YMCA Hosts 'Healthy Kids Day' on Saturday

Activities include cooking classes, Nerf Blasters battles and camping demonstrations.

Marblehead YMCA Staffers Fired After Baby Was Left Alone

A 10-month-old was left alone at the Marblehead Y's day care service — albeit for only two to five minutes. But that was enough for two workers to be fired and prompt a state investigation.

The Marblehead YMCA fired two day care workers who allowed a baby to go unsupervised, according to Patch news partners 7News. The 10-month-old was only alone for between two and five minutes — and was sleeping securely in a stroller. But that was enough to outrage the child's mother and father. "It’s scary," father Andrew Turcotte told 7News. "It was only about an hour and a half that you leave your baby there and there’s more than one staff member there so it felt safe at first and now we can’t take him back there." Societies differ wildly on standards for leaving children alone. For example, in Scandinavia it is the custom to leave babies outside in strollers to nap during winter. It's believed the practice toughens the children, leads …

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Notes From The Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA

Goal Setting for 2012

What are your resolutions for this year? Here are some tips from YMCA Personal Trainer Ryan Healy to help you stay on track!

Having a goal to shoot for is always a good thing as it keeps you motivated and engaged.  Not to mention achieving something you’ve worked really hard for feels great.  Where many people go wrong is in creating the plan, or lack thereof, to help them reach their goals.  As the old saying goes, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” If you wanted to go on a road trip you’d use a map to figure out the best way to get to your destination depending on what you wanted to see.  Goal setting works the same way.  You need a map to get you to your destination quickly and safely.  At the Y we use the acronym S.M.A.R.T to help our clients set their goals and create a map.  Let’s use an example of someone, we’ll call her Jane, that wants to lose body …

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YMCA Appoints New Members to Board of Directors 2011-2014

The Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA is excited to announce the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors.

"We are very pleased that Dana, Lynn and Peter have joined the board," said Lynch/van Otterloo Y Board President Phil Gloudemans. "Each of them brings a particular expertise that will contribute to the effective governance of the organization. We are very appreciative of their commitment to the Y and its future." New members include: Peter Spellios is a resident of Swampscott. He is a Partner and Senior Vice President with The Beal Companies, LLP. As a member of Beal’s Executive Committee, Peter is engaged in the strategic direction of the company, as well as reviewing development and investment opportunities. Peter's activities include project and deal structuring, and lease negotiations. Prior to joining The Beal Companies, Peter was a …

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Notes From The Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA

7 Tips for Surviving the Holidays

Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Personal Trainer Ryan Healy offers some tips to help your waistline get through the New Year!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and although it’s just one day, there will be many parties and treats between now and New Year’s Eve that can cause your waistline to slowly grow. Not to mention breathing down New Year’s neck is Valentine’s Day and then Easter- both of which are associated with fattening goodies and candies. Here are my tips for keeping your waistline in check during the holidays.   Find more posts from Ryan on the Lynch/van Otterloo Health and Wellness blog! You can find out more about our health and wellness programs here - check out some of our classes or workshops to help you through the holidays.

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Notes From The Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA

A Thank You and Farewell to Mary Orne

The local YMCA wants to thank Mary Orne for 30 years of service to the Marblehead community.

Mary Orne has worked at the YMCA for almost 30 years, and in that time has worked in every department. As of next week, Mary Orne will be headed to the South Shore Y, to tackle a new job and help them raise funds for a capital campaign. After 30 years, we want to share some of the fantastic work she has done. Orne has taught many of your children in the Early Learning Center, on Children’s Island and everywhere in between. She helped raise millions of dollars to build the new Y. She has connected our community in countless ways, and never stops trying to bring people together. “I want everyone to know how invaluable Mary Orne was in the eighteen years (1991 to 2009) that it took to build the Lynch/Van Otterloo YMCA, as she worked with Paul…

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Notes From The Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA

YMCA Helping Kids Stay Active After School

When the bell rings at the end of the school day, children and teens need a safe and nurturing place to go when their parents are still at work or away from home.

According to the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness advocacy organization, 15.1 million children nationwide are left unsupervised after 3 p.m., responsible for taking care of themselves. In Massachusetts, 26% (274,176 kids) of K-12 youth are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. As a leading nonprofit committed to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA offers quality afterschool programs that not only help youth learn, grow and thrive, but keep them safe and surrounded by caring adults.    Combining play with academics, the Y’s afterschool programs fill gaps in school and home by offering enrichment through arts, music, physical education, sports and …

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The Magic of the Island

This article features the impact Children's Island has had on one local resident.

Children’s Island has been a part of Carol Newcomb McEnaney’s life since she started working at the Y in Marblehead in 1984. When she started working as a counselor, she immediately fell in love with the magic of the Island. McEnaney began her work within the Y at Small Fry camp. She loved working with children and once other staff saw her talent in interacting with kids at camp, she was recruited to work on the Island as well. “I looked forward to the Island all year, every year,” said McEnaney. “We lived for the summers. It was an incredible place to learn and grow, to meet new challenges, and to be yourself. I made friends on the Island during those years that I still have to this day.” The magic of Children’s Island is something that …

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Local Expert To Teach Parents About Nutrition

Offering tips and tricks to a healthy lifestyle

Lolli Leeson knows a thing or two about nutrition.  A wellness educator, cooking instructor and mom, she also understands how tough it is to get fruits and vegetables into an adult's diet, nevermind a child's.  "Nutrition is a blind spot for parents," Leeson, of Marblehead, said. "I get feedback from parents all across the country looking for tips to get their kids to eat more fruits and veggies." On Friday, Leeson will hold a free health education conversation for parents at the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA from  8:45 to 9:45 a.m. Leeson will give tips and recipes on how to build a nutritious lifestyle with your family. The event is open to the public, sign up at the front desk at the YMCA. "I'll go over how to shop the grocery store," Leeson …

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