North Valley Family YMCA
It’sTime...
...to Grow!
North Valley Family YMCA
Your North Valley Family YMCA’s $8-million Expansion Program will help us...build a healthy life for every child, adult and family. We want them to join the team, get into the class, sleep under the stars.
The North Valley Famiy YMCA—Helping Since 1945 The Problems
The Solution
> Children and youths left alone between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are at risk—crime, personal safety, dangerous behavior and neglect of school homework.
As the largest, nonprofit social service organization in the San Fernando Valley, we are dedicated to improving the lives of children, adults and families. We know the urgent needs our community faces— unhealthy diets and lack of exercise, families with time and money stresses, seniors living alone, and children without pre-school and after-school programs.
> Nearly two thirds of U.S. adults and one of every three children by age 10 are overweight or obese.
Our purpose of our North Valley Family YMCA is to meet community needs and help build active, healthy children, adults and families.
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> “Senior isolation”—limited social ties and support—is increasing as baby-boomers reach retirement age and is linked to higher risks of dementia and physical injury at home. > Children—ages 2 to 9 years old— in families with single or dual working parents see their parents for less than three waking hours a day. > Overweight and obesity are linked with heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems and depression.
We are proud of the solutions we have created, such as: > Licensed before- and after-school child care at 14 elementary schools > Infant and pre-school programs for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age > Physical education programs at 39 elementary schools > Exercise and health & nutrition programs at the YMCA > Parent-child programs: Papoose, Y-Guides & Princesses, Trailblazers, Baby & Me, Parent-Tot Swim > Family Fun Nights > Youth sport leagues & camping programs Now, the fast growth of our North San Fernando Valley community is outpacing our ability to serve. We need to grow . . . to make room for more classes, more families, more adults, more kids and more fun!
North Valley Family YMCA
Our North Valley Family YMCA Numbers!
Did You Know?
120 350 620 650 1,270 1,700 12,000 25,000
120 children attend our Infant and Pre-school Child Care Center every weekday.
350 families receive financial assistance every month. 620 children participate in before- and after-school child care and enrichment programs every week. 650 parents and children take part in parent-child programs every year.
1,270 children attend YMCA camp every summer. 1,700 girls and boys play youth basketball, volleyball and indoor soccer every year. 12,000 members of all ages participate in swimming and fitness classes every month. 25,000 kids a day build strong bodies in the YMCA’s physical education programs on the campuses of 39 elementary schools.
Now it's time for the North Valley Family YMCA to do even more.
Now It’s Time to Grow!
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We need your help to continue to meet these pressing needs and expand our capacity to provide for the San Fernando Valley.
North Valley Family YMCA
North Valley YMCA offers kids a safe place to have “The fun, build character, and find positive role models.” Michel R Moore Deputy Chief Commanding Officer LAPD Operations Valley Bureau
Our Obstacles to Meeting Needs Community Growth At more than half a million residents, including nearly 135,000 children under the age of 18, the North Valley continues to grow rapidly. With an ethnically diverse population, it encompasses Arleta, Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, North Hills, Northridge, Pacoima, Porter Ranch, San Fernando and Sylmar. Since 1945, the North Valley Family YMCA has changed the lives of youth, families and individuals within this community. We moved previously to meet growing needs. In 1999, the North Valley Family YMCA relocated from Mission Hills to Northridge, on land generously donated by the Porter Ranch Development Co. Our 34,000-sq.-ft. facility provides aquatics, fitness classes, community meetings, parent-child programs, art and drama to 12,000 members per year. Plus, our offsite community programs serve 28,000, bringing our total population served to more than 40,000.
Overcrowded Facility We serve one in ten residents now, but every program we offer is filled to capacity. Our space is cramped and strained beyond our ability to meet the increasing and future demand. Many fitness and aquatic programs have ongoing waiting lists. Children and youth must wait before they can participate. Staff members lack desks and working space. Members must wait to use treadmills, recumbent bikes and cross trainers and we lack the space to add more equipment. We can’t keep up in our present building. We must grow in order to meet the needs of people of all ages in our community. And we must turn to you for help in accomplishing this important task. >5
dream is that, over the course of their “Our lives, every resident will benefit from the North Valley Family YMCA.” Many people know the North Valley Family YMCA through our main facility in Porter Ranch. Before it opened in 1999, our home was much smaller and we could not adequately serve our membership. Through the generosity of many, we were able to relocate, expand our programs and meet our community’s needs. Today, those needs are growing again. The epidemic of childhood obesity, shortage of after-school programs, stress on our families, the worsening health crisis throughout our community, and the unique needs of our older adults all require immediate attention. This is what our YMCA is all about. But, our programs are oversubscribed and have long waiting lists. We are bursting at the seams from pool to parking lot. People who need our help are turned away. We can’t let these needs go unmet! Our dream of growing can become a reality with the expansion campaign and I’m excited about it! By adding another pool and more parking at the YMCA, we can provide for 50% more members to enjoy a lifetime of wellness. Our dream is that, over the course of their lives, every resident will benefit from the North Valley Family YMCA.
