Summer Camp for Two Russian Orphans through YMCA's Camp Inspiration Program

Camp Inspiration at the Somerset Hills YMCA, in partnership with the Bernardsville News, is sponsoring two Russian orphan brothers, Kirill, aged 7, and Alexander, aged 5. The boys arrived in N.J. this week and are staying with a local family for the summer. Clothing donations are needed for the two brothers, and we have high hopes that we can find a loving family willing to adopt these sweet boys.

The two brothers live in an orphanage in Russia’s Far East, about a ten hour flight east of Moscow. They will spend nearly four weeks with Janet and Brian of Bernardsville, giving the boys a golden opportunity to experience life in a functional family, broadening their horizons and giving them a platform to learn about another culture, particularly through play with other children close to their age.

“Kirill and Alexander will arrive with nothing more than a backpack holding their toothbrush, comb, and possibly a spare change of clothes,” said Janet. “We will be responsible for all food, clothing and medical expenses they incur while here. During their stay, we will also be working closely with the adoption agency to find them a forever family.” So, Janet and Brian who are members of the Somerset Hills YMCA, reached out to the Y and asked for their support in providing a summer camp experience for the two boys. Bob Lomauro, President and CEO of the Y said, “Supporting Janet and Brian’s compassion for these young boys is not only the right thing to do but is a privilege. This is a wonderful story of a local family giving two boys, who obviously have been through so much, an opportunity to be hopeful for a better life.”

On July 11^th the two boys will begin Adventure Camp at the Y which offers each camper the opportunity to participate in Sports & Games, Science & Nature, and Arts & Crafts led by a specialist in these areas.

Camp Inspiration can help make sure that Kirill and Alexander enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a YMCA summer camp. Camp Inspiration is a scholarship program, sponsored by the Bernardsville News and the Somerset Hills YMCA, designed to give children in need the opportunity to attend a YMCA day or resident summer camp. With a focus on caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, camp counselors encourage children to try new experiences, make friends, learn new skills and, most of all, to have fun.

Tax deductible contributions to Camp Inspiration can be made online the Somerset Hills YMCA website, or by sending at your check to Camp Inspiration, c/o Somerset Hills YMCA, 140 Mount Airy Rd, Basking Ridge N.J., 07920. Please earmark your gift ‘Camp Inspiration’. Every dollar donated goes toward camping costs. All administrative expenses are handled by the Bernardsville News and the Somerset Hills YMCA.

Unless anonymous, donors will be recognized each week in the newspaper in gratitude for their gift.

The six levels of giving include: Caring: up to $50, Honesty: up to $100, Respect: up to $150, Responsibility: up to $200, Leadership: up to $500, and Inspiration: $500 and above

For more information about Alexander and Kirill, or hosting children for the summer, please contact Janet at janbriC@yahoo.com

Free Fridays at the Somerset Hills YMCA during July and August

Free Fridays at the Somerset Hills YMCA during July and August.

The Somerset Hills YMCA is offering all members of the community the opportunity to ‘Try the Y For Free’ every Friday during the months of July and August. Families and individuals can enjoy full access to both facilities at Riverwalk and Mount Airy, as well as enjoying programs such as spinning, zumba, group classes, basketball, swimming, rock climbing and much more for free.

“If you have been wanting to give us a try, it’s a perfect time,” said Kate Russo, Senior Director of Membership Services. “Come alone or bring a friend – either way, you’ll find a warm welcome and a wonderful selection of programs from which to choose.”

For more information, please contact Jackie Surette on 908.766.7898 ext 362 or jsurette@somersethillsycma.org

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org or call 908-766-7898.

Splash into Safety at the Somerset Hills YMCA: A Week-long Program of Safety and Swimming

In an effort to help save lives, the Somerset Hills YMCA is offering all children ages 3 - 10 yrs in our community Y-Splash – a week-long program of swimming designed to help kids stay safe in and around water. The program will run Monday through Friday, from June 20 – 24^th at the participant’s choice of one of these times: 1:00pm; 1:30pm; 3:45pm; 4:20 pm; 4:55 pm and 5:30pm. This program, inspired by the Y’s mission of serving all individuals regardless of their ability to pay, costs just $20 per child and is open to every child in the community, members and non members alike.

