Jill and Mathew Leising knew they found the right community for their family when they toured the Carls Family YMCA in Milford. They learned from the YMCA that families like living in the Milford area — and that families love their local YMCA.
The Leising family relocated to the Milford area nine years ago and have had a family membership at the YMCA ever since. “We use the YMCA to its fullest,” says Jill Leising. “We work out and use the free Child Watch and all my kids have taken swim lessons at various stages.”
We caught up with Leising and her youngest, 4-year-old Theo, while they were making Theo’s favorite mac n’ cheese lunch, and they shared their favorite things about belonging to the YMCA.
Summer camp tops the list of favorites
YMCA summer day camp is a top YMCA activity Theo and his siblings Brock and MaryLou love. “I honestly can’t say enough good things about summer camp at the Y,” Jill says. “They come home tired and dirty. We only live a 10-minute drive away and all three fall asleep in the car in that short drive.”
MaryLou, 6, enjoys getting to know the counselors, or “Professional Role Models,” and Theo says his favorite part is earning beads for being helpful or nice at camp. “They create a necklace and it’s a nice visual reminder of the times they’ve made a good choice. It’s nice they are recognized for that,” says Jill.
Brock made friends that he recognized in the hallways at school, and now that he’s turning 15, his goal is to become a YMCA camp counselor when he’s old enough.
Being part of a strong community keeps everyone healthy
As a nurse, Jill appreciates having a Y membership because it promotes physical activity for her family. And, unlike a local gym or fitness center, their YMCA membership comes with community involvement baked right into the experience.
“The Y has events each month and these are opportunities to be active together as a family and it gives us a sense of community,” says Jill. “When I call to put Theo in child care, they know me by name. That sense of belonging is really important for good mental health.”
Each month, everyone looks forward to Parents’ Night Out. “There’s pizza and swimming for the kids, and Mat and I get a date night with free child care. We know the kids are safe and happy and it’s lovely,” Jill says.
The Leising family felt the loss when they weren’t able to visit the Y during the pandemic. “As soon as we were able to, we got back to the Y. We really value it here in Milford,” says Jill, adding that she appreciates how the Milford area benefits from YMCA outreach and partnerships with other community organizations.
Swimming lessons are even better at a discounted price
Jill knows the importance of being able to swim and remembers learning to swim at her local YMCA. She’s happy that her kids have that opportunity, too.
“When we started parent-toddler swim, the first thing they taught us was how to get out of the pool safely. Theo was about 1 ½ and I knew if he could pull himself out of a body of water, it would be safer if there was ever an accident. I said to myself that I was so glad we were doing this,” she recalls.
The Leising family membership offers priority registration and a discounted rate for swim lessons and any paid programs that are open to non-members.
With everything it offers, it’s hard to put a price on the true value of a family membership at the YMCA. But at less than $3 a day, a YMCA family membership is an affordable must-have.
The Leising family agrees!
Learn more about the value of a YMCA family membership — and find a Y near you. Visit ymcadetroit.org.
from Metro Parent https://ift.tt/7YpiDx9
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