Welcome, everybody, to Midday Magazine for this Tuesday, November 5th, 2024.
Have your host, James J. Mailoff here.
And today, in part two, we're going to speak with some of our favorite people.
We have the South of County YMCA, and first, we have Tracy Verouink with us.
Tracy, always good to see you.
You as well.
Thanks for being here, and we brought a new friend.
We have Chrissy Heath with us, a childcare worker over at our Y.
Tracy, thanks for being here.
You're welcome.
I appreciate the time.
Thank you.
We haven't gotten a chance to break you in yet here, so I appreciate you being here and
talk about some of these events we have coming up, looking forward to that.
And we just want to start by thanking our good friends over at Tri-City Services, connect
with them for all your heating, air conditioning, and commercial refrigeration needs.
We'll give you the information on how to do that, and just a little bit, but a big, big,
big at Tri-City Services.
And a huge thank you to our South of County YMCA.
You guys are so good at not only listening to the community, but giving the community things
to do, and things to look forward to, and being a true hub for our community.
One of the things that we appreciate is the attention to things like gift of warmth.
I think that's a pretty great place to be able to start, Tracy.
Yep, so this started yesterday, actually, in August of November 11th, and we are collecting
jackets, boots, gently used, or brand new, hats, mittens, snow pants, pajamas, anything
that can keep a child or an adult warm.
You can drop them off in our childcare lobby or in our regular YMCA lobby, and we will
drop them off at the Family Center on November 12th.
I'm a big Adidas man, and I'm not a name brand guy, but I like Adidas a lot.
I remember my son was about, I don't know, maybe a year old, and your first start to
get shoes and stuff like, oh, I'm going to get my kid a pair of Adidas.
I spent 30 some bucks on those shoes, lasted a month, like they just grew out of them
so quick before they were even really broken in.
Those are the kinds of things we're looking for.
Yeah, but in that's just it.
Those are the kind of things that we could really use.
We know how kids grow out of stuff and everything, and that stuff is usually gently used, or
what have you.
Absolutely.
Those are the kind of things we could use.
Not so much the things that you wouldn't even wear.
Not so much that, keeping that in mind, because that just, and I bring that up, not to sound
like dismissive, but you guys have a lot on your plate already.
We don't need clothing and different things that aren't really going to be able to be used.
We greatly appreciate this community coming together and bringing these kind of items.
When it comes to bringing these items, where should we bring them Tracy?
How can we figure that out?
You can drop them off right at the front desk.
There's a box in the lobby, and then in the child care, you'll have to push the buzzer
to let us in, but we have a box in our lobby as well, and then we're just collecting everything,
and then we'll drop them off at the family center when we get a collection.
You know, and I think it's noteworthy too that people out there, the individuals that
need these items, are not necessarily what you might think in your head.
They're your neighbors, they're your friends, they're your family, they're your coworkers.
Some of the kids in our programs.
Yeah, there's so many people out there that really use these items, and it's a great way
to not only reuse these items and have them get some use out of them, but also know that
you are doing that in your community.
There are people, there are strangers out there walking around with the clothes that you
were able to donate, and that's something that you can feel good on throughout the rest
of the winter.
Absolutely.
Anything to keep us warm in winter helps you all those little things that certainly goes
in.
Yes, of course.
But rain coats might be a thing.
You might maybe need more rain coats of winter jackets if we don't know, but we do
know that Christmas is coming up quicker than we can.
We realize, and you guys were able to land a big get.
Now, for us here at Midday Magazine, I mean Pam been trying for years to get sand on
the air, and we've seen when we haven't had luck with that, we like it, well, let's see
if we can get the Grinch.
You know, let's see if we can get it with no luck.
None.
I have not been able to land them.
You guys were able to land getting the Grinch to come for breakfast.
Absolutely.
So on December 7th, that's the first Saturday.
We are going to have breakfast with the Grinch from 8 to 11, and we will be in the Boys
and Girls Club side of the YMCA.
They've been kind enough to allow us to use their air, they're the area over the
kitchen area.
Yes, yes.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we will have pancakes and sausage.
We will have games.
We'll have crafts.
We can write letters to Santa.
We will drop them off and hope you'll get a response from Santa and, you know, make some
of your dreams come true.
The registration is online at SWCYMCA.org, or you can call the front desk and registered.
The deadline for that is November 30th.
The fee is $10 per YMCA member or Boys and Girls Club member and $15 per non-members.
We will just gather, have a good time, have photos taken with the Grinch.
Just have fun.
I see Cindy Luhu is going to be there as well.
Yes, she will.
