Hamilton Area YMCA

Hamilton Area YMCA Backs “Zoe For President”

The Hamilton Area YMCA usually stays out of politics, but this year, the organization is jumping in head first. With the both parties’ nominations up for grabs, the Y has declared its allegiance to one candidate: Zoe for President. Zoe might be only 13 months old, but she’s gearing up for her run in 2064…and the Y is going to help her get there. www.zoeforpresident.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLXhZFn8M4U

The Y will officially launch Zoe’s campaign this Saturday, April 30 at their annual Healthy Kids Day. Healthy Kids Day runs from 9:00 a.m. until noon, and it’s open to the entire community. The event will feature three hours of kid-friendly activities and informational sessions for parents. Kids will enjoy sampling healthy breakfast options, interactive class demonstrations, running our obstacle course, having their face painted, and more. Parents will benefit from car seat checks, kids fingerprinting, tours of our pre-school program, and other opportunities to learn how the Y is preparing kids like Zoe for success.

Each year the Hamilton Area YMCA serves over 5000 children in our community. Whether they’re scoring goals on our soccer fields, preparing for kindergarten in our Y’s Owls Preschool, or learning to swim in our pool, they’re building essential skills that will help them reach their fullest potential. And the services and programs we provide have never been more important:

Every day, one in four children is left home alone after school, putting him or her at higher risk for negative activities and influences. Through the Y’s Before and After School Program, 800 K-5 kids are engaged in positive activities during those crucial hours.

More than half of all three and four year olds do not attend pre-school, even though studies have shown that a child’s brain develops fastest during these years. Y’s Owls Preschool prepares our kids for kindergarten and is one of the only such programs in the area with an interactive StarBoard.

Two out of three eighth graders are not proficient in science. The Y is incorporating STEM activities into a variety of programs for children as young as 3 years old.

The average child spends nearly four and a half hours a day in front of a screen, which makes them more likely to develop behavioral problems. The Y’s youth sports programs get kids up and moving.

The number one cause of accidental death in young children is drowning. This year, over 750 children will learn to swim at the Y. 

“Zoe represents the potential in all children,” said Hamilton Area YMCA Director of Corporate Communications Gretchen DiMarco. “That potential needs to be nurtured and cultivated, and that’s the work we do here at the Y. Our kids need the support of the entire community as they learn and grow, and with our help, they’ll be ready to run the country when it’s their turn.”

Healthy Kids Day will be held on Saturday, April 30 from 9:00 – Noon at the Hamilton Area YMCA’s JKR Branch. For more information, visit www.hamiltonareaymca.org.