Community
Since its beginning in 1919, YWCA Greenwich has always been a center of activity for the community. The lobby area serves as a meeting spot for seniors to socialize, parents to chat while awaiting the end of their child’s program, or teens to do homework together. To further promote YWCA Greenwich as a community center, free programs including seminars, book groups and panel discussions are offered to all. YWCA Greenwich collaborates and hosts several events each year with our community partners.
In FY20 YWCA Greenwich, with funding from the Town of Greenwich Community Development Block Grant, renovated the lobby area, moving the reception desk to the back of the building and installing a swipe card system for additional security. This shift allowed for additional seating in the center of the lobby and a more comfortable flow to the program areas. In addition to serving as a community hub, YWCA Greenwich continued to provide adult and family members with high quality personal training, live and remote group exercise classes, and access to our state of the art fitness center and Nick Cavataro Pool with a reservation system and some of the highest health and cleaning standards in the community.
Arcuri’s Cafe
Also in FY20, YWCA welcomed Arcuri’s Pizza and Salad as our new café vendor. After a complete renovation of the YWCA Greenwich café and kitchen, including the installation of a pizza oven, a dedicated Arcuri’s staff served up the restaurant’s specialties to the delight of members and staff.
Free Events
To promote healthy bodies and minds, YWCA Greenwich is proud to offer free programs to the community. In fiscal 2020, before COVID-19 restrictions, the following events were offered:
Empowering Women to Escape Alive! This half day self-defense class, in collaboration with East Coast Training and Jane Doe No More, taught participants moves and strategies to disable and escape assailants.
Family Fun Fair. To kick off the new school year, in September YWCA Greenwich hosted its annual Family Fun Fair with arts and crafts, games, bouncy castle and a fitness scavenger hunt. The celebration of YWCA Greenwich Centennial continued with Happy Birthday sing along and homemade cupcakes for our guests.
Workout with the Docs. In September, Dr. Melissa Goldstein and Dr. Maria Cecilia Asnis of Stamford Health, joined YWCA fitness instructor, Sue Cavataro, for a workout and a presentation on how to combat osteoporosis through diet and exercise.
Wine Women and Wellness. In November, guests sampled wine, chocolate and cheese as Dr. Katie Takayasu of Stamford Health led a lively discussion dispelling health and nutritional myths.
YWCA’s Holiday Family Fair. YWCA Greenwich celebrated the holidays with a shopping boutique, arts and crafts, games, hot chocolate and treats and, of course, a visit with Santa and his elves.
The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance and Healing by Adam Frankel was the focus of our January event. In partnership with Greenwich UJA JCC, business leader and friend of the author, Indra Nooyi, hosted and interviewed Frankel, a former Obama speechwriter, about his family’s compelling story.
Transformative Power of Daily Reminders. Canyon Ranch lecturer, Jerry Posner, helped participants center and motivate themselves through inspirational messages.
