(L to R) Junior Delpe; Kyle Jackson; Bobby Paulino; and Tourek Williams representing Fort Lauderdale Police and SWAT teams
Miami Heat mascot Burnie and members of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and SWAT teams joined kids and their families at the recent Healthy Kids Day® at the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center, 1409 NW Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, scheduled to officially open on May 20.
Fort Lauderdale Policewomen Nicole Graves, left, and Sabrina Byer
Festivities included a basketball game with kids and the Fort Lauderdale Police and SWAT teams as well as other games, arts and crafts, healthy food demonstrations and more.
Getting ready for a friendly basketball game at the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center
Sponsors of Healthy Kids Day were Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Miami Marlins, Nicholas Children’s Hospital and Publix Super Market Charities.
Families and kids enjoying the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day
Families can now sign up for early bird savings on Camp Y this summer, where kids make friends, have fun, get active and discover who they are and what they can achieve. Camp Y includes lunch and weekly activities such as singing, swimming, nature hikes, sports, fashion show and leadership training, which helps youngsters grow as individuals and leaders. Y Campers will also be able to sit with a literacy teacher daily to prevent summer learning losses. For more info on Camp Y and summer registration, visit ymcasouthflorida.org/summer-camp.
Burnie working out in the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center fully equipped fitness center
Burnie on the treadmill
The new four-story, 65,000-sq.-ft. L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center, set to open with a ribbon cutting on May 20, offers facilities, programs and services the community said they wanted to have and will serve more than 55,000 people annually.
Grabbing the basketball on the new court at the L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center
Offered at the new YMCA on Sistrunk Boulevard are traditional Y program offerings; health and wellness programs; meeting and community space; retail space, including a Holy Cross Health center; a pre-school with early childhood learning options in the community; shared workspace; a Black Box Theater with cultural arts programming; and a swimming pool with the number one priority of teaching children to swim. Broward College occupies 10,000 square feet of space to provide certification programs that lead to jobs, careers and workforce development.
Fort Lauderdale Police and SWAT teams taking a tour of the new L.A. Lee YMCA / Mizell Community Center
(Photo Credit YMCA of South Florida)
Nurturing the potential of youth in the community by providing positive environment and opportunities, the L.A. Lee Family YMCA creates a place that provides complete health and wellness programs for kids, families, adults and seniors, afterschool programs, community events and meeting space. More than 100 jobs will be created with the opening of the new L.A. Lee Family YMCA, which is the oldest YMCA in Broward County serving the Fort Lauderdale community for more than 70 years.
The YMCA’s purpose is to provide programs and services that focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility that result in strengthening the foundations of the community.
About the YMCA of South Florida
The Y is a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Every day, the Y works hard to build healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults, families and communities through over 200 afterschool, preschool, special needs, sports, camp and youth programs, family centers, and senior health outreach sites. To learn more, visit www.ymcasouthflorida.org, connect on Facebook or Twitter, or call a Y near you.
