The ridgewood ymca, founded in 1902, is a charitable, community service organization. The mission, as stated in its by-laws is "to put christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. " the ridgewood ymca is an accepting and positive place where men, women and children of all ages, abilities, incomes, ethnicity and religions are welcome, valued and nurtured. Our programs promote healthy lifestyles, environmental stewardship, international understanding and cooperation, concern for others, and respect for individual differences. A qualified staff at the ridgewood y delivers accessible, quality programs and services that promote healthier lifestyles, with moral and spiritual values.

Human Services , Physical Fitness & Community Recreational Facilities , Sports , Young Mens or Womens Associations

Youth development for 116 years the ridgewood ymca has been an active "hub" of the community, offering a variety of programs to assist in the social, emotional, and physical development of young people. Youth development programming addresses all levels of competence, ranging from beginner lessons to advanced competition, and includes the following program categories: education and leadership academic enrichment leadership developmnet swim, sports, and play competitive swimming youth swim classes summer day camp (oak street-201 campers and camp bernie-412 campers) summer overnight camp (camp bernie-423 campers) outdoor education and weekend groups (camp bernie only) (207 groups and 10,478 participants) vacation day camp (camp bernie 52 particpants & oak street 93 particpants) in 2017, the oak street branch reached 1799 children and teens through our youth development programs. ridgewood ymca social responsibility 4b social responsibility has always been at the core of our 116 year service. The pricnciples on which we were founded reflect a sense of service, community, and social responsibilty. Our programs, collaborations, and partnerships both locally and on a global scale make it possible for the ridgewood y both at the oak street and camp bernie branch to have a wide ranging impact on our community, throughout the tris state area, and internationally. Among others, the following are examples of services offered through our social responsibility programs. Living strong, living well (30 participants) delay the disease (72 participants) rainbows (11 particpants) urban swim (110 participants) swim, inc. (16 participants) world service programs (175 campers) y cares financial assistance to families of deployed military personnel (3 memberships) yoga for veterans (8 particpants) as reflected in our mission, the goal of the ridgewood ymca has always been to promote a healthy lifestyle, and therefore we have a comprehensive list of healthy living programs including, but not limited to: adult aquatics, aerobics, yoga, meditation, karate, pilates, tennis, and reiki. In addition to these classes, we offer private personal training sessions and lifeguard training. It is through our healthy living programs that the ridgewood ymca is poised to combat one of our nations's most critical health issues-obesity. To prevent illnesses that are related to obesity, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, our members are encouraged to maintain active exercise routines. There are many methods we utilize to address this ever growing epidemic: strenghth and conditioning in our fitness center, group exercise classes, team sports, aquatics programs, and private one-on one personal training. In addition, our programs and activities are designed to help people with other chronic conditions as well to prevent further debilitation, maintain independence, and increase flexibity, strength, and mobility. Heading up this charge is the ymca health and wellness director, who serves on the community health improvement program, which is a county-wide health initiative with task forces that address specific issues, nutrition, and physical activity. The ridgewood y provides a supportive environemnt that encourages our members to build relationships with one another. Our communbity, consisting of youth, teens, adults, and seniors, promotes a healthy balance of spirit, mind, and body. The fees and finanical assistanve offer access to every segment of our community through our fitness, aquatics, and team sports programs. We are making a difference in the health of our members. Y cares financial assistance program. To further reach underserved populations in our community, we partner with local mental health agencies, group homes, adult day care centers, and social service agencies that refer clients for y memberships and programs at little or no cost.