THE LONDON FAMILY:
THE Y IS AN AMAZING COMMUNITY RESOURCE

“You have been such an amazing community resource these past few months. Thank you SO much for coming through for parents and children!” – Catherine London, Y member, posting on our FB page

When YMCA members Catherine London and her husband Eric started working at home when the pandemic hit, they were able to manage assisting their son whose school moved to remote learning. It was workable, but they were well aware Jude was house-bound much more than was good. Like many children, 8-year-old Jude London was ‘cooped up’ at home and missing outdoor time and playing with friends. “My husband and I moved to working from home when the pandemic started. We were fortunate to be able to be home when Jude started remote learning. We knew that a lot of parents don’t have the option to be home with kids. It was just tough for Jude to be in the house while we worked.”

“We were grateful that Camp Sargent opened, and he had an opportunity to be outside, not inside while we were working. Camp is his place. He loves all of it. He knows a lot of the counselors and the kids who come back each year. For him it’s coming home each summer,” she said. “We appreciate that the Y saw a need and opened camp as soon as it was possible. The Y put itself out there early on. There was a lot of consternation about what we should or should not do (during the pandemic).” She said her family felt very comfortable sending Jude to camp.

The London family have been Y members for 6 years. Catherine enjoys yoga and Jude has been a camper each summer week at Camp Sargent and Camp Merrimack since they joined. Catherine is looking forward to checking out the virtual wellness offerings – especially yoga – when the winter weather hits, and she looks to supplement her outdoor walks. Catherine was happy when she saw through the Y’s social media posts that the Y broke ground for outdoor wellness classes.