The Goffstown Edge

YMCA Allard Ctr offers After-School Program to NB Central School

Transportation is now available from New Boston Central School to the YMCA Allard Center at 116 Goffstown Road, Goffstown.

After-school child care and kindergarten, swimming, adventure, sports, gymnastics, and tennis programs are available.

Students must register in advance for the bus and be scheduled to attend a Y program.  Fee for Y members is $17.50 per day for seven weeks or $28 per day for seven weeks for non-members.

For details, contact membership director Sarah Burns at 497-4663.  Registration is available online at www.yogm.org

Local Restaurants Join with YMCA to Raise Money for Dropout Prevention Programs

The YMCA of Greater Manchester and its 13 restaurant partners are calling for Manchester and surrounding community members to Dine Out for Youth. The first annual fundraising event will support the Y’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) dropout prevention programs which support Manchester’s at-risk youth. The event makes it easy for community members to get involved and raise vital money for these unique programs. To be held on Tuesday, February 22, Dine Out for Youth is run through local restaurants which have agreed to donate a percentage of their sales to the YMCA on this one special day.
Reducing the dropout rate is a priority in Manchester, with the 6th highest rate in the state and 18% of the total number of dropouts (NH Dept of Ed). The YMCA of Greater Manchester is focused on working with students whose lives are complicated by risk factors including poverty, exposure to violence, substance abuse, poor school performance, engagement in risk-taking behaviors, or significant social-emotional difficulties. The Y's YOU programs provide support to students who would otherwise fall through the cracks. By providing these services, we are helping to meet a community goal of making sure all children are provided the support they need to successfully move on to graduation.
Youth Opportunities Unlimited consists of three different programs. Y-START is an afterschool program serving 130 low-income students from Henry Wilson and Beech Street Schools. Y-STAY is the only program in Manchester for at-risk middle school students. Classroom activities help students build social, time-management, educational and decision-making skills. Finally, Y-STRIVE offers academic support, life skills and community service programs for students who have been suspended or expelled. Y-STRIVE is the only program in Manchester for suspended and expelled students. Classroom activities utilize one-to-one academic tutoring to get these students back on grade level and life skills lessons to help students build social and interpersonal skills.
YMCA of Greater Manchester President and CEO, Hal Jordan, stated “We hope that not just Y members but the Manchester community choose to visit one or more of the participating restaurants during the Dine Out for Youth event. Venturing out for a meal is such a simple act, but it has the potential to make a huge impact on our program participants’ lives”.
Participating restaurants include Ben & Jerry’s Elm St. Scoop Shop, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Firefly American Bistro, Hart’s Turkey Farm, KC’s Rib Shack, Longhorn Steakhouse, Papa Gino’s, Piccola Italia Ristorante, Republic, Shorty’s Mexican Roadhouse, Suddenly Susan’s Gourmet Deli, Wings Your Way and Z.  For more information please visit the YMCA at 30 Mechanic Street in Manchester or visit the Y online at www.yogm.org and check out the YMCA of Downtown Manchester’s News & Events page.

Catalina's Synchronized Swim Team Celebrates Victory

YMCA ALLARD CENTER’S

CATALINAS SYNCHRONIZED SWIM TEAM GRACEFULLY CELEBRATES ANOTHER YEAR OF VICTORY

 

June 28, 2010- The Catalinas Synchronized Swim Team of the YMCA Allard Center recently competed in the 2010 East Region Age Group and Intermediate Championship with impressive results. The competition was held at the New Canaan, Connecticut YMCA pool. Surprisingly, the Catalinas are one of only 2 synchronized swim teams in New Hampshire. The team is a member of the New England Synchronized Swimming Association or NESSA.

            There are 7 basic levels of competition within synchronized swimming. The groupings are determined by skill level and are named novice, intermediate, age-group, junior, senior, collegiate and masters. Within each level, swimmers are further divided by age. The YMCA’s Catalinas represent the towns of Goffstown, Manchester, Weare, New Boston, Derry, Dunbarton, Mont Vernon, Londonderry, Bedford and even Massachusetts.

At the latest championship, the Catalinas placed twelve times in various solo, duet and team routines. Julia Meisser of Weare, Elizabeth Saucier of New Boston, Molly Spalding of Mont Vernon, and Alyssa Schultze of Manchester qualified for the East Zone Age Group and Intermediate Championship held at Hampden, Connecticut High School.

