Penns Valley YMCA to host fundraising dinner

SPRING MILLS — A YMCA dinner featuring ham, side dishes and desserts will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at New Hope Lutheran Church in Spring Mills. The meal, which is open to the public , is $11 for adults, $5.50 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger. Takeout meals are available for an additional 50 cents.

“Our membership is growing, almost every day,” said Liz Toukonen, director of the Penns Valley YMCA. “New people are coming in and trying us out and liking, very much, what they see.”

Toukonen said new classes have been added to the YMCA programs. One program is Adaptive Wellness, which is geared toward individuals with Parkinson’s disease, or those recovering from a stroke or other illness. It focuses on helping them reach their personal goals.

The Y also has added some high-intensity workout classes, including Insanity, HIIT (or high-intensity interval training) and Cardio X.
For youth,  a Tumbling Tots class that teaches basic gymnastic skills has been added, along with martial arts classes Little Dragons  and Tiny Tigers.

Toukonen said the Y will have three specialty camps for children this summer.

“We are partnering with the community to offer volleyball,” she said. Also planned are all-sports and  science camp for children ages 6 to 12.

“Finally, we believe very strongly in being a part of the community, so we offer, free of charge, our community room for organizations like the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and the Penns Valley Conservation Association,” said Toukonen.

The Penns Valley YMCA is located at 1 Streamside Place in Spring Mills, in the former Gettig Engineering building. This former 13,400-square-foot factory has been extensively remodeled into a totally modern facility. It opened in January 2016 and features a large room filled with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, including treadmills, exercise bikes and weight machines.