KOKOMO TRIBUNE
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SATURDAY, SEPT. 29, 2018
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Early education,
disease prevention and
more among
organization’s top
priorities
Whether it’s an individual, a
group or an entire community,
there’s always room for improve-
ment. And the Kokomo Family
YMCA wants to be part of mak-
ing those improvements in the
local community and for the resi-
dents who call it home.
“The YMCA is a small commu-
nity of people with individual
goals that are all working toward
a healthier community,” said
Trish Severns, who is serving as
interim CEO.
The organization is continually
working with families and com-
munity partners to identify and
strategically address the needs in
our community, from kindergar-
ten readiness to chronic disease
prevention and more.
Nurturing youth to become
thriving adults
The YMCA has adopted the
United Way of Howard County’s
75 in 5 initiative, which set a
community-wide goal aimed at
increasing the percentage of chil-
dren who are ready to enter kin-
dergarten in Howard County.
The initiative looks to make
children school-ready by teach-
ing them cognitive, social, emo-
tional and language skills that
are vital for further brain devel-
opment. The United Way created
a kindergarten-readiness check-
list, which includes such skills as
naming colors, holding a crayon
to draw basic shapes, and saying
or singing the alphabet. In all,
the checklist includes 20 neces-
sary skills.
At its Early Learning Center,
an off-site licensed child care
center, the YMCA works with
children and their parents to sys-
tematically check off that list,
Severns said.
“We are actively partnering
with parents to ensure their kids
are prepared and we’ve made
that checklist part of our daily
programs at the learning center,”
Severns said.
Protecting children through
water safety
Two children die every day as a
result of drowning, which is the
second-leading cause of death in
children aged 5-14. Clearly, Sev-
erns said, there’s a need for wa-
ter safety education for children.
“We have found that a lot of
children say or think they can
swim, but in reality they cannot,”
she said. “The same is true for a
lot of adults, too.”
Through its water safety pro-
gram, the YMCA’s goal is to teach
every 5-year-old in Howard
County how to swim. In the six
-week program children learn
how to be safe around water,
how to float, self-rescue skills,
how to execute all the swim
strokes and how to swim longer
distances.
“As they start to learn basic
skill sets, something as simple as
floating on their back, it gives
children this great sense of ac-
complishment,” Severns said,
adding that the program does
more than teach water safety. “It
helps build confidence and gives
children a sense of achievement.”
It’s a free program that works
primarily as a partnership with
local schools and businesses,
Severns said. The YMCA also of-
fers swimming lessons for adults.
Chronic disease prevention
A sure-fire way to have a
healthy community is to stop
disease before it starts. That’s
where the YMCA’s many chronic
disease prevention programs
come into play.
One such program is Rock
Steady, a boxing program geared
toward those with Parkinson’s
Disease. The class helps partici-
pants increase their gross motor
skills, which are targeted by the
disease.
“There’s a great sense of cama-
raderie in the class because
they’re literally fighting back
against the disease together,”
Severns said. “Studies have
found that this program can de-
lay the onset of Parkinson dis-
ease symptoms.”
Another evidence-based pro-
gram in place is LiveStrong,
which helps cancer survivors re-
claim their health and well-be-
ing. It creates a community for
survivors in which they can build
strength and reclaim a sense of
normalcy, she said.
“We build these little commu-
nities inside the larger commu-
nity of the YMCA,” Severns said,
adding there’s also programs for
diabetes prevention and family
togetherness. “And then we work
to be a valuable part of the bigger
community outside our walls.”
As part of that effort, the
YMCA recently launched its Veg-
gie Van program. A partnership
with Walmart and local farmers,
the mobile farmers market offers
fruit and vegetables at a dis-
counted cost in food desert areas
in Howard County. And, Severns
said, it offers more than just ac-
cess to healthy food options; It
also offers food prep demonstra-
tions and education.
Expanding the community
Just like they want to help
members build stronger and
hea l t h i e r l i ve s wi t h i n t he
Kokomo community, the YMCA
wants to help those outside of it
as well. That’s why their reci-
procity program has now gone
nationwide.
The Y’s Nationwide Member-
ship program allows active mem-
bers in good standing to use any
participating Y in the nation, as
much as they would like and to
sign up for programs at the
member rate.
“We have a lot of snowbirds
that really benefit from this pro-
gram,” Severns said. “Not having
to resign their local membership
and find a new facility for three
months out of the year helps
them keep up with their regular
exercise routines. It’s just an-
other way to keep our commu-
nity healthy.”
For more information about
the Kokomo Family YMCA or its
programs, call 765-457-4447, log
onto kokomoymca.org or visit
the facility at 114 N. Union St. in
downtown Kokomo.
YMCA is building community
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