Spurlino Family Y Membership Experience Coordinator Kayla Storey (L) and Sr. Membership Director Ashlee Claiborne (R) welcomed members back starting May 20.
The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA is thrilled to be welcoming back our members and the community, and getting back to what we do best – helping everyone reach their full potential.
"It felt like missing family. And knowing that they were going to be opening again, even my kids were like, 'Yes! We get to go back to the Y,'" shares North Brandon Family YMCA member and mother of six, Crystal Shaughnessy.
Elena Tewmey agrees, saying staying at home during the quarantine was hard for her and her daughters, Macee and Mali. “It was tough," Elena says. "It was lonely. Just more stressful because there is not variety in your day."
When the Tampa Y closed our facilities on March 17, we did so to protect the health and well-being of all our staff, volunteers, members and participants. Now that we’re back open, we keep that same commitment to keep everyone who enters our doors safe. Following guidance from the CDC and government officials, we have updated our policies, practices and procedures to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness. We have also made appropriate accommodations for social distancing to create a safer environment as members get back to focusing on their health and their community at the Y.
Gail McGwire makes sure she reserves her spot in a Thursday morning Zumba class at the North Brandon Y. "I just fell right back into it," she says. "It's like I never left. They just welcomed me back and I just fell into their arms." Fellow North Brandon Y member Richard Hogue embraced the reopening enthusiastically. "I couldn't get back here soon enough, if for no other reason than to see all of these smiling faces," he laughs.
One of those smiling faces belongs to Membership Executive & North Brandon Y Executive Director Heather Solomon. “To see the familiar faces, to see all of our regular members come back in, it really has been a blessing and a reminder of who we are and what we do," Heather shares.
Although the Y is back open, we encourage our members to return at their own pace and when they feel comfortable. We care about our members and their well-being. The Tampa Y is committed to doing whatever is necessary to ensure the safety all who enter our doors.
“The way we’ll interact with each other will be different, but at the Y, you’ll always be able to connect with people, improve your health and wellness, nurture your children’s potential and help strengthen our community,” says President & CEO Matt Mitchell. “The Y is more than a gym…we are a community.”