Important Update – March 15, 2020

OPEN FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ALL DAY SCHOOL CARE FOR FAMILIES IN NEED, BUT YMCA FITNESS AND AQUATICS CENTER TO CLOSE ON TUESDAY, MARCH 17TH AT 6:30 PM UNTIL MONDAY, MARCH 30TH

 

A MESSAGE FROM DIANE DICKERSON, CEO

To our Y Family and entire region for whom we are so honored to serve,

In an effort to do everything we can to slow down this national health crisis, the Bangor Region YMCA has sadly made the decision to close the FITNESS CENTER and AQUATICS CENTER at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, March 17th. This closure will be in effect until Monday, March 30th. I know many of you will be disappointed with this news, but please know we are going to try in every way to provide you with continued health and wellness activities. All members will be able to sign up for VIRTUAL FITNESS PROGRAMS and will be contacted by our Health and Wellness staff regarding this. In addition, our Y members who are participating in PERSONAL TRAINING OR SMALL GROUP TRAINING will be able to continue this with their Y Trainers virtually if they desire. Again, all will be contacted by your personal trainer here at our Y. We will also be reaching out to our members as we plan any outdoor fitness programs in the next two weeks which would allow for social distancing while getting in shape and breathing the air. Keep a watch on our website and Facebook Page. We are here for all of you and will do our best to STAY HEALTHY during this trying time.

We are restricting the hours of our Y from now until March 17th when we close. We will be opening at 5:00 am and closing at 6:30 pm.

Our Aloupis Pool will be our only pool open for these two days, and the hours will be restricted from 5:30 am to 12:00 noon. 

OTHER IMPORTANT CHANGES:

  1. Group classes are cancelled EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY to restrict people from being close together. There will be no land or aquatic classes until after we reopen on March 30th.
  2. Child Watch will be cancelled EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
  3. Swim Lessons will be cancelled EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY and your session will resume in 2 weeks and will be extended through April Vacation.
  4. All SECOND WIND events and programs are cancelled EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY.
  5. Senior College has cancelled all of their activities here at the Y.
  6. Caring Connections Support Groups are cancelled. However, our staff is available to respond to each of you individually and provide you with whatever support you might need.
  7. Our LIVESTRONG program is cancelled EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY until we reopen.
  8. Our Teen Center is closed.

OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND ALL-DAY SCHOOL AGE CARE WILL BE OPEN from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm.

In an effort to support our families, and especially our healthcare providers and first responders, we are remaining open. This is being offered to our existing Y Families, as well as to OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY who needs the support. As healthcare professionals have stated, the best case situation is that everyone stays home and has a relative or friend take care of the child in their home. However, this is not possible for many people, and we need to be here for YOU. I know there are mixed feelings about this, and all I can say is that we are taking every precaution possible. Here are just a few of the things we will be doing:

  1. All children will have their temperature taken as they enter the Y.
  2. Hand Sanitizers must be administered at the door of the Y, and will be continued throughout the day.
  3. We will use this opportunity to teach children about washing their hands, not touching their faces, not touching other children, and to try and keep space between.
  4. We will have full use of the YMCA, Teen Center, and Isaac Farrar Mansion so that there will be a lot more space allowing groups to be smaller and much more spread out.
  5. If necessary, we also have our beautiful Camp Jordan available for programming over the next two weeks.

We have had many questions from parents:

  1. Will homework help be provided? YES
  2. Will kids be able to swim? YES
  3. Will we need to pack a lunch for our child? YES (We are working with the school district for those children who receive free lunch from the school and will be trying to determine if we can pick up those lunches for the children. I will not have an answer on this until Monday, so please pack a lunch for your child on Monday. We will let you know for the rest of the week.)

If you are needing care for your child during this time, please click this link, complete and submit.

SUMMARY

The best path is to stay informed on the facts which are being updated on a regular basis. Below are a list of reliable sources of information for you to read from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the State of Maine

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

Please don’t hesitate to contact the YMCA if you have any questions. And, don’t hesitate reaching out to me directly via email. We are all working together to get through this very difficult time and I am listening to all of you. Your opinions and thoughts matter a great deal to me. And, always know that we take these decisions very seriously and they are made with the most current information we have, with respect, thoughtfulness, compassion, wisdom, and a passionate desire to do what is best for this wonderful community we serve. To all, work with us during this time. Continue to see what we are trying to offer through our website and Facebook. We will do our best to keep you updated as we all travel this new path together. 

Be Safe,

Diane Dickerson, CEO