Spring & Summer Programs Abound at Cross Timbers YMCA

Now that Spring Break is over, parents looking for something to keep their children active have a plethora of options at the Cross Timbers YMCA in Flower Mound. Available right now is spring volleyball academy/clinic for first and second graders, recreational volleyball for grades 2-8, and competitive volleyball for grades 5-8. There’s also soccer for pre-K through sixth grade. 

On the immediate horizon is an Easter Egg Hunt slated for March 28 at 6 pm. On April 27, the free Healthy Kids Day will be held. This is a national initiative aimed at improving health and wellness by teaching lifelong healthy habits. Also available are Adventure Guides camps for fathers and sons. Summer registration is now open for events beginning May 28. Camp Yipiyuk for ages 5-12 features swimming Monday through Thursday with field trips on Fridays. Off-site trips can include places like Six Flags Over Texas and Hawaiian Falls. On-site events include traveling robotics. 

“Each week is a different theme,” said Executive Director Jason Walter. “Parents can choose one week or 10 weeks depending on what their needs are. “They do arts and crafts and play games in the gym. One of the things we do with all our campers is they have to take a swim test just to make sure they can swim the length of the pool. If they can’t, then we put them in a water safety lesson to learn how to swim to prevent drowning so if they were to fall in a body of water they could get out.”

Another summer program is Camp on the Lake on Lake Lewisville in Highland Village for ages 6-13. That is a full-day Monday-Friday camp featuring tubing, BB guns, archery, arts and crafts, sailing, and kayaking in conjunction with other area branches. Again, parents can choose how many weeks their children attend. 

“One of the coolest things about us is a family that needs financial assistance can get those camp programs,” Walter said. “We have an application process, so the sooner they apply the better.”

Also available will be individual and group swim lessons for ages 6 months through 12. The Mommy and Me program goes from 6 months to 3 years old. Pre-schoolers have their own lessons, as do school-age children. Lessons run Mondays through Thursdays for two weeks plus some on Saturdays. The Cross Timbers YMCA joins with the Coppell YMCA for a competitive swim team. 

A partnership with the Dallas Mavericks for the last 3-4 years has produced a basketball program for students in pre-K through eighth grades. Volleyball clinics will be conducted including a Back-to-School version to prepare middle school girls to try out for their school teams. Besides these activities, the Cross Timbers YMCA will offer summer classes that contribute to a busy summer season. These include Fit for You focused on childhood obesity, and programs for people with special needs such as year-round Beyond Karate and Miracle League basketball. 

“I love having all those kids here during the summer,” Walter said. While many offerings are for youth, there are several available for adults often based on community needs. These include Fit for Health, Get Up and Go, LIVESTRONG for cancer survivors, blood pressure monitoring, and diabetes prevention.  Other year-round initiatives include Esports, Beyond Karate, group exercise classes, personal training, Parents Night Out, Community Family Fun Nights, and CPR. 

Seniors can take advantage of the Active Older Adults Program including low-impact exercise classes, bingo, line dancing, luncheons, day trips, and fashion shows.

To help pay for things membership doesn’t, the annual fund-raising campaign kicked off in early February with the goal of securing $125,000 to aid those in need. Walter said sponsorships are available for interested businesses. The Cross Timbers YMCA serves between 700 and 800 families and has about 2,500 individual members. Six staff help Walter oversee programming, some of whom are shared with other branches. 

Members pay less than non-members for all programs, and Walter said anyone bringing in this article will have their joiner fees waived. “We have a lot of families that just get a membership for the summer to take advantage of the pricing,” Walter said.