Get all the latest information and news about Wardle Family YMCA programs & events in our monthly newsletter!
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Get all the latest information and news about Wardle Family YMCA programs & events in our monthly newsletter!
So would you like you like to join our monthly digital mailing list? Then by all means have this newsletter delivered directly to your inbox: click here to sign up
(March 5, 2019) Port Royal, SC: The 2019 SC YSSC CYSL Winter Swimming Championship were held March 2-3 at the Middle Tyger YMCA in Duncan, SC. Twenty-seven BYAC Tigersharks swimmers qualified and competed in relay and individual swimming events at the meet.
BYAC swimmers placed in the top ten in 48 Individual events and swam their best times in 78 events; improving their times by as much as 12 seconds.
In individual scoring, BYAC had three swimmers earn High Point Awards in their age groups; Lily Bostwick earned 1st place in the Girls 13-14 age group, Sovann Shook placed 3rd and Jacob Mansker earned 2nd place in the Boys 8 & Under age group.
The 8 & Under Boys Relay Team of Canyon Ulrich, Mack Hipp, Jacob Mansker and Sovann Shook earned 3rd Place in the 100 Yard Medley Relay event and the team of Finn Geistkemper, Canyon Ulrich, Mack Hipp, and Jacob Mansker placed 3rd in the 100 Yard Freestyle Relay event.
The Boys 10 & Under Relay Team of Sean Lyons, Sovann Shook, Tyson Curtis, and Killian Geistkemper earned 6th place in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. Lily Bostwick, Melanie Schiller, Grace Shirley and Brooke Cushman placed 6th in the Girls 11-18- 200 Yard Medley Relay event.
Six swimmers are going on to the SC Upper Southeast Regional YMCA Short Course Championship Meet in mid-March, including Olivia Byrne who qualified in 9 events.
Congratulations to all the BYAC swimmers! The BYAC Tiger Sharks swim year ’round.
Interested swimmers should contact the Wardle Family YMCA located at 1801 Richmond Avenue, Port Royal or call 843.522.9622. Scholarship assistance is available for qualified applicants.
January at the Wardle Family YMCA
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Please join the Wardle Family YMCA on January 19th at the Walsh Palmetto Room at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Lady’s Island for the Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction presented by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Doors open at 6 pm for music and dancing with Deas Guyz, silent auction, golf cart raffle, heavy hors d’oeuvres and full tikki bar.
Event tickets are $65 each or $120 per couple and $75 each at the door. They can be purchased at the YMCA in Port Royal (1801 Richmond Avenue) or online: beaufort-jasperymca.org. This year’s golf cart raffle was supplied by Sutcliffe Golf Cars and is a 2009 Yamaha model with head lights, flip back seat, new tires and batteries and comes in cheerful yellow. Golf cart raffle tickets are on sale now at the Y and at the event for $25 each and 5/$100. The winner will be chosen at the Beaufort Beach Ball on the 19th, but you do not need to be present to win.
The Beaufort Beach Ball volunteer committee has been working for over a year to throw the biggest, most-bodacious beach bash this side of Palm Beach! This year’s silent auction includes many wonderful items – large and small – from a complete 3-ton HVAC system to a trip to the California wine country to restaurant and spa gift certificates, a custom crafted live edge walnut coffee table, sports equipment, airline tickets, Walt Disney World Park Hopper tickets, artwork and more! The online silent auction will open for preview January 4, 2019 (visit beaufort-jasperymca.org) and online bidding will open Jan. 14. Bidding will close at 9:30pm on January 19 and winning bidders can pick up their item(s) during the Beaufort Beach Ball or at the Y in Port Royal on Monday, January 21 starting at 11 am.
Committee chair Dolores Fuller adds, “We’re transforming the Walsh Palmetto Room into a sophisticated beachside cabana. And we’re thrilled to have Deas Guyz as our entertainment! Deas Guyz is all about having fun and dancing, so we anticipate lots of folks out on the dance floor. We will also have heavy appetizer stations and dessert table – our food is being catered by the Chef Greg Lightener and the CATE program at Battery Creek High School. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to enjoy their cuisine you know it is superlative and if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat!”
This event is the only capital fundraiser for the Wardle Family Y and all proceeds will go toward an extremely important video surveillance system upgrade for the Wardle Family YMCA.
Kaylin Garst, YMCA Executive Branch Director says, “The safety of our members is a primary focus for the Y and this upgrade will provide security for everyone using the Y and especially for our children that attend Discovery Kids Preschool, summer camp and afterschool programs. Our facility must be safe, efficient and aesthetically pleasing or we cannot effectively run our programs. This means the Y’s positive impact on our community may diminish, thus we raise funds for capital improvements with this event.”
The Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction Committee wishes to thank presenting sponsor Bank of America Merrill Lynch, bar sponsor Carolina Air, Inc. and food sponsor First Federal Bank for their support. Additional thanks to the following sponsors:
Publix Super Markets Charities, Dean Hewitt, Cross Community Church, Lowcountry Insurance Services, Inc., May River Dermatology, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Ralph& Dolores Fuller, Hargray, Fred & Everette Kuhn, Madison’s Market, Carmen & Don Meyer, and Republic Services.
Amy & Will Achurch-Ballenger Realty, Beaufort Dog, Beaufort Janitorial Services of the Lowcountry, Betty Laurent Photography, Gary & Jan Caron, Gilbert Law Firm, J&J’s Barber Shop, Palmetto Vending, Planting Roots Hydroseeding, Saulisbury Business Machines.
In-Kind Sponsors: Adams Outdoor Advertising, Amazing Event Rentals, Battery Creek High School Cate Program, Lowcountry Radio Group, Murr Printing, New South Shirts, Salt Marsh Brewing Co., Sutcliffe Golf Cars, The Island News.