Jane Stanton Executive Director/Vice President North Valley Family YMCA
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No child should outgrow a chance for fun while sitting on a waiting list for an over-crowded program.
North Valley Family YMCA
The Six Pillars of Character— Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship—are at the heart of the YMCA’s philosophy of nourishing the whole person. These values are embedded in all YMCA programs.
Our Expansion Plan
Benefits of Expansion
In response to these critical needs, the North Valley Family YMCA seeks to maximize use of its existing site by adding:
Several major goals will be met by this expansion, including:
> A new, three-story, 11,000-square-foot Youth & Family Fitness Center > A second indoor warm water exercise pool > 78 additional parking spaces for a total of 256 vehicles > Pedestrian trial into Limekiln Canyon Park The Youth and Family Fitness Center will provide the latest cardiovascular and strength-training equipment, two youth activity rooms, a performing arts room, two new multi-purpose areas for youth and adult exercise and spinning classes, a large new Child Watch and outdoor play area, and administrative offices. Two family changing rooms will be added to the parent and child locker rooms. The 25-foot by 45-foot indoor, warm water exercise pool will allow an additional 1,600 youth and adults to participate in swim lessons and special classes for seniors and adults with special needs each month.
> Doubling the capacity of current programs > Better serving existing members > Responding to community needs with new programs While it is vital to our future to meet demand and provide high-quality programs in modern facilities, an expanded membership also increases our ability to provide financial assistance and outreach programs throughout the North San Fernando Valley, especially in underserved areas. Nearly 25% of the North Valley Family YMCA members consist of lower-income families. These families rely on the YMCA to provide programs that contribute to the safety and wellbeing of their children, engaging them in healthy and fun activities during critical after-school hours. Last year, the North Valley Family YMCA provided $740,000 in member services and financial assistance to disadvantaged children and their families, a number that will grow with our expansion.
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No one should suffer poor health while knocking on our door for a chance to enroll.
North Valley Family YMCA
I joined the North Valley Family YMCA, I was a “When single mom with two small boys in need of a safety net.” When I needed two hours to write an assignment or grade papers, there was Jody and Child Watch. When the boys wanted to swim, there was Terry and his amazing aquatics staff. When they wanted to join a basketball team there was Coach Mike, and financial assistance so they could join the Junior Lakers. When I needed to blow off some steam, there was an adult kickboxing class. Thanks to the North Valley Family YMCA, we are no longer dangling over our safety net. Jana Johnson Mother of Sam and Max North Valley Family YMCA Member
Holy Cross is proud to be a long time “Providence supporter of the North Valley YMCA. The North Valley YMCA is a key community asset, providing high quality health and fitness services to families, the parents, and children in the North Valley.” Kerry Carmody Administrator Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
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North Valley Family YMCA helps children “The develop the habits and skills to make exercise and healthful eating a lifelong joy.” It is a very, very good partnership for the North Valley family YMCA to be part of the Knollwood Elementary School community. Not only has the YMCA program given all the boys and girls at least one hour a week of solid, well-balanced physical activities, which are grade-level appropriate and standards-based, but the kids gravitate toward the coaches. They are positive role models for our kids, and even when they aren’t here, I see their impact on our kids on the playground after school trying to play the same games with each other that they play with the coaches. It’s vital to help the YMCA involve more children—schools alone cannot provide the solution to the childhood obesity crisis. Barbara Cohen Principal Knollwood Elementary School
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The lives of our families can’t be put on hold. Our community needs an expanded North Valley Family YMCA now!
Expand Now! Children are growing up. Families cannot wait. Currently, almost 100 children per month are on a waiting list for youth programs. This means that families who need and want our services are turned away. A recent market study showed that almost 3,500 additional households in our service area had a great deal of interest in joining the North Valley Family YMCA. As our community grows, there will be even more people who need the YMCA.
6,000 More Members By expanding our facility, we can add 6,000 new members and double the number of classes offered. This means more working families will have child care, more children will receive financial assistance, and more teenagers will be able to enroll in team sports. We will also be able to expand into underserved communities, rehabilitate more aching muscles and bones, and help more families live active, healthy lives together.
