TO: YMCA Members
MEMO: Mask Order Update
DATE: Friday, May 14, 2021

As you are aware, since reopening our facilities in June 2020, we have followed both CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines related to COVID-19 safety protocols. We thank you for your support throughout this time.

On Thursday, May 13th, the CDC announced that individuals fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no longer need to wear a mask while indoors. Shortly after the CDC announcement, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced that effective immediately, anyone fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is not subject to the state Mask Order, which remains in effect until 70 percent of Pennsylvanians are vaccinated. You can read the full announcement here.

In accordance with this announcement, beginning Friday, May 14, members, program participants and staff of YMCA of Waynesboro Area YMCA who are fully vaccinated may utilize our facilities and participate in programs without a face mask.

Fully vaccinated is defined as:

• 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If you do not meet the above requirements, you are NOT considered fully vaccinated and therefore are required to continue to wear a mask when inside a YMCA facility and when outdoors on our grounds when social distancing cannot be maintained. We are counting on the integrity of our Y community to follow this guidance based on their vaccination status. Waynesboro Area YMCA staff must submit verification of vaccination to Human Resources to no longer wear a mask indoors.

In honoring our Y core values and respecting your fellow Y members, please remember individuals may continue to wear a mask because they are mid-vaccine or as an extra precaution. We respect everyone’s choices and differing levels of comfort as we lessen the restriction within our facility.

We will continue to be diligent about enhanced cleaning practices, reduced capacity in classes and maintaining social distance in common areas.  These additional safety precautions will remain in effect and will be reevaluated in the upcoming weeks in accordance with the lifting of all mitigation orders announced for May 31, 2021.

The safety of our members, participants and staff remain our top priority. We will continue to uphold COVID-19 safety guidelines from the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health. We appreciate your care and respect for your fellow Y members as we continue to work together to maintain the safest environment possible.

We look forward to seeing your smiling face back at the Y!

Warmest Regards,

Amanda Gietka
Executive Director
Waynesboro Area YMCA

3/9/2020: Our YMCA understands our members and our community have growing concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19). Our organization is closely monitoring developments and are taking standard precautions as recommended by the Center for Disease Control.
With increased focus on sanitizing, the Y will continue to serve our members at this time. In the event that our community is further affected by this virus, the Y will then re-evaluate and communicate any changes to our programs/facility schedule.
For now, we encourage our members to continue using the Y and participating in our programs. In an attempt to limit the spread of germs, we do ask that members and staff refrain from visiting the Y when sick.
For additional resources, please check the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/

12/14/2020 Update: To our loyal members,

In compliance with the mandated closure order from the state of Pennsylvania, we closed our facility on Friday, December 11^th at 6pm, for all indoor fitness, pool and program use. This temporary closure will continue through Monday, January 4, 2021. We are preparing to re-open our membership branches at that time.
First and foremost, we want to thank you for supporting our Y and our staff who proudly serve you every day. Your continued membership and program enrollment means we can continue to be here supporting you, your neighbor, and your community through our Operation Compassion community initiative. Without your continued support we would not be able to continue serving our members and our community. THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH US!
What is Operation Compassion? This is the work our team does while not able to welcome members into the facility. It’s important to stay connected with our members while they are staying home. Operation Compassion includes wellness calls, virtual classes, online youth engagement and of course child care programs for those working through the pandemic. Our Y also recognizes that our neighbors and partner organizations are struggling so we feel called to support them. Our Operation Compassion team reaches beyond our walls to serve at the food bank, churches, and essential and local businesses in any way we can. This is the work your continued membership fee and generous donations allow us to continue despite our closed facility. THANK YOU… YOUR SUPPORT DIRECTLY IMPACTS OUR COMMUNITY!
I believe that following our core values and acting responsibly guides us to comply with this new state order, but it also compels us to stay connected with you. We recognize there are many questions you may have and we will be releasing updates and further details in the coming days.  Below outlines a few of the immediate and frequent questions from our members. Additional questions can be directed to service@waynesboroymca.org :

• Our licensed Genesis Learning Center and School Aged Before/ After Care programs will continue to operate, providing these important services for our working families. **In the event that our school districts shift to a virtual platform, our team will be in contact. We are prepared to serve your family if/when a full day care program is needed.
• While our physical buildings may be closed, members will find our live and on-demand fitness and youth programs, offered exclusively for our members, online via our website, Facebook and YouTube. A detailed schedule will be release shortly
• For members participating in programs that have been interrupted by this closure, you will be contacted directly regarding credits and/ or make up sessions.

Members who pay their monthly membership fee via autopayment will continue to draft unless they actively request to hold/cancel their membership via email to service@waynesboroymca.org . Please note these requests cannot be made retroactively and must be done during the time of closure. As in the spring, any membership due that is paid during a state mandated closure is considered a donation to our Operation Compassion initiative. Proper documentation of this  contribution will be sent to members after the holiday and can be used when completing your 2020 tax returns.
As a THANK YOU for #STICKINGWITHUS be sure to keep an eye on your mailbox for a special gift from our Y family to yours! We may not be together now, but we are already looking forward to seeing you all back at the Y in 2021!!!

These policies could change at any time as more information is received from the State of Pennsylvania. Please continue to check our website for changes and additional information. Please also keep your eye out for continued communications to our members for important updates.

