improve their eating habits.
3. PERSONAL GROWTH: While being away from the routine back home, youth have a chance to learn new skills, and develop confidence and independence by taking on new responsibilities and challenges.
4. NEW FRIENDSHIPS: Amidst the fun of camp games, sports, and swimming, campers meet new friends.
5. MEMORIES: Summer camp is an unforgettable experience that will give each camper memories that will last a lifetime. Youth return to school with plenty of camp stories to share!

For more information about the Dow Bay Area Family Y’s summer camps, visit www.ymcabaycity.org or contact the Membership Service Desk at 989.895.8596.

Lifelong Area Resident, Tammy Brinkman, Selected To Lead the Dow Bay Area Family Y.

Bay City, MI – Scott Carmona, Board President of the Dow Bay Area Family Y is pleased to announce the selection of Tammy Brinkman as the new CEO/Executive Director of the Dow Bay Area Family Y.

“With the completion of the Dow Bay Area Family Y facility and the hiring of our new CEO, we are well positioned to further serve the Community with positive programs and services,” said Carmona. “We are pleased with the balance of experiences that Tammy brings to our YMCA. Her financial background, together with the customer service culture that is such an important part of the Loons organization will be invaluable as we sustain the great work that has begun with our new facility.”

A lifelong Bay City resident, Brinkman, has a successful 15-year track record in non-profit foundations, start-ups, and high-paced organizations. She is a graduate of Saginaw Valley State University where she earned a degree in Business Administration. Brinkman has served as Vice President & Finance Department Head for the Michigan Baseball Foundation (Loons) in Midland. Brinkman has served as a past member of the YMCA’s Board of Directors.

“I am excited to join the YMCA staff team and lead our efforts for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” said Brinkman. “We have a unique opportunity to be a major force in improving the quality of life in our community. I look forward to working with the community along with the dedicated staff and volunteers of the YMCA in a wonderful partnership.”

Brinkman’s appointment concludes a four-month national search process led by volunteers of the Dow Bay Area Family Y with the assistance of the YMCA of the USA. Brinkman begin her work with the Dow Bay Area Family Y on May 1.

The Dow Bay Area Family Y has selected 989 Design of Bay City to complete a redesign and upgrade of their website, ymcabaycity.org. Construction on the new $13.2 million YMCA, located at 225 Washington Avenue, was completed in December, 2011.

“With our new facility now open, we are offering many new programs, classes, and events. It’s very important to enhance our web presence to help get the word out,” says Membership Director John Rooy. “The new site gives us the opportunity to bring the Dow Bay Area Family Y branding more in line with the YMCA’s national brand and, more importantly, it will have much more information available for members and health seekers alike.”

989 Design is a graphic design and marketing studio, with clients including the Great Lakes Loons, Saginaw Spirit and McLaren–Bay Region. The design studio is partnering with Essexville-based web developers MJ Media to complete the new site. 989 Design and MJ Media have partnered together on a number of occasions, most recently to create the new website for last fall’s 6th annual Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival.

“When I first started as a designer, web design didn’t even exist as a career path, so when I do web design, I bring in a programming expert rather than try to be everything to everybody,” says 989 Design owner Shawn MacDonald. “When it comes to programming and development, I wanted to work with MJ Media because they have the cutting-edge web development and programming skills that are needed to make this site a success.”

The new site will offer easier navigation, social media integration, a searchable program catalog, secure online registration options as well as a responsive mobile site to make browsing faster for mobile phone and tablet devices. The new website is scheduled to launch on April 30th.