| Congratulations Hoopstars!
| |
| For a successful season and tournament victory. See story below for more details!
| |
| Spring Program Registration Begins This Week
| |
| View our Spring inclusion offerings, here. Click here to register today!
| |
| We are looking for feedback about the impact of our programs.
How has inclusion impacted you or a family member? Click here to share your story!
Statements will be used to help spread the word about the benefit and impact that our inclusion initiative is having on our Y community.
| |
| Successful Living Series Wheelchair Modification
Presented by: Faith Savage
Thursday, April 13th at 3:00PM
Quincy YMCA
| |
|
|
Inclusion Awareness Week Featuring a Community Forum
| |
| The South Shore YMCA is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Inclusion Awareness Week occurring April 16th-22nd. Join us for our premiere event on April 19th at our Quincy Branch for a Community Forum when we invite YOU to come listen to motivational speakers and self-advocates Jamey Breen and Jessica Simoes share their stories of determination and overcoming the challenges faced with their disabilities. Click here to learn more, and RSVP to Lisa Drennan at Ldrennan@ssymca.org. Continuing with our education theme, we are proud to be hosting a training facilitated by Kids Included Together® on April 17th, open to Day Camp staff members from local YMCA’s, or other recreational day camp providers. “Creating an Inclusive Day Camp” will explore topics of Behavioral Support Techniques and Fostering Friendships for Children with and without disabilities. For more information, click here. To learn more about Jamey and Jessica or to register for our day camp staff training, click here.
| |
| Day Camp Inclusion supports are available for the traditional camp experience. Partnering with the National Inclusion Project, the South Shore YMCA is proud to offer inclusion supports at our Camp Gordon Clark, Quincy Day Camp and Nature Adventures Camp locations. More information about our Summer Day Camps can be found here. To learn more about inclusion supports available at our Summer Day Camps or to schedule an intake, click here or contact Lisa Drennan, Association Director of Inclusion, at Ldrennan@ssymca.org or 781-264-9400 ext. 3119.
| |
|
Inclusion Class Spotlight - Hopefish Adaptive Swim
| |
| This adaptive aquatics program is ideal for children with Autism or related sensory or social considerations. The focus is on water acclimation and basic swimming skills while promoting peer socialization and cooperative interactions. Offered at our Quincy and Emilson Branches on Saturdays for children 3-9 years old. For more information, view our Quincy Y and Emilson Y flyers.
| |
|
Health Education Highlight: Healthier You!
| |
|
A FREE six-week course that provides tips for nutrition and lifestyle changes to promote better health. For more information on classes at our Quincy Branch, click here.
| |
| SSYMCA Hoopstars Take the Win at End of Season Tournament Congratulations to the South Shore YMCA’s Hoopstars Unified Basketball Team, who took home the win at Tuesday night’s end of season tournament game against the Hockomock Y’s Unified Team! The audience was on the edge of their seats until the last seconds of the game, when Quincy’s own Steve Morreale “Buzzer Beater” tied up the game with 30 seconds left, then intercepted a pass and drove the ball down the court, scoring the winning basket with 5 seconds left in the game! The Hoopstars showed an amazing display of teamwork, team spirit, and positive sportsmanship, representing the South Shore YMCA with pride. A special thanks to the Hoopstars coaches, Leslie, Amanda, Taylor and Michele!
| |
|  | From left to right: Lisa Drennan, Association Director of Inclusion, SSYMCA; National Inclusion Project Co-founders Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel; Emmy Casagrande, Inclusion Coordinator, SSYMCA; and National Inclusion Project Director Aron Hall. |
| SSYMCA Inclusion Team Designs and Delivers Workshop at National Inclusion Project’s Recent Conference The South Shore YMCA’s very own Lisa Drennan and Emmy Casagrande travelled to Raleigh, North Carolina last week to lead a workshop titled “Strategies and Tools for Creating an Inclusive Camp Culture” at National Inclusion Project’s two-day conference, which took place March 29th – 31st. This highly attended workshop provided participants a review of the multifaceted steps to ensure their camps or other social recreational settings provide the most effective strategies used to create an inclusive environment for all children. The workshop also had a special focus on organizational commitment, staff training, implementation, and camp-wide “buy in.” The Y’s Inclusion Team used a variety of learning methods – presentation, peer sharing, demonstrations and hands-on activities – to give all participants a comprehensive toolkit with step-by-step directions to immediately implement into their respective programs, and to feel confident, armed with concrete and simple information, to present to leadership staff and decision makers. “National Inclusion Project’s conference sets the bar for providing cutting edge resources and best practices,” stated Lisa Drennan, Association Director of Inclusion. “It was an honor to present to attendees at this conference and share the successes that we have experienced at the South Shore YMCA.”
| |
| Pep Rally Celebrations Prepare the SSYMCA's Hoopstars for Upcoming Tournament Games After weeks of practice and team building, the Y's Quincy and Emilson Branch Hoopstars Unified Basketball Teams celebrated their accomplishments and prepared for their upcoming end-of-season tournament at a recent Pep Rally Celebration on March 21st at the Y's Emilson Branch. The night welcomed players and their families for a fun evening of dinner and celebrations, and gave teammates a chance to strengthen bonds on the SkyTrail and participate in a scrimmage versus Cardinal Cushing Centers Unified Team.
| |
| SSYMCA Association Director of Inclusion Among Speakers at ‘Diversify Your Workforce’ Event
| |
| There are many benefits of diversifying your workforce by hiring people with disabilities, and at the South Shore Collaborative and partners’ March 17th “Diversify Your Workforce” event, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about them. Among the speakers at the event was the South Shore YMCA’s Association Director of Inclusion, who shared the Y’s overall inclusion initiative and the value of a diversified workforce, Nicole Coppens, VERC Enterprises, Inc., Jonathan DaSilva, CVS Health, Katherine Hesse, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane, LLP, Senator Patrick O’Connor, MA State Senate, and Laura Stout, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. “The event met attendees’ expectations, the format and delivery of the content was effective and the presenters were extremely knowledgeable and engaging,” stated Dave Urban, Employer Liaison/Project Coordinator, South Shore Collaborative on Employment.
| |
| The Quincy Y’s Successful Living Series Provides Community Support and Educational Opportunities At the Y, we strive to provide an inclusive environment where all our members and participants are equally a part of our community, and to ensure our facilities, programs and services meet the needs of everyone who comes through our doors. This January, the Y’s Quincy Branch launched its brand new Successful Living Series, a free seminar series open to the community, designed to improve education and quality of life among people with chronic physical disabilities. On Thursday, March 23rd, the second installment of the series took place, which featured an educational presentation on Job and School Resources led by Boston Center for Independent Living’s Manel DesVallons and Steven Higgins. Don’t miss the next Successful Living Series seminar on Thursday, April 13th at 3:00PM, where the topic of Wheelchair Modification will be explored by Faith Savage from The Boston Home. For more information about the Successful Living Series, contact Sheryl Rosa at srosa@ssymca.org or 617-479-8500 ext. 4762.
| |
|
