February 2015 Newsletter

THIS IS
YOUR Y

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

FAMILY YMCA

February 2015 Newsletter

VALENTINE’S DAY DRAWING

One lucky winner will win an amazing YMCA Red Oak Stay & Play Package from Red Coach Inn & Restaurant and Montgomery County Family YMCA as a Valentine’s Day Appreciation Gift Promotion for being a current member of the YMCA. The drawing will be held on Tuesday, February 10th, 2015 at 8 p.m. for this special prize package. Must be a current member age 21 and above to qualify.

Amazing Red Oak Stay & Play Package ($200 Value) Which Includes:

· One night stay at the beautiful Red Coach Inn in Red Oak, Iowa.
· A $30 food voucher at the Red Coach Restaurant.
· Your choice of indoor tennis court time at the Montgomery County Family YMCA, 2 tickets to a live production at the wonderful Wilson Performing Arts Center, or championship golf for two with a golf cart at the lovely Red Oak Country Club in Red Oak, IA.

PARENTS NIGHT OUT

Parents, bring your little ones to the YMCA for a night of fun while you relax and enjoy knowing the kids are taken care of! 

Deadline to register is February 9th. 

When
Friday, February 13th
Drop off between 5:30PM-6:00PM
Pick up between 11:00PM-11:30PM 

Ages
1 year  -12 years old

 Activities
Dinner, games, craft, activity, and a movie

 Cost
Members $10
Potential Members $20
Prices for the first child only, additional children $8/each

For more information please contact Missy Stickland, Aquatics Program Director at 712-623-2161 or mstickland@mcymca.com.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
MARK & DEBBIE GRABER

Mark & Debbie Graber know that finding a time to work out is not always easy. They found that coming together and having someone to keep you accountable and motivated to get up at 5:00 am was helpful and it soon turned into a weekly routine. As Debbie said in a recent e-mail, “About a year ago, we found out it was best for us to work out first thing in the morning since we were usually at a ball game most nights. It is fun to see the same familiar faces in the morning at the Y of people who are also taking advantage of an early morning workout. It is a great way to start the day! ”

Being involved in physical activity has also been important for their kids as well. Nikki is a senior, their son, Dylan, a junior, and the twins, Maci and Morgan, are in 6th grade.  Their children have been involved in several Y programs over the years which have served to sharpen their skills in sports such as basketball, football, track, cross country and volleyball.

VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH
MYSTERY DROP VOLUNTEERS

Rex Allen, Mark Benda, Shirley Billings, John Blomstedt, Dennis Bloom, Karen Blue, Diane Brower, Ann Carder, Brian Couse, Ron DeMarce, Ava Dorrance, Todd Gilleland, Karla Hall, Paula Harold, Mark Holmgren, Jody Hossle, Don Johnson, Bill Jones, Dawn LeRette, Jeanice Lester, George Maher, Mark McCaffrey, Leah Mensen, Mike Olson, Randy Orme, Carroll Peterson, Allen Pohren, Jan Rahmani, Ken Rech, Clint Rubey, Terry Schmidt, Diane Sifford, Leo Smith, Carrie Stamets, Missy Stickland, Kathy Vandrey, Beth Vial, Valerie Vorhies, Kathy Walker, Sharon Wise, Nancy Zimmer

The Mystery Drop program volunteers and staff sold all 300 tickets for the third straight year for a chance to win $5,000 and a bonus $500 if present.

This was the first year that an animal was not used to produce the “drop” on a sold square.  The YMCA partnered with Johnson Helicopter Service of Red Oak to drop tennis balls from the sky with one tennis ball being marked as the “money ball”. The lucky winners of the $5,000 were Rex & Terri Allen of Red Oak. The event raised $22,000 which went towards funding the YMCA’s new speaker sound systems throughout the facility and towards other operational funds.

Watch for more details on the 6th Annual Mystery Drop to take place October 2015. It’s a fun way to support the YMCA and possibly win $5,000!

Please join the YMCA in congratulating them on this honor.

RED OAK STAY & PLAY

The Red Oak Stay & Play Package is something special for all! This program has been designed to bring tourism into Red Oak and to “Stay & Play” in Red Oak. For an incredible rate one can receive a night at the Red Coach Inn & Restaurant, a $30 Food Voucher at the Red Oak Coach Restaurant, and either 18 holes of golf at the Red Oak Country Club, indoor tennis and use of the Montgomery County YMCA facilities, or 2 tickets to a performance at the Wilson Performing Arts Center. The program is a great opportunity to invite friends and family to Red Oak, plan a business retreat, or maybe plan your own little local getaway.

