View a slideshow of photos from the event.With activities for children and adults alike, the much-anticipated grand opening of the South Brunswick Family YMCA was held last week.
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Multimedia: !["YMCA]("/local/Z/ZWIRE1095/zwire/images/slideshow.jpg") View a slideshow of photographs from Sunday’s YMCA grand opening. |
Residents flocked in wearing their sweats, tights and nylon warmups to take part in the South Brunswick Family YMCA grand opening Feb. 25.
The South Brunswick Family YMCA, a 6-year-old organization, had been working to get the Culver Road facility purchased and renovated for three years, said David Anderson, executive director.
"The hardest part was raising money," said Mr. Anderson.
The day’s events featured activities for parents and children alike to enjoy.
In the gymnastic center, mats, beams and ramps were set up for the kids to romp around on. Some tried balancing on the beams, with a guiding hand of a parent, while others just felt content to tumble and jump around on the mats.
The opening of the YMCA brought numerous residents out to see the facilities and to sign up for programs such as swim lessons, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, aerobics classes, preschool and day care.
"I’m looking for possible summer day camp programs and the other typical family events," said Alison Nelson, with her three sons, Matthew, 6, Spencer, 4, and Nicholas, 3.
Also looking for ways to occupy his kids’ time in the summer months was Ehab Botros, with his son, John, 10, and daughter, Kristina, 6.
"I want to take the kids for swim lessons and other summer activities," he said.
While the kids ran around in the gymnastic center and bounced around on an inflatable castle in another room, some parents took full advantage of the new Y’s first day, getting a quick workout on the treadmills and step machines.
The YMCA also features a 5-foot teaching pool, men’s and women’s locker rooms, with treadmills, step machines and bike machines, and also a Kids Korner for toddlers to keep busy while their parents work out.
"We just started at the day care," said Kim Harvey, with her 3-year-old, Kieran, who was holding a green balloon animal made by one of the clowns on hand. She added that she was there to check out the rest of the facility now that it’s open.
The building is 19,000 square feet, but there are plans to build another 13,000 square feet, said Mr. Anderson.
He said the additional space will have features similar to the original building, but possibly also a teen center and physical therapy center for cardiovascular rehabilitation.
Several workers, full-time, part-time and volunteer, were decked out in blue YMCA shirts and khakis to help guide visitors and answer questions. Many of the volunteers were South Brunswick High School students. The YMCA is hiring high school students to work part-time in the facility.
"We started posting jobs in the high school," said Donna Osmon, senior program director. "We’ve hired eight or nine students part-time so far," she said.
Some residents said they will start using the South Brunswick YMCA because it is convenient.
"I go to the one in Princeton, but this one is five minutes from my house," said Ilene Case, who was also looking for activities for her 2-year-old daughter, Rebecca.
Matthew Leung, with his niece, Sarah, 4, and nephew, Samuel, 5, also came to see the new center and what it offers.
"It’s convenient," he said.
The South Brunswick Family YMCA got its start six years ago, when the Princeton Family YMCA was asked to provide programs for South Brunswick.
Although many residents were there to sign up for swimming lessons, such as Doris Pike, and her grandson, Josh, 5, the pool is not yet available.
The pool is currently unavailable because its chemical storage unit does not meet code, said Alison Berens, aquatics director.
The YMCA, or Young Men’s Christian Association, was originally started nationally in 1844 as a movement to help young men in urban areas.
The first United States YMCA was founded in 1851 in Boston by Thomas Sullivan, a retired sea captain and missionary.
Currently, the YMCA is the largest child-care provider in the nation, with over 500,000 children enrolled. It also serves about 9 million children with its after-school programs.