YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin

Today is World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25th, 2024) as designated by the World Health Organization & United Nations.

Anyone can drown, no one should. Drowning prevention starts with you:

👀 Supervise children & don’t look away when they’re near water.

🦺 Use safety equipment like life jackets & make sure they’re in place before going out on a boat.

🏊‍♂️ Learn to swim, or if you can’t swim, stay away from the water.

🌧️ Check the weather conditions, the depth of the water & the strength of the current before entering the water.

🚫 Don’t drink alcohol near water, it dulls your senses & can cause fatal accidents near water.

Remember! Drowning is often silent & goes unnoticed. Watch for the signs when someone is struggling to stay afloat, it’s never too soon to respond.

Congratulations to Low Gay Htoo who took the Oath of Citizenship today and became a Canadian citizen. All of us at the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin are proud to be a part of your citizenship journey.
If you or someone you know needs help learning about the steps to becoming a Canadian citizen, please contact Hussein or Nirali at 519-631-9800 or email [email protected] 🇨🇦 🍁

What an incredible community we live and work in! This week we'd like to share two big YWCA shout outs to Hayhoe Homes for their donation of towels, sheets, and bed sets as well as the staff at Masco Canada in St.Thomas who ran their own food drive in support our residents and clients. Thank you so much for all you do for our community!

Pop Up Family Swims! Join us for a fun family swim and games with aims on Saturday July 27th from 10am-12pm. Weather permitting. Recreational swim fees and bather admission standards apply. See fees at https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

The Kinsmen Club of Aylmer donated $2,500 to the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin in support of the Aylmer Pool and its swimming programs. The money will be used to provide a free swim day, July 5th and will also be used for financial assistance for swimming lesson for those that need it. This donation was made possible through their participation in charitable gaming at Jackpot Time St Thomas.

Register now to learn how to swim! Daytime and evening classes are available for parent and tot, preschool, swimmer 1-9, adult and fitness. If affordability is a factor to joining in, please contact us! Financial support is available. Learn more about https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

Get ready to take a dip!
This Friday and Saturday we will be offering Free Public Swim Days from 1:30 - 4pm at the outdoor pool on Myrtle Street. Special thank to you to this week's Swim Sponsors and

for making free recreation, community connections and FUN possible for our local families. **weather permitting**

https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

FREE PUBLIC SWIM TODAY!
Join us from 1:30 - 4pm at the outdoor pool on Myrtle Street. Make a splash and have some FUN! **weather permitting**

Special thank to you our Swim Sponsor The Aylmer Express

https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

Protect yourself - watch for scams!
Following our announcement regarding our Summer Night Social event being sold out, we have had a number of comments on our posts from people having tickets to offer for sale. Please note, we do not provide ticket refunds for our fundraising events. We are sorry for any ticket holders that are not able to attend, but we appreciate your support of our fundraising efforts.

Due to privacy we cannot confirm who are actual ticket holders so we encourage anyone interested in purchasing tickets from someone online that they don't know to do your due diligence to investigate who you are buying from to ensure it is not a scam.

We are so grateful for your ongoing support Karen Vecchio!

Great conversation and discussion with the team from YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin to discuss their work with supportive housing, childcare, local immigration partnership, skills training, aquatics, summer camps and services provided.

I will continue to support the YWCA in their work as a social services provider for our community.

FREE PUBLIC SWIM TODAY!
Join us from 1:30 - 4pm at the outdoor pool on Myrtle Street. Make a splash and have some FUN! **weather permitting**

Special thank to you our Swim Sponsor South Dorchester Optimists - Lyons

https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

Just FORE the fun of it!

Love to knit or crochet? Want to help a great cause? Sign up for ClothingWorks London's special pop up event August 1. Items made will then be donated to their fall Coat Drive in October. It's a win, win! See original post for details.

Calling all yarnies! Knit and crochet for a cause on Thursday, August 1st at Edgar and Joe's Café from 9:30 to 11 AM! 😃

Meet other local makers, enjoy some refreshments and treats on us and donate your handmade pieces to ClothingWorks' winter clothing and accessories drive supporting local community members in need. ☕

We'll supply the yarn courtesy of Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes- just bring your hooks, needles, patterns or projects your already working on! Reserve a spot using the link below to get in on the fun, see you there! 💙🧶

Sign up link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clothingworks-knit-crochet-for-a-cause-at-edgar-joes-cafe-tickets-949277212697?aff=oddtdtcreator

Looking to update your closet? Check out Eastwood Baptist Church's free clothing drive this Saturday July 20 from 9:30am - 11:00am at 400 Wellington Street. Questions? Contact Eastwood Church directly at 519-633-4131.

