Rocky Mount, Va. (September 28, 2017) –The Franklin County YMCA is happy to announce that Victoria Brown is the new Branch Director of the Ferrum College YMCA. Brown has been a familiar face to many at the Rocky Mount Y, where she developed a reputation as a knowledgeable and friendly fitness professional. In two yearsas a personal trainer, Fitness Coordinator and program instructor, she developed innovative programs such as Moving with Mommy, an exercise class for new mothers, and Ladies Who Lift, a women’s powerlifting class.  Brown will apply her innovation and initiative to bring similar programs to the Ferrum branch.

"I'm excited to become a part of Ferrum College and look forward to creating a great environment for wellness and community on this beautiful campus," says Brown. “Starting this fall, we will be offering new programs for the campus as well as for the community.”

Brown also brings her experience as a collegiate athlete and area youth soccer coach to the Ferrum Y, which works closely with Ferrum College Athletic teams. Ferrum’s Academic programs also use the Y as an extension of classroom learning, and for the past year, Brown has worked in partnership with Ferrum College staff to develop wellness programs for the campus community.Her colleagues at the Rocky Mount are also excited about the changes coming to the Ferrum location.

“Victoria has a personal passion for fitness and an excellent track record of successful program development and delivery,” said YMCA Membership Director Kevin McAlexander. “We are excited for the fresh ideas and enthusiasm that she brings to this role! We've already had a lot of positivefeedback from the campus community.”

For more information about the Ferrum YMCA's schedule and programs, call 489-9622, or visit the Ferrum YMCA Facebook page. 

"Great things are on the way! Stop in and see us!" said Brown.

Rocky Mount, Va. (August 22, 2017) – The Franklin County Family YMCA announced today that a long time member and class participant Jessica Mitchell has become the Y’s new Group Exercise Coordinator taking over for Christy Ploch.

“I am honored and thrilled to be the YMCA's new Group Exercise Coordinator. I have big shoes to fill with Christy Ploch stepping back from this role. She has been a huge impact on fitness in Franklin County. I have a huge passion for fitness and am elated to share it with our members,” says Jessica Mitchell.

The position consists of managing around 50 classes a week, multiple instructors and certifications as well as coordinating special events and programs for YMCA members.  The Y’s group exercise classes are offered weekly at no additional charge to all YMCA members. The classes include Yoga, Zumba, kettlebell classes, bootcamp style classes, low impact classes, even a Moving with Mommy class for new moms and their child.

“We have an amazing group of instructors that all have something different to offer our members. We have classes for all levels and all ages. I hope to bring new programs, new classes and put my personal touch on our program. We have a loyal group of members that come to all our classes and it just makes it more fun to work out together. We laugh and push each other while getting healthy! I look forward to new faces that haven't given us a try. You will get hooked, I promise!” says Mitchell.

For more information on the Y’s group exercise schedule call 540-489-9622. 

 Rocky Mount, Va. (August 22, 2017) – The Franklin County Family YMCA announced today that a long time member and class participant Jessica Mitchell has become the Y’s new Group Exercise Coordinator taking over for Christy Ploch.

“I am honored and thrilled to be the YMCA's new Group Fitness Director. I have big shoes to fill with Christy Plough stepping back from this role. She has been a huge impact on fitness in Franklin County. I have a huge passion for fitness and am elated to share it with our members,” says Jessica Mitchell.

The position consists of managing around 50 classes a week, multiple instructors and certifications as well as coordinating special events and programs for YMCA members. The Y’s group exercise classes are offered weekly at no additional charge to all YMCA members. The classes include Yoga, Zumba, kettlebell classes, bootcamp style classes, low impact classes, even a Moving with Mommy class for new moms and their child.

“We have an amazing group of instructors that all have something different to offer our members. We have classes for all levels and all ages. I hope to bring new programs, new classes and put my personal touch on our program. We have a loyal group of members that come to all our classes and it just makes it more fun to work out together. We laugh and push each other while getting healthy! I look forward to new faces that haven't given us a try. You will get hooked, I promise!” says Mitchell.

For more information on the Y’s group exercise schedule call 540-489-9622.

RETIRED SHERIFF’S DEPUTY MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE FOR YMCA

Rocky Mount, Va. (March 3, 2017) –Neil Moses retired from the Roanoke City Sheriff’s office after over 20 years of service to dedicate more time to his growing cleaning business Next Level Building Solutions. Next Level prides itself on being a top notch full service commercial cleaning business that now employees nearly 30 individuals under the leadership of Ashley Rogers the General Manager. After becoming a janitorial services provider for the Franklin County Family YMCA Neil decided to make a donation to the Y to help the overall appearance of the building.

