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Strong Kids Campaign
The YMCA Strong Kids Campaign ensures that everyone can be part of the YMCA. Strong Kids is focused on raising much needed financial support for deserving children, teens and families who are unable to afford the full cost of participation in a YMCA program or activity.
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Fall 2 Registration!
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Features this Month:
Sunday, October 26 at 6:30-8:30 pm
Open to the community, our Halloween at the Y is a fun way to enjoy a safe Halloween evening! Donuts and cider will be served as you enjoy games and more while showing off your costume. We'll also have a Hoedown with squaredancing, and goodiebags will be provided for children. It is sure to be a spooky good time!
Have a Happy -not Harrowing- Halloween: Safety Tips
Halloween is an exciting event for kids and adults alike. In fact, Halloween is America’s second largest commercial holiday. Still, the mix of nightfall, dark costumes, masks, copious amounts of sugar and gaggles of children dashing across driveways and streets can prove precarious.
Consider these tips from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to keep your Halloween from becoming harrowing:
- No treats on the trail. Insist kids do not eat any treats before an adult has inspected them for evidence of tampering.
- Flame resistant costumes are a must. When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant.
- See and be seen. Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists. For dark costumes, trim with reflective tape to ensure your little trick-or-treater is visible to motorists. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
- Carry a torch. To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
- Function first. Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling. And wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Yes, that means you too princess. Cinderella may sport glass slippers but you’ve only got 60 minutes or so to fill that Halloween bag!
- It’s for display only! Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.
Finally, children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. And for those kids old enough to venture out solo, only visit homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.
Native Americans representing the People of the Three Fires will gather to celebrate the customs and culture of the indigenous Michigan Indians – Ottawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi at the 16th Annual Native American Festival and Mini Pow Wow, Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southfield Pavilion located at 26000 Evergreen Road (1/2 mile south of 11 Mile Road).
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YMCA Members *enter "YMCA" in the discount box |
Observe an authentic Mini Pow Wow, with more than 40 Native Americans dressed in regalia as they perform specialty dances, including hoop, jingle and traditional dance. Tap your feet to the beat of the Native drums as the dancers twirl and sing. Peek inside a traditional tepee and wigwam. Peruse the unique wares at the Native American Arts & Crafts Bazaar, where more than 40 traders from across the Midwest and East Coast will sell handmade jewelry, pottery, blankets and more. And taste the autumn bounty: wild rice soup, fry bread, Indian tacos, buffalo burgers and more.
We know you will enjoy this event steeped in the noble traditions and rich history of our area’s first people, a perfect event for the season.
YMCA members can purchase tickets for $6.00 each, a savings of $1.50. Children under 2 years are FREE, and each child over 3 receives a FREE take home craft. Click here to purchase tickets. To get the YMCA member discount, enter "YMCA" in the discount code box on the form. Once you enter "YMCA" in the special discount box, you will receive a savings of $1.50 off the regular admission price of $7.50 per person. The discount is applied at checkout. If you have questions or need further information, please call Metro Parent at 248-398-3400.
A Healthy and Inexpensive Recipe
Confetti Chicken Wraps
- makes 6-8 servings
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large orange bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
- One 15 1/2 –ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- One cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1 cup pre-shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup salsa
- Six to eight 8-inch flour tortillas
- ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream, optional
How to prepare:
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, cumin, and chili powder and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the beans, corn, cheese, and salsa and cook until the mixture is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, uncovered, and heat in the microwave until warmed through, 30 to 45 seconds. Assemble by placing the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Wrap burrito style and serve with sour cream as desired.
Nutrition Info Per Serving:
330 calories, 8g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 510mg sodium, 41g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 24g protein
Swimming at Farmington YMCA
Fall is officially here, but it’s always summertime in the Farmington YMCA Swimming Pool! There is no better time than right now to be in the water, where it’s always between 83 and 85 degrees; or for those of you who prefer it a bit warmer, the therapy pool is always 89-91 degrees! Swimming is a great way to relieve some stress, exercise, or play with your family in a safe environment. Now is also the best time to start your children in swimming lessons, or yourself! If you start them swimming now, by the time summer rolls around again you will be amazed at how well your kids can swim, or how well you can swim too.
If your children know how to swim and want at challenging and fun opportunity, have them join the swim team! We have the top swim team in the State of Michigan, and one of the top 10 in the country!!! The past 3 years, we have placed in the top 10 at YMCA National Meet, with a 4th place as the top finish. Almost all of our top swimmers that graduate are offered scholarships to swim at Division 1 or Division 2 Universities! We also have an Adult Swim team, free to all members. The Hydrofoils placed 1st in the State Finals in the 2007-2008 season, and are looking for another successful year this time around. It is a great way to meet fun people, exercise, and add some fun to your daily swim.
If you or your children aren’t quite ready for the swim team, we can get them ready! We offer lessons for children ages 6 months – adult. All of our instructors are nationally certified Lifeguards, with training in CPR, First Aid, Oxygen Administration, and AED. Our small class sizes allow participants to progress faster, by allowing more individual time with the instructors. Our swim lessons are much more than just swimming too! We incorporate a “safety day” into every session where we teach the children about backyard pool safety, also we put our CANOES in the pool to teach them about lifejackets and boating safety and how to paddle the boats around. Our goal is the overall safety of our participants in all aquatic areas, and by focusing on more than just swimming.
If you already know how to swim, and need a little motivation to hop in the pool, check out these fun facts.
- Swimming can burn between 500 and 1200 calories per hour, depending on how vigorous your workout is and how much you weigh.
- Swimming is a 0 impact aerobic exercise, no stress on the lower extremities
- Swimming uses all of the muscles in the body, giving you a true, “total body work-out”
- Swimming builds the strength of the lungs, even for those who have asthma
- Swimming endurance will aid in all sports activities, since your body will work better in aerobic and anaerobic situations.
If you have any questions regarding the pool or any aquatics activities, please contact the Aquatic Director, Adam Bander. (248) 552-4020 ext. 123, or by email: abander@ymcametrodetroit.org.
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Your gift to the Strong Kids Campaign helps make YMCA opportunities available to those who otherwise couldn't afford to participate.
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