“PUT PLAY IN YOUR DAY” AT MDI YMCA DURING THE Nation’s Largest Health Day for Children
Kids and Families Invited to Celebrate YMCA Healthy Kids® Day Saturday, April 14th
The MDI YMCA will join more than 1,500 YMCAs nationwide in the 16th annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 14 from 9:00am to Noon. This is a totally free, community event. An opportunity for kids and families to “Put Play in Their Day,” this special event uses free, fun, engaging and creative activities to encourage children and families to adopt behaviors that support a healthy and safe lifestyle. YMCA Healthy Kids Day is part of YMCA Activate America, a national initiative designed to help children and adults discover and sustain healthier ways to live.
Unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are associated with an increased risk of a number of chronic health conditions including overweight and obesity. In fact, the percentage of young people who are overweight has tripled over the last 25 years. In 2005, a panel of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that school-age children should participating in moderate to vigorous activity for a minimum of 60 minutes a day. Studies have shown that children who develop healthy exercise and eating habits while they are young are more likely to continue to lead healthy lifestyles through adulthood.
“The need is as strong today as ever before,” said Dan Berry, Executive Director of the MDI YMCA. “Families are under increased stress and struggle to balance work, family and health to find supportive communities. More physical activity through play helps children better manage stress, succeed in school, reduce frustration, build energy and, most of all, learn skills that encourage a lifetime of activity.”
Activities taking place during YMCA Healthy Kids Day will include “Dance, Dance Revolution”, an energetic activity enjoyed by kids of all ages, a bounce house for younger children, and interactive nutritional activities including the “Fishin for Nutrition” game. Bar Harbor’s Police and Fire Departments will also be on hand to demonstrate safety gear and other safe lifestyle techniques. Also making appearances are Buckle Bear and McGruff the Crime Stopping Dog. Entertainment includes the fabulous magician Dr. Wilson. There will be gifts for the children, handouts and free healthy snacks. Registration for summer programs also will take place at the event.
“For more than 150 years, YMCAs have developed initiatives and programs that have helped improve the physical, social, emotional and spiritual health of millions for Americans in diverse communities across the country,” said Dan Berry. “Participation in YMCA health and wellness programs such as Healthy Kids Day provides kids and families a chance to build friendship and community, a sense of well-being and confidence and improved physical, mental and cognitive abilities.”
YMCA Healthy Kids Day is generously sponsored by companies dedicated to improving the health and wellness of American kids and families, including the Disney Channel, Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Tropicana.
For more information about YMCA Healthy Kids Day, call Lisa Tweedie, Health and Wellness Director at the MDI YMCA 288-3511 x113 fitness@mdiymca.org.
About The YMCA: The nation’s 2,617 YMCAs serve more than 20.2 million people each year, including 9.5 million children, uniting men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, YMCAs are a place for people to belong, serving America’s communities for over 150 years by “building healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
The Mount Desert Island YMCA Swimming Pool was renamed the Lenny DeMuro Swimming Pool in March of 2005. Lenny DeMuro is the father of the MDI YMCA Sharks Swim Team. The team was organized in 1971 by Bob Chaplin & Harlow Cameron, at the old Y on Mt. Desert St. (present site of the Abbe Museum). In 1974, Lenny's daughter Debby decided to join the swim team and told her father that the coaches were looking for parents to help with the team. This was the beginning of Lenny's swim coaching career. Lenny moved to Bar Harbor when he was 13 years old in 1958 and has lived here for most of his adult life. He became a Y member through the generosity of the MDI YMCA Scholarship fund and has been involved with the Y ever since.
Lenny played on Y and school teams before he went to Bowdoin College in Brunswick and learned how to swim to earn his college degree. Before Debby got her father to coach swimming, Lenny was already coaching football and basketball on the island. Lenny immediately fell in love with the sport of swimming and learned all he knew about the sport through books, films, and conversation (and if you know Lenny he knows how to make conversation). Lenny's love for swimming arose from the belief that in swimming, each child creates his or her own success in the sport through the commitment of themselves and the support of their teammates, coaches, and families.
From 1974 - 1985, Lenny was the coach of the swim team and in 1977 became the Executive Director of the YMCA. The team enjoyed much success at this time including a USA Swimming Championship and Lenny's High School girls team won the Class B title in 1982. In 1985 Lenny left for a year with his son Tony to live in Palm Beach, Florida but his love of the Sharks and of swimming brought him back to Bar Harbor for the 1986-87 swim season. In the late 80's and early 90's the MDI Y Sharks enjoyed their greatest run of successes including many USA State Championships and another Girls High School Championship.
In March of 1994, the roof collapsed on the on the pool at the old YMCA, during a snowstorm. This could have been the end of the Sharks Swim Team, but Lenny, the tireless leader he has always been, took the team on the MDI Y bus to and from the Downeast Y in Ellsworth for the next two years. In 1995, after a great fundraising effort by Lenny and many others, the new Y was finished and the Sharks had a home on the island again. Lenny continued coaching the Sharks through the 2000-01 swim season, during this period Lenny won the Maine USA Swimming coach of the year award in 1996 and 1998. In 2001, the present Head Coach of the Sharks, Jim Willis, took over the team but Lenny stayed on as a valuable assistant for Jim's first year with the team.
The pool was renamed the Lenny Demuro Pool at the YMCA'S Annual Dinner in March at the Atlantic Oakes to make sure that island community will always remember the father of the MDI Sharks. In May of 2005, Lenny received another honor; he was inducted in to the Maine Swimming Hall of Fame for the many successes of his coaching career with the Sharks at the YMCA.
