Y Stories

“I am a senior on a fixed income and thanks to the Reach Out Campaign, I am an active member at the YMCA. My doctor recently commented on how my physical condition had improved. He told me I was in the best condition he had seen me in and my strength and mobility had increased. He said, 'Whatever you are doing at the YMCA, keep doing it.'”

“Six months ago, we awarded a family membership to a mom and her two children thanks to the Reach Out Campaign. They come in twice a week to swim, play in the gym and eat dinner in our conference room. As shelter residents, our Y enables this mom to give her kids stability, dignity and quality family time, just like every other family here.”

Yola, a single mother of four children, knew she needed to make a change in her life after being laid off from her job of 20 years at a nursing home. She discovered that her lack of technology and office skills made finding a higher-paying job difficult in a very competitive job market. 

After graduating from YMCA Training, Inc’s 20-week intensive hands-on program, Yola wrote, “I now know Microsoft Word, Excel, I love PowerPoint and Publisher and other various skills that I have learned that will make me successful in the work place.” Yola is now employed as a Clerk for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"Shortly after joining the YMCA my daughter was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and spent a good part of that year in hospitals and rehab. When this former healthy young woman was discharged in a wheelchair, we were just so overwhelmed. The Y became an integral part of her determination to get back on her feet. The Y is the only pool in our vicinity to have a handicapped access pool. We came on a daily basis and she worked very hard on her physical therapy program. I cannot say enough how much it meant after months of her hard work when she graduated to a walker. On that day, your staff gave her a standing ovation! The Y became part of our family... THANK YOU!”

“The Hyde Park YMCA is the best thing since sliced bread! I come to swim lessons with my 20-month old grandson because I want him to be safe around water and to grow up healthy. I also love that he can play with other kids in ChildWatch while I’m taking classes like Water Aerobics.”

“Everything at the Hyde Park Y is great: the pool, exercise rooms, and the Get Started program--someone’s right there to show you and to get you started. Working out with our trainer has been invigorating. We’re pushed to do things we wouldn’t normally do. My kids love their swim lessons, too!   -Sonia G.

“I love the variety of classes here. My daughter has taken a Babysitting Class, and Water Aerobics and TRX have been a lot of fun for me. Sonia and I workout together and help keep eachother on track.   -Kim F.

"I come to the Hyde Park YMCA to keep healthy, and I enjoy coming because of the people. My personal trainer also makes it easy to want to come, and we train twice a week. I advise everybody sitting at home to start exercising; people underestimate the benefits of exercise on their health, especially as they get older. Despite my age, I’m not on any medication and am in great health."

My name is Dorothie Jacques and my son Jayden Jacques has been attending the Hyde Park YMCA for about 4 years now for both after school and summer camp.  Last summer, Jayden was given the opportunity to attend overnight camp at Camp North Woods for two weeks and I have to say it was the greatest experience ever.

Liz has been a member/employee since she was a teenager. Always very overweight – she never seemed to be self-conscious about it or interested in working out. Now as a health professional (nursing assistant) and PT employee, she is working hard to improve her health. She is eating better, making fewer trips to Dunkin Donuts, and working out. You can find her in the Water Exercise class or the group cycling studio most days of the week. She has lost over 40 pounds and is getting healthier every day.