YMCA of San Francisco Invites Everyone to Join in a One-Week Open House Starting April 14, Kicking Off With YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Contact: Tricia Link, YMCA of San Francisco, 415-281-6743

SAN FRANCISCO, April 12 /Standard Newswire/ -- On Saturday April 14, 2007, the YMCA of San Francisco will begin a week-long "You Belong at the Y" Open House at its 15 branches in San Francisco, Marin, Solano and San Mateo counties, kicking off with the Mayor's official Proclamation of YMCA Healthy Kids Day in San Francisco. The Open House will feature seven days of fun and healthy activities for children, adults, and families, focusing on Healthy Kid's Day, community outreach, active older adults, and youth and teen development.

"YMCAs around the country have joined forces through an initiative known as Activate America to become the leading community advocates of long-term healthy lifestyles through fitness and nutrition programs and outreach at the grass-roots level," said Chuck Collins, President and CEO, YMCA of San Francisco.

"The Open House is our way of inviting everyone to be a part of our Activate America program to become more fit and healthy, literally, one step at a time, as it all begins with the basics," said Collins.

Following are the themes, dates and fun and fitness filled activities that are taking place throughout the week - there is something for everyone, from the "My First Tri" mini triathlon for kids to the scenic Point Bonita tour for older adults.

YMCA HEALTHY KIDS DAY: Saturday, April 14

• Each of our 15 branches will be hosting fun carnival-like events for kids.

• My First Tri, a mini triathlon for kids 4-12 at our Peninsula Family YMCA.

• We will be giving away "5 a Day" fruit and veggie stickers, tattoos, and healthy fruit snacks for the kids at every branch.

• "Y-B Fit" P.E.P. program directors will be running fun games and activities for the kids

• Demonstrations of safety tips will be offered by the San Francisco Fire and Police Department at select locations.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES/ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS DAY: Sunday, April 15

• An outdoor hike on the Ecology Trail starting at the first-ever External Trailhead at the Richmond District YMCA will take place.

• Informational sessions will take place focusing on the outdoor activities that the YMCA of San Francisco has to offer at select branches

• Many branches will be offering outdoor hikes and park outings.

YMCA SPLASH DAY: Monday, April 16

• Members of all ages, especially children and families, will learn basic swimming skills and water safety practices. It will also provide opportunities to teach and demonstrate the four core values of the YMCA: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, even in the water!

COMMUNITY OUTREACH DAY: Tuesday, April 17

• Kids enrolled in community programs will create art work, crafts, and poems to be displayed at their YMCA branch.

• Volunteer information will be available for members to find out how to volunteer in and around their communities.

MEMBER APPRECIATION DAY: Wednesday, April 18

• Fitness facility members that come into the branches on this day will be given "I Belong at the Y" t-shirts - while supplies last.

ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS DAY: Thursday, April 19

• Active Older Adults will have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day at our YMCA Point Bonita Marin Headlands location, which offers exceptional hiking and views.

YOUTH & TEEN DEVELOPMENT DAY: Friday, April 20

• Youth and teens will have the opportunity to go to our Stones town YMCA and enjoy free demo kayaking and outdoor activity lessons from REI & YMCA instructors.

• A Health & Fitness Fun Night for Youth will offer hip-hop classes, peer-to-peer personal training and basketball clinics at select locations.

• Our Buchanan YMCA will host a hoops shoot out contest.

HEALTH & FITNESS DAY: Saturday, April 21

• Special samplings of health, fitness, yoga and group exercise classes will be made available at several branch locations

• BMI testing and gait analysis will be available at select locations.

Come join the YMCA in building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities! For more information about the YMCA of San Francisco, visit us at: www.ymcasf.org.

Established in 1853, the YMCA of San Francisco is one of the oldest and largest non-profit organizations in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with: 1,600 dedicated employees, 2,300 devoted volunteers, 15 thriving community branches serving four counties, 100+ additional program off-site locations, 152,000 facility, program and community members, 4 million visits to our YMCA branch and program sites annually. The YMCA of San Francisco builds strong kids, strong families and strong communities by enriching the lives of all people in spirit, mind and body. We create a welcoming, supportive community for our fitness and program members. We develop healthy, active lifestyles through comprehensive physical wellness and social services programming. We teach our YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility in all that we do. We offer nationally accredited pre-school programs and respected day care, childcare services and after-school enrichment activities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We help creative positive life-lasting memories for thousands of youth through our comprehensive summer, resident, holiday and specialty camp programs. We engage in outdoor environmental education and awareness programming to promote respect for the environment and principles of sustainability. We offer a variety of active older adult fitness and social programs and activities and supportive physical rehabilitative cardiac, stroke, arthritis, special needs and breast cancer therapeutic programs. We are a trusted, active partner with government agencies and other nonprofits in operating social service programs, such as: YMCA Family Resource Centers, Beacon Centers, evening youth YMCA Safe Havens, YMCA Youth Service Bureaus, a nationally recognized mentoring program, a peer-to-peer YMCA Youth Court, several YMCA Youth and Government teams, and our YMCA of San Francisco Youth Change High School, to name a few.