In celebration of a successful season of triumphs, the Catalinas Synchronized Swim Team held a free end of year water show at the YMCA Allard Center’s pool in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Sarah Hannaford of Bedford and Elizabeth Herod of Goffstown were awarded certificates for the Most Improved swimmers of the 2009 to 2010 season. Irina Kustovskaya of Goffstown received the ultimate Catalina Award. The YMCA of Greater Manchester offers a beginner class for girls and for masters that do not wish to compete at this time. For beginners, the class is a great way to learn the sport in a relaxed environment with the option of joining the club in the future. For more information visit www.goffstownymca.org.

YMCA Allard Center Hosts Northeast Regional Championship

YMCA ALLARD CENTER GYMNASTICS TEAM HOSTS
2010 YMCA NORTHEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
 
MANCHESTER, N.H., May 16, 2010- The YMCA Allard Center hosted the 2010 Northeast Regional Gymnastics Championship at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. A total of 870 gymnasts representing 40 different YMCAs, located in New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York convened for an impressive demonstration of athletic ability. The atmosphere may sound chaotic but Meg Norklun, YMCA Allard Center Gymnastics Director, said “the air was electric with the energy and excitement of the competition.”
            The YMCA Allard Center branch, part of the YMCA of Greater Manchester, sent 44 of their own gymnasts to the competition. The Allard Center’s team is comprised of youth gymnasts between the ages of 8 and 18 years old. During the Championship, athletes were divided into six levels determined by age.  Norklun was proud that her team members’ “hard work and dedication truly shined throughout the meet”. The Allard Center gymnasts placed in every event, with one age level even placing within the top ten. In addition, the level 6 team placed 8th in the overall competition. Seven team members are looking forward to competing in the prestigious YMCA National Gymnastics Championship in San Diego, California in June, 2010.
About The Greater Manchester Family YMCA
The YMCA is a non-profit organization that helps children and families build a healthy spirit, mind and body, while instilling the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility through our practices and programs. With branches in Manchester, Goffstown, Londonderry and Strafford, the Greater Manchester Family YMCA provides a wide variety of programs and services designed to meet the diverse needs of our growing community. The Allard Center’s gymnastics program offers classes and camps for boys and girls ages 6 months and up.
 
For more information please contact:
Meg Norklun
Gymnastics Director
232-8661 or mnorklun@gmfymca.org
 

YMCA Allard Center and Anthem Health Host Day of Caring

Volunteers’ Helping Hands Prepare Camp Halfmoon for Summer Season

Early Friday morning, 20 local Anthem employees coordinated by Anthem Director of Public Relations Chris Dugan, 18 YMCA staff members, and three YMCA Building & Grounds Committee volunteers arrived at the YMCA Allard Center located at 116 Goffstown Back Road. The landscape design for the 10 acre camp was donated and implemented by Allard Center member Mark Rynearson of the award winning Rynearson Company and his hardworking crew.

During the morning hours, five crews of volunteers were assigned to specific projects around the property. Over 50 trees and shrubs were planted, the softball field was rehabilitated and over thirty picnic tables were painted. After a midday break, mulching was completed, the second coats of paint were applied and the planting crews began clearing out the wooded areas within the interior of camp. At the close of the day, Camp Halfmoon looked polished and ready to welcome the hundreds of campers that will be spending their summer days within its borders.

            “The YMCA would like to give special thanks to community supporters Langley Construction, Boisvert Brothers, Home Depot of Hooksett, the Rynearson Company and the many helping hands of Anthem Health,” stated Michele Sheppard, Branch Director of the YMCA Allard Center.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, the Greater Manchester Family YMCA invites the community to participate in YMCA Healthy Kids Day, the nation’s largest health day for kids and families! Bring the whole family for a free, fun-filled day of interactive games, family activities, health give-aways and more! Members and non-members are welcome at this fun-filled event for the whole family.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Goffstown Allard Center located at 116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown, NH. The event is free and open to the public. Activities will include bouncy houses, a gymnastics obstacle course, water safety exercises, mountain boarding, parent/child activities, mountain bike tuning, arts and crafts and a yogurt parfait bar!