The collaboration team of the Red Oak Country Club, the Montgomery County Family YMCA, The Wilson Performing Arts Center, The Red Coach Inn & Restaurant, and the Red Oak Chamber & Industry Association was formed in the summer of 2013. Through funding by the Red Oak Hotel/Motel tax and the biannual grant process through the City of Red Oak Tourism & Recreation Committee, the above mentioned businesses as well as other community organizations have the ability to encourage people to come to Red Oak and enjoy some of the many great opportunities that the community has to offer.

The Stay & Play Committee has had guests from the states of Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Illinois, and Minnesota come to enjoy the wonderful amenities that the community of Red Oak, Iowa and the surrounding area has to offer. 

For those interested in the Red Oak Stay & Play program one can make reservations by calling the Red Coach Inn & Restaurant at 800-544-6002 or contact spokesperson Kara Sherman – Executive Director of the Wilson Performing Arts Center of Red Oak at 712-623-3135 or by email at wilsonperformingarts@gmail.com.

JANUARY SOUPFEST

Homemade soup of more than one variety and salads were provided by the YMCA Auxiliary Club on Friday, January 9th as well as a birthday cake from Hy-Vee in honor of everyone with a January birthday. Over 20 people came to escape the cold and get warmed up with a great lunch and Bingo games with various prizes for the winners.

All Soupfest Events are held the first Friday of the month from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm November to February.  February 6th, 2015 will be the last Soupfest until next Fall and will feature music by the Red Oak Middle School Jazz Band.

For more information on Soupfest Events or the Auxiliary Club please call Nick Zimmer, YMCA Executive Director at 712-623-2161, stop in at the Montgomery County Family YMCA located at the beautiful Red Oak Legion Park, 101 East Cherry Street, Red Oak, Iowa, or email Nick at

execdir@mcymca.com.

TIKES WITH BIKES

It’s hard to wear out those little ones in the winter, so the YMCA would like to open part of the tennis courts for you to bring your children along with their favorite ride-on toy, or push toy and burn off the energy here instead of bouncing on your furniture! 

Dates
Wednesday’s in February from 10:00AM till 12:00PM 

Ages
Any children 5 and under 

Cost
Members & Potential $10 for the month

Additional Information
• Parent or Guardian MUST stay with child/children at all times
• A few organized activities will be offered during this time for the kids
• The tennis courts are a bit chilly so dress your child accordingly

2015 YMCA GOLD SPONSOR

Houghton State Bank President Jim Sifford (left) and Nick Zimmer (right) presenting Nick their $2,000 round table gold sponsorship.

Nick Zimmer announced the 2015 YMCA’s Gold Sponsorship to the YMCA’s Round Table Sponsorship program with Houghton State Bank of Red Oak, IA. YMCA Round Table Sponsors will be sponsoring several different 2015 YMCA events. 

Houghton State Bank will be involved with the various sponsorship's: vinyl banners, Red Oak Youth Wrestling, The Caleb Dial Memorial Run/ Walk in Elliott, IA, YMCA Winter Swim Team, Golf Tournament, Endowment gift, “The Y. So Much More Annual Campaign”, youth sports programs, along with other events and promotions.

For more information about how your business or company can become a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Round Table contributor to the YMCA please call Nick Zimmer at 712-623-2161 ext. #13, stop in to visit with Nick at the YMCA, visit our website at www.mcymca.com, or email the YMCA at mcymca@mcymca.com .

IOWA ALLIANCE ADVOCACY

YMCA volunteer Al Nelson and Montgomery County Family Executive Director Nick Zimmer recently attended the 2015 Iowa Alliance Advocacy Day’s Conference and breakfast on January 27th and 28th in Des Moines, IA. While they were there they met with Senator Mark Costello, House Representative Cecil Dolecheck and Iowa State Senator Tom Shipley.

The Iowa YMCA 2015 Alliance Legislative Priorities are:

· Infrastructure Funding Grant Funding.

· Shared Access for School Property.

· Safe Routes to Schools.

· Clarifying Liability for Municipal Recreational Trails.

· YMCA and Health/Wellness Plan partnership.

· Streamlined process for Non-Profit Organizational Background checks

· YMCA Fatherhood Initiative.