This program will be held at the Somerset Hills YMCA,

140 Mt. Airy Road

. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years. “YMCAs have traditionally been the places where young people learned not only swimming skills, but also the importance of playing safely in the water to prevent injury,” said Erica Schaefer, Director of Youth Aquatic Programs, “That’s why Y-Splash is so important, because it teaches kids basic swimming skills and safety practices, so they can have fun in the water and know how to play safely.”

Online registration for Y-Splash will begin June 1^st at 10:00am at www.somersethillsymca.org. YMCA membership is not required, however, a login and password are needed to register and can be obtained by emailing kdigiovanni@somersethillsymca.org. For more information, please call 908.766.7898 x 503.

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

 

Mental Health Week 2011 (May 9 - May 13) Pivots on Community Support

Mental Health Week 2011 Pivots on Community Support

Somerset Hills YMCA to Host 3^rd Annual Community Education Event

Mental Health Week, an educational collaboration between the Somerset Hills YMCA’s Healthy Outcomes Partnership (HOP) and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), will run Monday, May 9, through Friday, May 13, at the Mount Airy facility of the Somerset Hills YMCA. A variety of topics will be covered, some of which include Bullying and children with special needs children: what helps, what hurts; Keeping the faith during difficult times; spirituality and mental health; Generation text: raising well-adjusted kids in an age of instant everything; Mental Health First Aid for the Somerset Hills -- and much more.

A compelling theme of the week will pivot on family and community resilience. Experienced psychologists and therapists will discuss issues that the Somerset Hills community has specifically suffered, such as domestic tragedies and the impact of 9/11, and talk about how the momentous support of various layers of family, friends and community relationships have brought residents through their suffering. Nicci Spinazzola, a trainer at Mental Health Association in New Jersey, a licensed marriage and family therapist and Clinical Director at the Somerset County Richard Hall CMHC, will present The Resilient Family – ‘Making it Work’ on Monday May 9 from 2:30 – 3:30pm. Spinazzola said, "I have been working with some of the 9/11 families in this community for ten years now and it is remarkable how I consistently hear one perspective. For each 9/11 anniversary, whether a loved one returns to the 9/11 site or revisits it in their hearts and minds, what I continue to hear is that they have been helped through these days and their darkest times by family, friends and their faith in the future. Community support is so important in their healing. I am beginning to see some of them now being able to go back to a time when they had had joy and pull that feeling into the present and enjoy what they once had. Family, friend and community support is key to that milestone."

A full schedule can be viewed on the Y website at www.somersethillsymca.org under 'Latest news.' All members of the community are invited to attend these free (unless otherwise noted) events to benefit from the wealth of information and resources that will be available. For more information, please contact Susan Visser at 908.766.7898 ext. 553 or at svisser@somersethillsymca.org.

Please connect with us on Facebook for more information: http://www.facebook.com/SomersetHillsYMCA

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Mental Health Week 2011 to Feature Nationally-Known Experts & Authors

Somerset Hills YMCA to Host 3^rd Annual Community Education Event

Mental Health Week, an educational collaboration between the Somerset Hills YMCA’s Healthy Outcomes Partnership (HOP) and the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ), will run Monday, May 9, through Friday, May 13, and will include presentations and workshops by a variety of noted experts in behavioral health, parenting, special needs and public health and education.  All members of the community are invited to attend these free (unless otherwise noted) events; a complete schedule can be viewed at www.somersethillsymca.org under Latest News.