Beaufort Beach Ball Fundraiser & Auction presented by Bank of America Merrill Lynch
For more information on the Beaufort Beach Ball stop by the Y in Port Royal, call 843-522-9622 or visit: beaufort-jasperymca.org
[Port Royal, June 28, 2018] According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around 22 million kids receive free or reduced-cost meals thanks to the National School Lunch Program. However, once the school year ends, 5 out of 6 of those kids, no longer have access to free or reduced-price meals, leaving many children without during the summer months.
The Y is working to fill that gap of food insecurity, and thanks to support from the Walmart Foundation and local partner agencies and organizations, will help keep children healthy and well-nourished this summer. Participating youth in summer camp and afterschool programs receive both food and fun through nutritious meals and snacks, while enjoying recreational and learning activities aimed at keeping bodies and minds active. At more than 1,000 locations across the country, including the Wardle Family YMCA in Port Royal, the Y offers the Summer Food Program to any child under age 18.
The Wardle Family YMCA will serve over 29,000 free meals here in Beaufort County and at our summer camp sites in Jasper County. Moreover, the Wardle Family Y is an ‘open site’ so any child under age 18 can receive a free meal at the Y in Port Royal (1801 Richmond Avenue) Monday to Friday from 11 am to 12:30 pm, through August 17, 2018. The Y is able to provide the food program with the assistance of Beaufort County School District in addition to the support from Walmart Foundation and YMCA of the USA.
“Hunger has a lasting impact on the development of children,” says Kaylin Garst, Branch Executive Director of the Wardle Family YMCA. “Without access to nutrition-filled meals, kids can’t focus, become restless and may engage in risky behavior and ultimately, can’t reach their full potential. The Y’s Summer Food Program helps to make sure kids can enjoy healthy and delicious meals all summer long.”
Garst is also a Regional Food Program Facilitator assisting other YMCAs throughout the country in providing successful, year-round food programs.
Participants in the Migrant Education Summer Camp also receive dinner as well as breakfast and lunch. These campers and their families are also supplied with shelf-stable, ready-made meals thanks to the donation of 2,000 of these meals by the Lowcountry Food Bank.
“In addition to our partners, volunteers also play an integral part in the success of this program,” Garst added. “We are fortunate to have volunteers through Beaufort County Disabilities and Special Needs Department. It has been a joy having these volunteers with us this summer serve meals to campers!”
During the school year, the Wardle Family YMCA also serves healthy dinners and snacks as part of its afterschool program, providing hundreds of kids with nourishment and academic enrichment.
Now in its eighth year, the Summer Food Program is part of an existing national partnership between YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) and the Walmart Foundation to address child hunger, which is more prevalent during the summertime. The program is just part of the Y’s year-round effort to address child hunger.
On Thursday, February 15, 2018 the Wardle Family YMCA welcomed members and guests to their Annual Meeting, which recognized volunteers, donors and staff who helped advance the Y’s cause to strengthen the foundation of our community.
The Y celebrated the positive impact made through Y programs and services as $350,000 in scholarship funds were raised and distributed in 2017. This assistance helped thousands of youth and families through YMCA membership, sports, summer camps, childcare, preschool, youth boating and swimming lessons. The annual Boots & Bling Fundraiser and Silent Auction raised over $48,000 for the annual Y capital campaign.
The meeting was presided over by incoming YMCA Board Chair, Jennifer Tuckwiller, and Y CEO, Michael Bostwick. The Y celebrated the many programs, services and opportunities they provide and, most importantly, gave thanks to the volunteers that truly bring magic to the non-profit.
The Y welcomed four new board members: Dr. N’kia Campbell, Director of Academic Initiatives for Beaufort County School District; retired educator Andy Thacker, State Farm insurance agent Taylor Malphrus; Chris Bowman, branch manager at South State Bank. Outgoing board members, Dr. Gregory McCord and Cheryl Comes were thanked for their many years of service to the Y. Also, Bostwick recognized past board member Peter Post, who was inducted into the National YMCA Hall of Fame.
Kaylin Garst, Y Branch Executive Director of the Wardle Family YMCA reported on the improvements and changes made at the Wardle Family YMCA during 2017. These included refinishing the basketball gym floor, new pool heater and filter, new membership software, a new bus for childcare and implementation of a stoplight report for Y staff and members. YMCA senior-specific programming was highlighted by Wellness Director Denice Fanning, and Y member and volunteer Larry Schaefer reported via video on Togetherhood, the Y member-driven service committee.
During the Annual Meeting, two volunteers received special recognition for their service to the Y. Larry Schaefer received the 2017 Robert V. Wardle Service to Youth Award. This award is given in honor of Robert V. Wardle, whose donations were significant in the founding and continued operation of the Beaufort-Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry. Larry Schaefer has been the Togetherhood committee chair for the past 2 years and has been instrumental in leading this volunteer group in projects ranging from the Postal Carriers Food Drive benefiting HELP of Beaufort to building custom flower boxes for the Senior Center on St. Helena Island to building and installing a little lending library for the Y. In 2017 their volunteer hours exceeded 500 hours and included a fundraiser for the Y, raising $500 for our Learn to Swim Program.
Bethany Byrne was named the annual Youth Sports Volunteer Coach for 2017. Ms. Byrne has been a volunteer aquatics coach over the past several years volunteering her time to assist with the BYAC Tiger Sharks Swim Team and aquatics department.
Tuckwiller also reviewed the YMCA association name change to Beaufort-Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry, which better communicates the Y’s original charter to serve both Beaufort and Jasper counties. She also announced that the YMCA now offers nationwide membership, which allows any active Y member to visit any participating Y in the USA, free of charge. beaufort-jasperymca.org
January at the Wardle Family YMCA
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