SIDNEY — A sizeable investment was made at the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA in equipment, staff development and facilities in 2022 including the repair and re-surfacing of the West and East Parking lot. Additional improvements also included permanent pickleball lines painted for the three courts in the Schauer Gym, recent LED lights were installed in the Schauer Gym, two new Wellness Center HVAC Units were installed and updates to the Child Development Center Kitchen were made with new tile floor and paint on the walls, more security cameras were added, and four new personal device compatible treadmills where purchased.

Operations Director Jamie Crippin has submitted the following report:

In partnership with the Community Blood Center, five blood drives were held at the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA with a total of 258 individuals donating.

Our Aquatics department continued to offer lifesaving skills to all ages. Thanks to our sponsors, Water Safety Week provided free water safety classes to nearly 200 participants from Shelby County.

Our annual Eggquatics event was expanded this year to include an egg hunt in our gymnastics center. Together 67 participants enjoyed the event.

Together with the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, The Sidney-Shelby County YMCA held a very successful Spring Break Daycamp focused on nature and loving the planet we live on with over 50 girls and boys participating.

In addition to the expansion of our Easter and Spring Break events, our annual floating pumpkin patch saw some expansion. Community organizations gathered in the West gym to provide sensory friendly treats during our free trick or treat event.

On Sunday, Feb. 20, the Y held a Family Fun Event which was free to the community. Over 50 families joined us to experience hands on activities throughout the day with a special focus on a new Ninja Warrior course the Y introduced to its programming in 2022.

The Child Development Center (CDC) continues to see high demand with full capacity and a large wait list. Together with the Shelby County Commissioners and Fairhaven nursing home, The Y was able to open a childcare center at Fair Haven Nursing home serving children age 5 and under expanding the children we serve by 58.

Also new to the CDC this year, the summer camp program held its first Vacation Bible School for approximately 200 kids. The campers also enjoyed a new focused hands-on STEM program including fun activities such as a “Crime Scene” day.

Our Wellness department launched the new Brain and Body program, helping those fighting dementia, cognitive and memory issues, and balance issues, as well as older adults seeking to maintain their physical and cognitive health. In addition to this program, the Y has developed programs such as chair yoga designed for older adults in our community to encourage continued overall health.

2022 allowed the Y to get back to offering fitness at some offsite facilities such as Airstream and Dorothy Love. These had been closed since the start of the pandemic.

The Y partnered with Fairlawn schools to offer Stem and Robotics camp onsite at the schools over the summer. In addition to the many summer camps held by our gymnastics and youth programs, we again offered Camp YOU, a summer camp for children with developmental disabilities. In total we saw over 400 participants in the summer of 2022.

Our Healthy Kids Day and Shelby County Health Fair made its return debut with a very large attendance after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021.