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It’s Time to Grow! Indoor, Warm Water Exercise Pool
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Expanded Fitness Area and Child Watch Center
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Expansion > Details
North Valley Family YMCA is committed to strengthening families and our comunity to make life better for all.
Warm Water Exercise Pool
Expanded Fitness Area
> A new indoor, 25-foot by 45-foot warm water exercise pool will complete the two-pool Aquatics Center.
> The building expansion provides space for additional free weights, strength training and cardiovascular equipment housed in a new 3,000-square-foot exercise and fitness area adjacent to the new Child Watch Center.
> Kept at a warmer temperature than our main, six-lane indoor pool, this pool is designed for swimming lessons and fitness for older, active adults and other individuals with special needs. > This new pool will allow for an additional 1,600 adults and children per month to participate in a variety of swim programs, including Arthritic Aquafit, Parkinson’s water exercises, swim lessons, lap swimming, and family recreation.
Family Changing Area > Additions and renovations to our changing area will allow families to avoid the awkwardness of having children in adult, single-sex dressing rooms. Instead, comfortable private rooms will provide space for families to shower and change after using the pool.
Child Watch Center > Child Watch is an essential support to parents working out in our facility, providing individualized activities for pre-school children in a safe, supervised environment. Demand for this program dictates a need for more space. The expanded facility will provide a new, 1,700-square-foot Child Watch Center, allowing us to triple the number of children served daily. We will also be adding a new, 5,000-square-foot outdoor play area to the Child Watch Center.
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Multi-Purpose Rooms > Children’s dance and performing arts programs, as well as group exercise programs, meetings, and classes will be held in a suite of multi-purpose activity rooms ranging from 700 to 3,000 sq. ft.
Increased Parking > Lack of parking can discourage prospective members and frustrate existing ones. A 40% increase in parking will provide us with enough space to meet the needs of our busy YMCA.
North Valley Family YMCA
Floor Plan
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Our expansion plan will provide a warm water pool for older active adults and swim lessons for young children. > 18
North Valley Family YMCA
The door is open. The YMCA welcomes everyone, regardless of age, race, faith or income. No one is turned away, even if they are unable to pay. Including everyone is at the heart of our mission.
We Are Prepared to Seek Assistance Designed by the Luckman Partnership, the architects of our current building, the $8 million expansion will fit seamlessly into the design of our existing facility. The addition will be environmentally sensitive, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Established by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for designing, constructing and operating high performance green buildings through sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.
How You Can Help Donors at all contribution levels are sought, with naming opportunities for those who desire recognition for their generous contributions. A prominent donor wall will also be placed in the new Youth and Fitness Center to recognize gifts at varying levels. An extensive program of giving has also been developed to include planned gifts, bequests and life-income gifts as part of the YMCA's planned giving and endowment program.
We are excited about the planned growth and are prepared to make it happen. Our YMCA board members are 100% committed toward this effort, having pledged more than $1 million. They will be joined by 300 additional YMCA volunteers to raise the total $8 million needed.
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“I truly look forward to camp every year.� Young people need more than a place to socialize. At the YMCA, they have more than a token say over what they do, how they do it, and why. They can test out their independence. They learn to be active members of a democracy. I have been with the YMCA since kindergarten and I'm now in the 11th grade. My time at camp was very exciting and memorable. It is always a learning experience for me. I truly look forward to camp every year. I always meet new people and I get to see my friends from the previous year. Camp has taught me to deal with people that I don't easily get along with, to look for the good in others. I have learned to be a leader and stand on my own and do what's right. I want to be a Camp Counselor when I'm older to help other children enjoy camp and become good leaders in the community. I have plans to work with the YMCA through college and when I get married my children will go away to camp. Ashley Hawkins 17 years old, Camping Program member North Valley Family YMCA
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The North Valley Family YMCA looks forward to expanding our facility and programs.
“Young people involved in the YMCA grow into leaders
in communities, families, businesses, schools, churches, government—in almost every aspect of our lives.” I first got involved in the north valley family YMCA 28 years ago because our young people needed a safe place to go with positive programs and guidance. Older adults needed a place where they could find social, recreational and physical activities in our community. Today the YMCA fulfills a much needed role in the Valley, keeping kids out of gangs and off drugs and giving families a place to grow healthier and closer together.
Greig Smith Los Angeles City Councilman YMCA Expansion Campaign Co-Chair
Our mission The North Valley Family YMCA puts Judeo-Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
North Valley Family YMCA 11336 Corbin Avenue Northridge, California 91326 818.368.3231 www.ymcla.org/nv
Our community needs an expanded North Valley Family YMCA. The lives of our families cannot wait.