MORRIS COuNTY – Where can a family play pickleball, dodgeball, and take a boot camp class, all in one week, and all for free? Why the Y of course! Lakeland Hills Family YMCA invites the community to its annual Welcoming Week, this year bigger and better than ever! Conveniently located where the Mountain Lakes, Parsippany, and Boonton borders meet at 100 Fanny Road in Mountain Lakes, the area’s leading community organization is offering a free week of fun events, all in one place, from September 13-18.
Communities are stronger and more cohesive when people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to get to know one another and work side by side to advance the common good. Welcoming Week brings YMCAs and other nonprofit organizations across the country together to help elevate the growing movement of communities that fully embrace all Americans and their contribution to the social fabric of the U.S.
“Celebrating community is what Lakeland Hills Family YMCA is all about,” says Alejandro (Alex) Martinez, CEO and President of the Y. “Our Y is excited to present an entire week of free programs and activities for families and children. Our community looks to Lakeland Hills Family YMCA for support in all facets of life – health and wellness, mental health awareness, spiritual connection, youth development, and more.”
Martinez continued, “Welcoming Week is being presented the day after we have our ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new Welcome Center. The Welcome Center has a mission-based purpose to foster community support. The Center is in memory of Kris Joganow, a long-time Y employee, friend, and supporter of the Y. Kris, the wife of our former CEO, Dr. Vik Joganow, passed away from COVID-19 in 2020. We are truly fortunate to reopen our facility to a beautiful new community-centric Welcome Center. This new space, which spans almost the entire first floor of our facility, includes areas for community programs and meetings, “Kris’ Coffee Corner” with enhanced free hot beverages, healthy self-vending machines with cashless purchases including parfaits, sandwiches, salads, snacks, and more. Additionally, the Lounge offers comfortable seating for meetings, work from your laptop with self-charging areas, a teen space, and more. These renovations and upgrades are due to the philanthropic efforts of individuals supporting Kris Joganow’s memory as well as corporations and other donors.
The Welcome Center at Lakeland Hills Family YMCA will have its official grand opening on Monday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. for invited guests, donors, and dignitaries. It begins with a cleansing of the space followed by an ecumenical blessing of the new Center. The Y reopens to its members and the community on Tuesday, September 13. This is also the first day of Welcoming Week.
For the full calendar of events, programs, and activities as part of its Welcoming Week, click here or call Lakeland Hills Family YMCA at (973) 334-2820.
For more than 100 years the Y has been the leading community organization serving thousands of people, with its focus on Healthy Living, Youth Development, and Social Responsibility. No one serves the community as powerfully as the Y does every day.
