Rye Y Story Project: 2016

	We joined the Y twelve years ago right when we moved to Rye. We got a family membership and my middle son and my younger son learned to swim here. Read more
	I was nine months old when I started coming here. I started with Armelle or Tatum’s class. I started doing the baby classes and now I’m on the team. Read more
	I started my career at age 16 in France. I was in a training program to work with children in music and theatre. At 19, I left for the business world and moved to New York and became a placement recruiter. Read more
	I have spent about 40 years at the Y, from when I was 19 years old and I joined the Plainview, CT Y. Read more
	My first contact with the Rye Y was many years ago. I called to ask about the water aerobics classes. It seemed too expensive so I said “thank you very much, goodbye. Then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.” Read more
	We joined as a family of five. We have three boys, including a set of twins. We joined the Y as it is intended to be – a place to get out, do things and be part of the hub of the community. Read more
	We became family members about a year and a half ago. I have a two-year-old daughter so when I first started getting some semblance of routine I was looking for workout activities that I could do. Read more
	We moved to Rye about a year and a half ago. Our neighbor was the one who recommended that we look into the Y; she referred to it as a hub. And there’s a lot going on, a lot of activities. Read more
	I started coming to the Y around 23 years ago. I lived right up the street and would walk here to use the playground with my daughter Christine and take her for swim lessons and then gymnastics. Read more
	I have been a member of the Rye YMCA for almost 20 years! I can’t believe it’s been that long! I joined when I was 8½ months pregnant with my first child after I stopped working. Read more
	My family and I live in Mamaroneck and joined the YMCA about two years ago. When initially looking for a gym we were seeking a place that was family-friendly and offered a variety of programs and services for our four year-old twins. Read more
	When I graduated from college, I moved to Rye with my “now husband” to an apartment on Theodore Fremd. I needed a job so I applied at the Y as lifeguard and swim instructor. Read more
	I’ve always been a physical fitness person. I play tennis, I love to swim, I even taught exercise class at the Y in New Rochelle. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. Everything came to a halt. Read more
	I grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, raised by a single mom on welfare. Now I feel privileged to live in Rye. About ten years ago, I moved to a five-minute walk from the Y and this was the gym for me. Read more
	I joined the Rye Y when the new pool opened. I use the fitness center, swim and also go to yoga and Pilates classes at the Wainwright. Read more
	I am serious about tennis and discovered that if you want to enjoy the game you need to spend 3 hours exercising to prepare. Read more
	I grew up in Rye. I came to the Rye Y as a kid and went to camp here. The facility was completely different then. Read more
	I used to do gymnastics at a place called ISG when I was a child. My mother came to the Y one day to work out with a friend and took a tour of the facility. When she arrived home, she told me that I would love the Y’s gymnastics facility and that I should give it a try. Read more
	The Y has been a part of my life since I was a child. When I was a kid, I used to take swimming classes. Once I graduated college, I was looking for a job and my father told me that the YMCA was hiring lifeguards as well as swim instructors. Read more
	We moved to Rye from Mamaroneck in 1962. I used to come to the Y after school–I remember being here the day that JFK died. Read more

	I retired early from my position as a Director of Special Education in Pelham. I had leukemia and a stem cell transplant. After my recovery, I couldn’t continue a job with so many hours. Read more

	I came to the Rye YMCA in June with my friend because we were looking for more opportunities to exercise. I met Laura Laura in the fitness center, and when she learned that I was a cancer survivor, she told me about the Rye Y’s LIVESTRONG program. Read more
	I was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in March 2014. I started chemo and in June 2014 I received a bone marrow transplant. I needed a wig because my hair fell out so I went to the Wig Exchange at the Beauty Bar. I learned about the LIVESTRONG [at the YMCA] program there. Read more
	I joined the Rye Y ten years ago with two babies. The staff was so kind and there was such a sense of community here. I took yoga constantly. Read more
	I’ve been coming to the Rye YMCA for thirty years. This is the place I go. My kids go. My wife goes. I went before I had any kids and now they’re 26, 24 and 21. Read more
	I’ve been a Y member my whole life and joined the Rye Y 22 years ago when I moved to Rye. I primarily came here to swim and used the Y for triathlon training. Read more
	The pool brought me to the Rye Y. I love to swim and have been swimming since I was seven. I grew up in a lower-middle class family in Colorado and the local high school had a pool. Swimming was the one sport to which I always had access. Read more
	I love to swim and the Rye Y has a great pool, so I come here six days a week. I’ve been coming for 13 years. Read more
	I started in Membership at the Rye Y in February 2016. I was interested in the job because it seemed like there was a real sense of community here that was missing from my previous job. Read more
	I grew up in Rye and have been coming to the Rye Y since first grade. I learned to swim here. Back then they had a universal gym machine next to the single pool. Read more
	In the late 80s, I used to work at the Y at the front desk. I left the Y and started to work for the postal service delivering mail. Read more
	Nine and a half years ago, my daughter Amber was going into Kindergarten. I was looking for an hourly part time job teaching fitness classes. I applied for an instructor position at the Y and starting teaching. Read more
	I was interested in teaching water aerobics and was referred to the Rye Y by my friend Sheryl who works in Member Services. I spoke to Vickie who told me what I needed for certifications and I got certified in February. Read more
	About ten years ago, I developed symptoms of Myotonic Dystrophy, a disorder falling under the umbrella of Muscular Dystrophy. For most of my life, my symptoms were dormant and I was perfectly able bodied. Read more
	I’ve been a member of the Rye YMCA since 2007. At the time, I was new to town with a baby and a two- year-old. I joined the YMCA in order to get to know the town and community; I felt the Y would be a great starting base. Read more