Much to our community for your support! Summer Night Social is officially SOLD OUT!! We can't wait to meet our guests under the stars at Wildflowers Farm on Thursday, August 15. Gate opens at 5:30pm | Dinner served from 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Proudly sponsored by Masco Canada

LAST CALL THIS FRIDAY TO REGISTER FOR SESSIONS 3 & 7!

Dive into action and register for swimming lessons now. Learn more about available classes at https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

Keeping our community safe.

Following the recent drowning tragedy in our community, we know that water safety is top of everyone’s minds right now. National Drowning Prevention Week is July 21th-27th.

Proclamations to recognize this week are being made by:

📍Town of Aylmer (July 19th at 11am) @ Aylmer Town Hall
📍City of St Thomas (July 22nd at 10am) @ St Thomas Town Hall
📍Elgin County (July 23rd at 10am) @ Elgin County Administrative Building

Water Safety Events:
🌊Aylmer Free Swim (July 20th, 1:30-4:00pm) @ Aylmer Pool
🌊St Thomas Free Swim (July 21st, 1:30-4:00)
@ Jaycee’s Pool
🌊Shaw’s Education Night (July 24th, 5:00pm-8:30pm) @ Shaw’s

Looking to enter our raffle or donate to drowning prevention initiatives?

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/a60703e7-d3f4-4533-95b4-a223693d8752

Get ready to take a dip!
This Friday and Saturday we will be offering Free Public Swim Days from 1:30 - 4pm at the outdoor pool on Myrtle Street. Special thank to you to this week's Swim Sponsors South Dorchester Optimists - Lyons and The Aylmer Express for making free recreation, community connections and FUN possible for our local families.
**weather permitting**

https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

Weather Watch: just a reminder to all swim families to watch the weather prior to attending lessons. In the case of thunder, the pool will be cleared for 30 minutes. IF the pool is closed, we will post on our socials. As per our swim guide, any delayed or canceled programs will not be rescheduled. See full guide at https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

As of this post, we are going ahead with programming, but as you know, weather can be unpredictable! Please key an eye on our account!

Aquatics - YWCA St. Thomas - Elgin Swimming Lessons | Aquatics | Swim in Aylmer | Lifesaving Training | Lifeguard Training | Parent & Tot | Adult Swim | Bronze Medal Awards

Today we commemorate World Youth Skills Day, an event that underscores the importance of empowering young people with the necessary skills to succeed in a challenging world. Members of our Youth Independence Program (YIP) had a great time creatively expressing how they each feel about having the opportunity to build their skills at YWCA. Themes of equality, pride, growth, independence, coping skills, challenges, inner voices, I AM statements and more shone through this beautiful collection. Thank you to our youth for participating and being willing to share your thoughts and feelings.

Learn more about YIP https://ywcaste.ca/youth-independence-program-coordinator-supports/
Greg Holly Yip

Sarah Leitch, Secretary of South Dorchester Optimists - Lyons presents swim sponsorship donation to YWCA (Sarah Lounsbury, Julia Telfer and Melissa McDowell) Huge thanks for supporting healthy recreation for all this summer!

FREE PUBLIC SWIM TODAY!
Join us from 1:30 - 4pm at the outdoor pool on Myrtle Street. Make a splash and have some FUN! **weather permitting**

Special thank to you our Swim Sponsor Luyks Siemens Helder LLP Chartered Professional Accounts

https://ywcaste.ca/aquatics/

APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENEDED TO JULY 18!
Now is your opportunity to positively impact culture, diversity, community connections, equality and more in Elgin County. Apply today for our St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership Community Development Manager position.

Learn more at https://ywcaste.ca/2024/06/20/st-thomas-elgin-local-immigration-community-development-manager/

Proud to be a Living Wage Employer in Elgin County!

Proud to be a Living Wage Employer in Elgin County!

"Newly certified employer, YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin, has proudly served St. Thomas and Elgin County since 1902, providing valuable services to the women, men, and youth of their community. Lindsay Rice, Executive Director, has this to say on why they chose to become Living Wage certified:

https://ywcaste.ca/