She will.
She will.
And these are, not only it's fun to pictures part and everything, especially for the parents
and kids as you get older, these pictures will just really like stand out even more and
more.
Oh, absolutely.
For a lot of reasons.
All of them good.
All of them good.
And it's a good experience and a fun one.
And there's a cookie decorating going on too.
It looks like that's fun.
Yes, you decorate your own cookie with five pounds of frosting if you want.
Exactly.
Exactly what I would do.
Myself too.
This is a fun one and encourage people to mark their calendars for this Saturday, December
7th, 8 to 11.
They will be having the breakfast with the Grinch.
Be sure to make plans for that.
It's going to be a fun event.
We're looking forward to it.
We'll be highlighting and talking about that more and more in our morning shows and different
opportunities to make sure you guys get a good crowd in the Grinch is a little bit happier
that day.
Absolutely.
His heart will grow three sizes.
Nicely done.
Nicely done.
We've got some other events coming up too that we wanted to touch on.
Yes.
So we are starting our YMCA Youth Basketball League and so if you want to sign up a team,
we want you to get in there.
We are looking for basketball referees.
You can contact Baxter at the Y and he can hook you up with that.
We generally have two to four games per night, Tuesdays and or Thursdays from January and
February.
We're also looking for lifeguards, lots of them.
If you are interested in lifeguarding and helping other children learn how to swim and
maybe teaching a class here and there, you can sign up for that.
You can call in and talk to Marty.
She can help you with that.
And then Chris, you'll let you talk about the sports that are coming.
Yeah.
We got a lot of you sports coming up and I know how much this area loves these events.
What do you got first, Chrissy?
So we have micro sports.
This program is for three to five year olds with parent participation required.
One stays and third stays from 430 to 515 and the cost with that is $25 for a member,
$40 for a non-member.
We also have pickleball for boys and girls, they'll learn how to play pickleball through
drills and games for grades kindergarten through second, Tuesdays from 430 to 530 and
grades three through six, Tuesdays from 545 to 645.
The cost with that is $35 per member and $50 for a non-member.
We have a one day volleyball clinic to come learn the fundamentals of volleyball.
It's three through six.
And then we have a Cornhole tournament, that one's passed.
Still a lot of different things going on in the area, a lot of sports going on and looking
forward to all of these.
Not only do they give us an opportunity, kids opportunity for it to get out and especially
in the winter when there's just so few opportunities to get out and doing things, I give them
something to look forward to, certainly something too for adults out there because we always
could use good people for these and volunteers for these events to be able to put these on.
When it comes to those types of volunteers, Tracy, Chrissy, from what I've learned and understood
over the years, we're not looking necessarily for experts, people that know every single
thing about the sport, you don't have to be a vet in this stuff.
It's helpful to know things, certainly.
You might be able to know how to actually play basketball, but you don't have to necessarily
be Michael Jordan.
You don't have to be somebody that knows the game inside and out, really if you are willing,
if you're wanting to work with kids, if you're wanting to do this kind of work, I would
say that's even more important than knowing the rules.
And that's stuff that you can learn.
We're always looking for coaches if you want to coach your own child in any of the sports
or you want to coach your own child in basketball, they're always looking for coaches, we're
looking for the rafts.
Like I said, lifeguards, swim instructors, those kinds of things.
It's a good idea to like water if you want to be able to swim yourself, but we will teach
you that if you need to learn prior to the lifeguarding.
And that's such that really with whatever we're talking about with our why today, it
comes down to that.
They will work with you, whatever it is that we're working with.
If you are looking to volunteer and you only have so many hours or so many of your flexibility
as in what is, maybe we'll find an area for you to be able to, a time frame that will
work with that, coaching is the same type of thing.
And certainly to the community as a whole, you guys knowing that the why is open for
you, the why has so many different things available for you to be able to take in.
I really feel like, I feel very confident in saying, anybody out there listening, there
is something for you at the why, whatever it is that you're into, whatever you like,
whatever age you are, there is something there for you and I encourage you to reach out
to the why and find out more, SWCYMCA.org.
Be sure to bookmark that webpage and follow them on social media, we'll more of that a
little bit later.
One of the other things I wanted to talk with you guys about, and we're speaking with
Tracey and Chrissy from the South O'Connie YMCA.
One thing in particular I wanted to make sure to mention, I always try to with our why,
and we're always encouraging more and more members.
And there are people out there in our community that want to be a member but worry about price,
worry about if they can afford it in some of those things.
And I cannot encourage you enough to reach out to the why and find out.
The why loves to wants to work with our community.