2006 Josh Sprague Memorial Youth Member of the Year Award
The MDI YMCA’s Youth Member of the Year Award is named after Josh Sprague, who was a member of the MDI YMCA throughout his entire life. He participated in many sports and recreational programs at the Y. Josh tragically died in an automobile accident on March 26, 1999 at the age of 18. He was and still is an example of the type of young leader that the YMCA strives to develop through its various programs. Josh left a legacy through his death by bringing life to many others through the donation of his organs. He was a young man who emulated the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. Dan Berry was honored to have Josh’s father Steve Sprague assist him in presenting this year’s recipient of the Josh Sprague Memorial Youth Member of the Year Award for 2006 at the Annual Meeting on March 30th.This year’s award has been presented to Dylan Tibbetts. Dylan Tibbetts is a wonderful role model for teens and children of all ages. He has been involved in YMCA sports for many years, including the Intramural Basketball League, where he has always demonstrated good sportsmanship, even under the most heated of conditions. Dylan’s help has been invaluable in the youth Sports Department at the YMCA. When we are short handed, Dylan willingly steps up to the plate and helps referee youth basketball games. Over the past couple of years, Dylan has co-coached the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders pre-season basketball sessions. He has also co-coached the third and fourth grade basketball teams for the past couple of years. Recently, as Dylan volunteered to help with the basketball program, he ended up coaching a team all by himself when the YMCA experienced a shortage of adult volunteers. He was a very reliable coach, taking his job very seriously. He helped the kids to learn the fundamentals o of basketball, and most of all he taught the kids the importance of teamwork and having fun. Dylan is an honor student and also a member of the MDI High School Golf Team. The staff at the MDI YMCA unanimously agree that Dylan Tibbets truly is a responsible, caring youth leader in our community and an important member of the MDI YMCA team of volunteers. Congratulations Dylan Tibbets.
2006 Edward B. Mears Volunteer of the Year Award
Over 100 years ago, Edward B. Mears was one of the founding fathers of our YMCA. Edward was instrumental in engaging community members to join the spirit of the national Y movement by volunteering their time and talents to the benefit and success of YMCA services and programs. Today, Edward Mear’s legacy lives on through generous foundation support to the MDI YMCA. At the MDI YMCA’s Annual Meeting on March 30th, the 2006 Edward B. Mears Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Amy Shaw. Amy Shaw has been an involved member of the Board of Directors since 2004. As a key leader on the board, she approaches challenges with a level head and an open mind. She has also put in countless hours on the Program Committee helping to improve the quality of our program offerings, and helping to make sure we are meeting the changing needs of the MDI community. Amy has always brought the voice of reason to her committee work and board involvement. Amy always takes the time to understand the larger picture, and goes to great lengths to help others to understand. Amy has helped map the course of the next five years of the MDIYMCA by serving on the Strategic Planning Committee for the past six months. As a gymnastics volunteer, Amy’s contribution has been invaluable. She dove in and helped YMCA staff during the transition period after the departure of our gymnastics coach. She is a key leader in all fundraising efforts for our Team Gymnastics Program and she has always been willing to take on the role of parent-participant liaison between the Gymnastics Team and the staff at the YMCA. Amy has been a key leader in the transition of the gymnastics program move to Town Hill. She has spent a lot of time talking with parents and the public about why the move is happening, as well as bringing concerns from the parents to the staff at the Y in order to help us to better communicate during this important transitional time. Amy is dedicated to her family, to her career and is also a very involved member of this community. We are fortunate that Amy Shaw can find the time outside of her busy schedule to dedicate many hours of volunteerism toward the success of the MDI YMCA. Congratulations Amy Shaw
2006 Lenny DeMuro Staff Member of the Year Award
Lenny DeMuro has been involved with the MDI YMCA since he was 13 years old. He served as Y swim coach from 1974 – 1985 and in 1977became the Executive Director, serving for 14 years and again in 2004. In December of 2005 the MDI YMCA pool was renamed the Lenny DeMuro Pool in his honor & a scholarship fund was established in his name. Lenny is the embodiment of the spirit and mission of the YMCA . His service to the Y has left a legacy that will not soon be matched. The 2006 Lenny DeMuro Staff Member of the Year Award was presented to Sue Kropff at the March 30th Annual Meeting. Sue Kropff has been working at the MDI YMCA for just over a year now. She is a positive, energetic presence on the Y staff team. Sue is highly dedicated to her job at the YMCA, her family and the MDI community. Sue volunteers at her church, is a Boy Scout leader, vacation bible school teacher and is even the room Mom for her son’s classroom. She does all of this while planning and organizing the YMCA preschool program. Sue embodies the Y core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. She always demonstrates interest and concern with the children and families that she works with by making connections with them so that she may better understand the children on a more personal level. Her genuine straight forwardness has gained her trusting relationships with both families and coworkers alike. Sue often shares with preschooler’s families her own struggles in life and consequently makes parents feel comfortable, respected and really understood and listened to. As well as her community volunteer work, her full time work at the MDI YMCA and caring for her family, Sue is managing to find the time to work on her CDA. Sue loves to bring back what she is learning in class to the preschool program. By doing so, she brings new innovation and energy to her classroom. In just one short year at the YMCA, Sue has been instrumental in growing the preschool program from three students – to its current ‘full’ capacity of sixteen. The MDI YMCA is proud to have Sue Kropff as a member of our staff team. Congratulations Sue Kropff.