YMCA of Middle Tennessee

Happy Newroz! Newroz P?roz Be! Celebrated each year during the Spring equinox, Newroz honors the arrival of spring and is a celebration of the new year in Kurdish culture. Newroz is celebrated with bonfires, special foods, fireworks, dancing and singing to recognition of the end of winter and the fresh start of spring. In 2022, March was declared Kurdish Heritage Month in Nashville in honor of the 15,000+ Kurds that call Nashville home. A great way for all Middle Tennesseans to celebrate this month is to visit Kurdish owned businesses! Learn more at visitmusiccity.com/Kurdish

Happy Holi! Around the world, the air is bursting with color in celebration of this vibrant Hindu festival. The arrival of spring marks the start of this annual event known as the "festival of colors" for Hindu communities. For everyone in Middle Tennessee and across the world celebrating today, we wish you a Happy Holi and hope that your day is filled with vibrant colors, love and joy!

Sumner County Family YMCA lifeguard Katelyn Williams, an 18-year-old senior at Liberty Creek High School in Gallatin, recently encountered an emergency while on her shift at the Y. A member, Billy Austin, experienced a medical emergency after exercising and collapsed. His heart stopped, and Katelyn was alerted. While waiting for EMS to respond, Katelyn ran to the locker room where Billy was and immediately began chest compressions, which wound up saving his life. Read more about Katelyn's heroic efforts at: https://lnkd.in/ed_YUhA9

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period in the Christian church calendar leading up to Easter. On this day, observers of Lent will often have ashes placed on their foreheads as a reminder, "For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19b)." With this in mind, Ash Wednesday invites us all to make the most of our lives, giving up what gets in the way and making room for what matters most.

Today is the start of Women’s History Month! In honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, the Y is honored to commemorate and celebrate female figures within the history of the YMCA movement who were vital to the success and empowerment of all current and future women leaders in the Y. As part of the YMCA's massive World War I support effort, Addie Hunton was one of only three African American women assigned to serve over 200,000 segregated Black troops stationed in France. Hunton was also YWCA secretary for Black student work and vice president of the NAACP. Fighting to improve the status of women in the YMCA, Winifred Colton began her extensive YMCA career as women’s and girls’ work secretary at the YMCA of Metro Chicago. In 1957, the YMCA's National Council’s statement of purpose no longer applied to “males only,” and Colton became the first woman professional on the national staff. One of the founding members of the San Jose YMCA, Xinia Brenes Jenkins was deeply involved in the Costa Rican Catholic youth movement. The Latin American Confederation of YMCAs reached out to Jenkins for her assistance in instituting a national Costa Rican YMCA. Jenkins's work for the Costa Rican YMCA focused on providing programs for refugees, relief for those affected by housing shortages, and offering vocational skills training for women and agricultural skills training for Costa Rican natives. These stories capture just a few of the accomplishments and contributions of Women leaders who have made a lasting impact on the YMCA and the communities the YMCA serves. Visit the YMCA Archives at https://lnkd.in/g2hr_Eps to learn more about the history of Women’s leadership at the YMCA! #WomensHistoryMonth #YForAll

Ramadan Kareem! We extend this greeting, meaning “Generous Ramadan,” to our Muslim neighbors during this lunar month-long observance of Ramadan. Muslims around the world and across Middle Tennessee will fast from sun up to sundown during these 30 days, spending time in reflection and prayer. This is also a time to be with loved ones as Iftar meals are shared together at sunset to break fast each night during Ramadan. The Y wishes all who celebrate a Blessed Ramadan!

Today, our staff participated in?#WeWearBlack, an annual campaign that YMCAs across the country recognize, to honor the struggle of those who came before us. We wear black in unity with those who are working daily to fight injustice, prejudice and inequity. We wear black to do our part to ensure those who come after us have greater opportunity to thrive. We joined YMCAs across the country in wearing black to help foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.?#WeWearBlack

Happy Lunar New Year! While commonly associated with Chinese New Year or the annual Spring Festival, Lunar New Year is celebrated in countries throughout Asia and across the world. 2025 brings the Year of the Snake, which is associated with wisdom and transformation. To celebrate Lunar New Year in Nashville, join The Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN) in Centennial Park for a Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, February 8th from 11am to 3pm. #HappyLunarNewYear

Congratulations to all of our YMCA of Middle Tennessee swimmers who recently participated in the USA Swimming Mardi Gras Swim Meet! Representing the Sumner County Family YMCA: Faith Courtney and Leela Smith Representing the Robertson County Family YMCA: Alan Capati, Willow Dunn, and Lily Dunn Representing the Clarksville Area YMCA: Changyeong Seong If you're interested in learning more about our Youth Swim Clubs, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gudg25B6

It was an eventful and uplifting (and chilly!) Martin Luther King Jr. Day for YMCA Staff! Our group began their day by taking part in the MLK Day March down historic Jefferson Street. Once they reached Tennessee State University, they attended the MLK Day annual convocation, hosted by the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship. The group then went to the Northwest Family YMCA to pack cold weather care packages to donate to two local shelters. #YForAll