They yes, they got to keep the lights on, that's important, but it's not a business.
We're talking about a nonprofit and we're talking about a place that wants it more and
more people.
If you are curious, if you would like to see, well, maybe I can be a member of the why.
Reach out, find out.
They work with you.
Anyone can be a member.
Yeah.
Anybody can be a member.
We have a membership for our program.
Stop in, talk to the ladies at the front desk and they'll be able to help you out.
You might have to bring some proof of income to help them to decide, you know, how much
of a discount we can give or where that, where that falls.
But anybody at the front desk can help you with that and everyone is welcome.
I mean, you, you need a place to, you know, just hang out because it's raining all day
and you need a day pass just to come in and do that.
You're more than welcome.
And that's a great idea too.
If you're looking to just check things out, you haven't been to the why before and you
want to see what this is all about.
What are they always talking about here and everything and go and check it out yourself
and see what that day pass.
And I almost guarantee you make plans because you're going to be back.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah.
And it's one of those places.
You're going to find something to do.
Yeah.
There really is something for everybody.
I can see that very confidently.
When it comes to the events that are going on there, keep in mind, the library has, I'm
sorry, the why has an amazing staff, a very creative staff, but a lot of these ideas oftentimes
come from guests and come from people that are coming to the why in the community itself.
So if you have thoughts, if there's a class that you think would be really good for the
why or a program that would be good or something like that, reach out to the why and pitch
your ideas.
They'd love to hear them.
Yes.
Absolutely.
I just want to just jump back for one second, James.
We had our Halloween at the why event this last Friday on the 25th and it was a
great event.
We had 867 people attend, which is a huge part of the community.
We were able to donate 675 pounds of food to the focus group, which is the feeding our
communities with the United Services here in Wisconsin Rapids.
And so I just want to say thank you to the community for being supportive of that event.
It was, it was a really great turnout and I hope that everybody attended had a really
good time.
It's so good to hear.
I saw some great pictures.
I saw some stuff on the Facebook page, which was really good.
Fantastic costumes.
It looked like a blast.
Yeah.
It looked like a really good time.
I was actually going to ask to wrap up with that because I know that I'm a big Halloween
guy.
I love the opportunity for kids to have fun and wear their costumes out and everything.
But the idea of attaching that, you could just have the event, but something that our
why does that I appreciate so very much is using that opportunity to also not only help
out those less fortunate, those that could really use that food, but also get another example
for adults to show kids what it is to be an adult.
All those little kids that attended with their parents and everything, they're there.
They're having a good time.
They're squirrel.
Yeah, right.
They're all over the place.
We probably, I would say, had half of the parents who came were in costumes.
That's awesome.
Good on them.
Good on them.
Absolutely.
Everybody was dressing up.
It was, it was like, where, what was that I just saw, but it, they were a lot of really
cool costumes.
So they're not just seeing mom and dad can have a good time.
Mom and dad can be fun and silly too, but they're also seeing mom and dad or whoever
they're guardian is donating food and what it is to be a part of a community, what it
is to be an adult and everything.
So it's a great opportunity for that and here they don't even see that.
They don't even notice that.
Maybe it's subconscious or whatever it is, but they're there to have a good time.
Well, also doing that.
It's something our wide does very well, doing, combining those worlds, I really do appreciate
that.
Chrissy, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind.
I see that your focus is childcare.
Yeah.
So you haven't been with us yet.
How, when did you start at the Y?
So I have been at the Y for 10 years as a childcare teacher.
And then recently in July, I became the associate childcare director.
Cool.
Congratulations for one.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So this is something you've been doing for a long time.
You have a very, you have a passion for.
I do.
Yeah.
Right on, right on.
We need more people like that and that's really cool to hear.
So Chrissy, I'm curious.
So what are some of the services you guys do over there?
So we do licensed childcare.
We have several classrooms from infant through school age.
We offer days of no school.
So when school is not in session, we offer days of no school care for those school
majors.
That goes a long way in this community.
We all, I don't, I don't have to get into childcare in this area and in the state and people
know how much that and we need more and more of that.
That's a huge asset to our community.
And being able to deal with a wide range of age of kids, that's not something everybody
could do.
I mean, I have a lot of friends that are teachers and they teach a specific age for a reason
like that.
That's it.
Just that also, I imagine that also though is part of what brings you to the job, just
the different ages and the different things to come up.
There are no repeats in your world.
Right.
Every day is a little bit different, I imagine.
When it comes to those services, those things that you're doing when the kids are there,
I imagine coming up with a lot of different projects, some of that, that's an everyday
thing.