DR. MONICA INDART: 

“Complicated Grief & Bereavement: Living with the Pain of Loss”

Kicking off the week is Monica Indart, PsyD, an internationally recognized thought leader with more than 25 years of experience working in crisis intervention, trauma, grief and loss in both private practice and around tragic global events including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the southeast Asian tsunami of 2004 and  the genocides in Uganda and Rwanda.  Dr. Indart, a licensed clinical psychologist, has developed a widely-used disaster crisis counselor certification program, has provided consultation to the United Nations and has traveled around the world working toward recovery and peace building with survivors of torture and other traumatic events. Dr. Indart’s talk during Mental Health Week, “Complicated Grief & Bereavement:  Living with the Pain of Loss,” will weave together her vast international experience and observations with practical counsel for individuals and families dealing with trauma and grief.

Monday, May 9:   9:00 am – 10:30 am, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

DR. MICHAEL OSIT: 

“Generation Text:  Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything”

Psychologist, educator and parenting expert Michael M. Osit, EdD, the author of Generation Text:  Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything (Amacom, 2008), will address the concerns of parents the world over regarding the potential negative effects of various forms of digital communication and provide insights on how parents can help their children learn to make intelligent choices.  Dr. Osit has worked with young people for more than 30 years and has assisted families who have been challenged by the new order of access and excess – and the temptations and other dangers that go with it.  He is a frequent presenter on a wide variety of topics for professionals, parents and schools and has been interviewed by prominent national and local print and broadcast media.  He currently writes the “Mind to Mind” column in WarrenConnection and is in private practice in Warren, NJ.

Wednesday, May 11:  7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA (Suggested donation:  $5.00 per person; Dr. Osit will be selling and signing books after his talk)

BRYAN V. GIBB:

 “Mental Health First Aid for the Somerset Hills”

You may know CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.  But would you know how to help if faced with a friend, loved one or stranger’s mental health crisis?  Bryan Gibb, a nationally known-speaker and trainer will introduce an innovative community education program – Mental Health First Aid – which trains individuals to understand, recognize and provide help to those experiencing the symptoms of mental distress until appropriate professional or other help can be engaged.  This ground-breaking program is currently taught in 15 countries, and in the United States alone, more than 20,000 people in 44 states have taken the course in the past three years.  It is now being brought to our community through the Somerset Hills YMCA and its Healthy Outcomes Partnership initiative.  

Mr. Gibb will describe the human costs associated with mental illness, its prevalence in our society and the documented success of Mental Health First Aid in reducing the stigma that frequently prevents people from seeking help.  As Director of Public Education for the National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, Mr. Gibb travels across the country to run 5-day instructor certification courses required for those who will teach Mental Health First Aid.  He worked closely with the city of Tucson in the aftermath of the tragic shootings in January, and is a frequent guest on Washington, DC-area television and radio talk shows.

Wednesday, May 11:  2:00 – 3:30pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

LESLIE BECKER-PHELPS, PHD:

 “Compassionate Self-Awareness:  An Approach to Making Real Change”

There are many self-help books that tell people what they need to do to change -- to lose weight, find love, get rich, be happy, stop smoking --  just to name a few.  And sometimes, that advice happens to fit with how people think and function, and it works.  But, according to Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps, a clinical psychologist and regular columnist and blogger on WebMD.com  and Psychology Today.com, all too often, people blindly follow the advice without feeling that it truly applies to them -- and inevitably, their efforts fail.   Dr. Becker-Phelps will explain how we can be controlled by unconscious processes that act as “invisible puppeteers”, as well as how we can cut those strings using “compassionate self-awareness” -- a balance of self-compassion and self-awareness – to make lasting change.

In addition to her role as relationships expert on WebMD’s Relationships and Coping Community, blogger, lecturer and psychologist in private practice in Basking Ridge, Dr. Becker-Phelps is on the medical staff at Somerset Medical Center, where she previously served as chief of psychology and director of Women’s Psychological Services.

Monday, May 9:  1:00 – 2:00 pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Main Level, Somerset Hills YMCA

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org or call 908-766-7898.