“We originally asked Next Level in to do a one-time cleaning of the locker room facilities but they looked so much better we decided we had to retain their services. It was at that time Mr. Moses said he was interested in donating new carpet to the YMCA facility,” says Jim Currie CEO of the Franklin County YMCA.

The YMCA facility which is nearly twenty years old is in the progress of making improvements to energy efficiency and overall appearance so it was a perfect time to install new carpet. Working with a local flooring provider Mr. Moses donated and installed over 800 square feet of new carpet to the YMCA’s Rocky Mount location. The new carpet is commercial grade and designed to handle the high traffic volume of the busy YMCA location.

“I could have cleaned the older carpet and made it look good but knowing how important the Y is to Franklin County I wanted to do a little bit more. It’s important for Next Level to not only offer our customers the best possible janitorial and floor services but to help our community. In this case we were able to do both,” says Moses.

Next level has customers from Harrisonburg, Virginia all the way to Kannapolis, North Carolina and specializes in janitorial services, floor polishing, tile and grout restoration and carpet extractions. The YMCA is a 501 (c)(3) non -profit serving over 7,000 members in the Franklin County area. 

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, & Dodge

The Franklin County YMCA Held its First Ever Dodgeball Tournament

Smith Mountain Lake, VA. (July 23, 2015) - The Smith Mountain Lake YMCA held its first ever dodgeball tournament on Thursday, July 23^rd. Four teams of six competed for prizes including Benny Adelina’s gift certificates, water bottles and free passes to the YMCA. The competition was intense and the team gear was on point. Super heroes and neon headbands were on full display. Josh Harkema, referee and DJ kept the party going with funny commentary and a mix of classic and current hits.

The Gym Class Heroes pictured below went home with the prizes and bragging rights. From left to right  Kelly Alderman, Taylor Richardson, Sandy Nicely, Joey Shervey, Alex Alderman, and Garrett Ruggeri.  “The tournament was a great success, it brought the community together and everyone had fun! We definitely want to make this tournament an annual event and are considering having a dodgeball league! I think once the word gets out about this fun, active, and social sport, it will become popular in the area.” - Lauren Acker, Branch Director

Interested in seeing the dodgeball league happen? Contact Lauren at (540)721-9622 or at lacker@franklincountyymca.org

Its new partnership with area doctors improves residents health.

The Franklin County Family YMCA announced today a new Script Fit program that partners with area doctors to give their patients a “prescription” for exercise. Participating doctors are able to refer patients to the program which includes a YMCA membership, one-on-one training sessions with a certified personal trainer, a full body analysis using the high tech Inbody machine and even email reports of Inbody evaluations.

This 3 month program is offered at a substantially discounted rate to area residents if referred by their doctor. The patient’s Inbody results are transmitted to the doctor electronically from the Inbody machine and includes body fat, segmental muscle mass and metabolic rate.

“We have seen big personal benefits from this program. One client has lost 3.3 pounds of fat, increased muscle mass by 5 pounds, lost weight overall, reduced visceral fat (the dangerous stuff) by 1 point and the most exciting thing is that blood pressure was reduced by more than 40 points! It was 200/140 and is now 160/90. This program clearly improves our community’s health,” says Pam Turman Fitness Director at the YMCA.

Script Fit which began in May, is a comprehensive approach to wellness built on accurate health assessments, one-on-one sessions with a certified trainer along with motivation and support. Participating Franklin County doctors include Dr. Trochim, Dr. Payne, Dr. Tiffany Grace, Dr. Stubbs, Dr. Amos, PA Tina Muse and Dr. Bumgardner among others.

“The YMCA is encouraging all doctors to join this program to help their patients. Because this “win win” program is making a huge difference in our own backyard,” says Turman.

This newest health initiative is a part of a wider YMCA mission to make true wellness available for all residents. Since 1998 the Y has focused on creating a comprehensive approach to building healthy spirt, body and mind across its 3 locations in Franklin County. They offer everything from free weights, to cardio equipment, to group exercise classes, to water exercise and indoor tennis.

For more information on participating in this program as a physician or as a patient Pam Turman at the YMCA can be contacted at 540-489-9622.