I'm sure.
Right, we do a lot of outside time.
We do story time.
We do lots of activities with them, arts and crafts, different games, keeping them busy.
Given them, with so much to do at the Y2, I would imagine some of that is focusing them.
It's not so much, they're going to have things to do, they're going to keep busy, but it's
hard for me to focus when I'm there sometimes, I get to imagine for them.
That's going to be a key part of this too, I bet.
Yes.
The time change always makes sense.
Oh, God, I can only imagine.
I already even think of that.
Oh, God, yeah, I bet.
Everybody's mad yesterday and today.
Everybody's just mad.
Where is that hour?
Where is that day?
Oh, I get old.
You know, we were talking about this too, for kids, it's got to be, because so many of them,
especially young kids, are just trying to figure out what time is.
Let alone you tell, wait a minute, I lost an hour, I just figured out what an hour is.
Why isn't my lunch here?
I'm ready for an app.
That's great.
Chrissy, thank you very much for that.
I appreciate hearing some of that and everything.
And certainly, we will give people your information before we wrap up and how they can reach out to you.
And Tracy, as we're wrapping up here, one thing that I didn't want to note as well about the Y,
is it is a great resource for all these different things and so many things we didn't have time to talk about.
Absolutely.
I really cannot stress how much there is something for everybody there.
There's also, it's a great hub, whether, you know, in certain times of the year, renting Camp Alexander out
is something that you can do.
Yep.
And I've been hearing more and more.
It is becoming a hub for our birthday parties.
Yes.
You can have your birthday party at the Y.
Yep, we do.
So we have.
Is there an age limit on that real quick?
No, no.
You can have your birthday party there, James.
Thank you, Tracy.
Thank you for that.
There is no age limit.
You can have one if you're one or one hundred, whatever you want to do.
We have Adventure Center parties where you can rent the Adventure Center.
And then you get one of the rooms next to it to have your cake and open presents and things.
And then we have pool parties.
So they can swim and they can have that.
And then they can go in the other room that comes with that, the kitchen, and they can open gifts and things like that in there.
So yeah, birthday parties are all the time.
And we have multiple of them on the weekends.
So you just have to call the front desk and talk to Vicki and she can help you take care of that.
And it sounds like something with the popularity of that.
You want to get in on that.
Absolutely.
You want to get that reservation in soon.
Yeah, you need to reserve ahead of time.
Yeah, because just, you know, hey, I need to do a birthday party next week.
That might not work.
It might work out, but I'm not going to guarantee that.
You know, I don't want anybody to miss out on it, of course.
But I think that's such a good problem to have.
Absolutely.
That's great to hear.
We don't have enough places in our area like we used to when we were kids or anything to be able to host these things.
It's a really cool idea for the Y.
And it's really great for the community.
It's another one of the extensions of things you guys do over there.
For everything that I think anybody out there knows about your local YMCA.
There are so many things that our local Southwark County YMCA does that I think are above and beyond.
Whether it's here, it's, you know, in other locations.
Just really appreciate what you guys do so very much.
And again, there's so much more that we haven't even gotten a chance to discuss.
There's things all over.
Go to our website, SWCYMCA.org.
And you can just click on our web page and it will give you the many millions of things that are going on there.
Times, pricing, what's free, what's not, what's included in your membership, anything.
And if you have any questions, you can just call the front desk and they can absolutely help you out with anything.
And is that where to go to send people for information for either of you?
Yeah, the front desk will guide you to wherever you need to go.
That front desk number 715-818-9622, that is 715-818-9622.
You can find our Y at 601 West Grand Avenue.
You can't miss it.
You're going down the road.
You're going to see that beautiful, big building right away.
And encourage you to attend.
To urge you to get on over there.
Check out the Y, especially if you haven't done so before.
And see all the great things that they have to offer to you and yours.
And be a part of these events when they're coming up.
Make plans for them.
And be a part of your Y.
Support those that support us and support this community like our Southwood County YMCA does.
Tracy, Christie, thank you so much for the time.
Yes, thank you.
Appreciate it.
And a special big thank you shout out to our friends at Tri City Services.
Contact with them for all your heating, air conditioning and commercial needs.
You can reach them at 715-423-5840.
That is 715-423-5840.
They're Marstfield phone number 715-387-4000-387-4000.
Reach out to them for all your needs.
And remember, their location 30-19 West Wisconsin 73 right here in Wisconsin Rapids.
We'll have more Midday Magazine for you coming up.
And 97-5 FM 1320 AM WFHR.
We are locally grown radio.