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Swim For Richard Raises Funds and Awareness of Bipolar Disorder

Three Y’s Guys with One Common Cause

On April 23^rd, 2011, for the second consecutive year, the Three Y’s Guys of the Somerset Hills YMCA will embark on a challenging 24 mile marathon swim in the waters of Tampa Bay, FL to raise funds and awareness about bipolar disorder. Martino Caretto of Basking Ridge, Paul Kiell of Far Hills and Doug Munch of Morristown, their ages averaging 68 years, will swim the 24-mile distance as a relay. Funds raised will benefit Saturdays in Motion. Held at the Somerset Hills YMCA for the past nineteen years, it is a recreational program benefiting children with autism and their families.

Caretto’s son tragically lost his life in April 2009 after waging a valiant and painful battle with bipolar disorder. A 2005 graduate of Lawrenceville, and a Bloustein scholar that recognizes academic excellence, Richard Caretto was a volunteer at Saturdays in Motion and will always be remembered for his generosity, sharp sense of humor and his sensitivity to social problems. “Richard also tutored special needs children and volunteered over 200 hours of community service assisting patients with dementia,” said Richard’s father, Martino.

The Three Y’s Guys are hopeful that Swim For Richard will generate interest and dialogue about bipolar disorder. “Richard had his whole life ahead of him,” said Caretto. “If our efforts bring relief to another individual or spare other families the devastating pain that has been inflicted on mine, then the Three Y’s Guys will feel a great sense of achievement. No matter how much we raise, the friendship and support of those around us has been of great comfort to me and my family. A lack of understanding about this disorder often leads to it being swept under the carpet. The stigma generally attached to mental disorders needs to be dispelled so that progress in research can be made and more support can be offered to individuals and families in need,” added Caretto.

Contributions of $50 or more will receive an autographed copy of Dr. Paul Kiell’s new book Exercise and the Mind and all contributors will receive an honorary blue ribbon. Please make (tax deductible) checks payable to the Somerset Hills YMCA. Mail to Somerset Hills YMCA, Development Department – Swim For Richard, 140 Mount Airy Rd, Basking Ridge NJ 07920.  

For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org or contact Kelly Castro at 908.766.7898 or kcastro@somersethillsymca.org.

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SomersetHillsYMCA

Somerset Hills YMCA Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer

Wasiak Brings More Than 20 Years of Y Professional Experience

With a career that began at a Y in 1988 as a summer day camp director, Fred Wasiak has now joined staff at the Somerset Hills YMCA as Chief Operating Officer.  Wasiak brings with him over 20 years of YMCA professional experience and a strong track record in budgeting and fiscal management, financial and community development, program development, facility improvement and expansion, and staff/volunteer development. 

After serving as the summer Day Camp/Physical Director for the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester YMCA in White Plains, NY from 1988 through 1993, Wasiak then served as the Family Conference Director for Frost Valley YMCA from 1993 through 1999.  Additionally, Wasiak gained valuable operations experience as the Associate Executive Director of the Westfield Area YMCA until 2004, and then served as CEO of YMCA Camp Ockanickon in Medford, NJ.   Most recently, at Goodwill Industries, Wasiak was responsible for community resource development where he restructured the financial development program and developed community partnerships to further the Goodwill mission.

Wasiak has a B.S. in Physical Education from Niagara University and recently completed his M.S. in Human Services from Springfield College.  He is also a graduate of the YMCA Executive Development Program and the New CEO Institute, and is an experienced trainer.

Wasiak currently serves as Secretary of the Maple Shade Rotary Club and Treasurer of the NJ Southern Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He and his wife, Betsy, live in Tabernacle NJ and have three children; Meghan, a graduate student at Springfield College; Jake, a junior at Fairleigh Dickinson University; and Lindsey, a 7^th grader.

“The Somerset Hills YMCA is one of the most highly regarded YMCAs in the state of New Jersey.  It is an honor to be part of a wonderful staff and dedicated volunteers that have done so much good for the surrounding communities. I am looking forward to serving the Somerset Hills area in supporting youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” said Wasiak.

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body.  We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org or call 908-766-7898.

Follow us on Facebook for more Y news: www.facebook.com/SomersetHillsYMCA