Have a question or need assistance?
Branch telephones will be answered during business hours, Monday-Friday. You can also request assistance outside of normal business hours by contacting our Membership team at Service@waynesboroymca.org

Respectfully,
Amanda Gietka
Executive Director
Waynesboro Area YMCA

12/10/2020 Update: As a result of Governor Wolf’s statement, the Y will once again close our doors at 6pm on December 11th. We anticipate reopening on January 4^th. While this is a difficult reality, we are hopeful that this temporary closure will aid the mitigation efforts and keep our community safe and healthy. The Governor’s order will require the Y to close the facility for three weeks.
Thankfully, our child care programs will be continue to operate without interruption. Our leadership team is doing everything in their power to meet the needs of our members despite our inability to be together in person. We encourage you to join us online again for our virtual Y offerings. In the coming days we will fully release our virtual options and looking forward to staying connected with you! Members should look for more information via email, website and direct mail. If you have additional questions, please reach via email at service@waynesboroymca.org.
Thank you for sticking with us. Undoubtedly this has been the most challenging year in the history of our organization, but it’s also been enlightening to see the support from our community and our membership. #staywithus 

Read more about the Governor’s announcement: on.pa.gov/2JQQzDW

6/12/2020 Update: Today everyone’s favorite color is GREEN! 💚 We are so excited to welcome you back to the Y starting Monday, June 22nd. More details about what to expect when you walk through our doors coming soon. After three long months we can finally say… we look forward to SEEING YOU AT THE Y! #staywithus
Read more about Franklin County’s  Green Phase from The Record Herald

5/22/2020 Update:  We are excited to move into the  Yellow Phase. In this phase we will be focusing on providing child care as outlined in Gov. Wolfe’s phased re-opening plan. Our leadership team will be sending out more detailed communication next week. We look forward to serving our preschoolers and school-aged members soon. There is still plenty of time to make this the BEST SUMMER EVER! Stayed tuned and stay safe!

April 7, 2020

Dear Valued Members,

Thank you to all of our members who are sticking with us! And thank you to those who continue to make contributions to our Y! While the Y’s doors are closed, our team has found ways to continue to serve our community. We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and understanding as we continue to navigate these
uncharted waters. However, we respect that every member’s situation is different and we are happy to place your membership on hold until the Y re-opens. If you wish to hold or cancel your membership you should make our team aware before the end of the day on Friday, April 10th.

If you are able to stick with us throughout the closure… we thank you! Your membership allows us to keep working, planning and serving you and our community. Our staff has been able to perform maintenance projects and thoroughly clean the facility. Recently, our Y opened a respite child care program for children of essential medical workers. Our group instructors have been able to stream classes to help keep you fit and connected while at home. And because we know this too shall pass, we are hard at work planning the BEST SUMMER EVER! Because our Y has served Waynesboro for 105 years and we want to assure you we are here for you when our community returns to “normal”.

To show our appreciation for your continued support, the Y will recognize your April monthly membership dues as a contribution to our mission. Your contribution to our charitable organization is 100% tax deductible. At the end of the year you will receive a contribution acknowledgment to use when filing your 2020 tax returns.

The Y understands this is a challenging time for everyone, and we know that our members are making many difficult choices. Thank you for choosing to stick with us!

Any questions or concerns can be directed to our Membership team via email at
service@waynesboroymca.org.

We hope to see you at the Y soon! Stay healthy and faithful.

Respectfully,
Amanda Gietka
Executive Director
Waynesboro Area YMCA

To read this letter as a pdf document, please click here.

To our valued members,

The Y has been here for Waynesboro for 105 years. As one of the largest non profits serving our community, our Y is constantly asking, “How can we help?”. We have and will always be ready to serve our community. And as the community responds the Covid-19 pandemic, the Y is pivoting how we serve Waynesboro. While our facility is closed in order to fully support the Governor’s request for social distancing, the Y still here for you Waynesboro! During closure we will be preparing to make future programs even better, making good use of time to perform annual maintenance as well as thoroughly sanitize our facility. The Y recently launched our “Virtual Y” which helps you and your family stay engaged, connected and active during our closure. If there is more we can do to help you… just let us know. We are here for you Waynesboro!

There is one thing you can do for our Y. Right now, we are asking you stick with us if you can. Your membership dues are helping our organization sustain our organization and will help us to be resilient during chaotic times. Members who continue to pay their monthly dues are allowing our Y to serve our members, our employees and our community. We are asking you to help us by remaining a sustaining member.

For 105 years, the Y has been here for Waynesboro and this pandemic will not change that. The Y is here for good. While we are confident in our ability to serve our community for generations to come, we realize their will be challenges. By remaining a sustaining member of our Y, you will be helping us to combat so many of these challenges. Thank you to those members who choose to remain with us. We are proud to serve you and appreciate your support.

We have the opportunity, right now, to decide what the future looks like. And with your support that future includes a resilient and steadfast YMCA .  Thank you for allowing us to continue to work towards our mission: To put Christian principles into practice to promote healthy, mind body and spirit for all.

Respectfully,

Amanda Gietka
Executive Director
Waynesboro Area YMCA

REMAIN A SUSTAINING MEMBER:
If you are able to, keep your membership active and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Our Y will continue to collect automatic monthly payments during the closure. We appreciate the faith and investment sustaining members make by keeping their membership active. If you prefer to place your membership on hold, please do so by contacting us at service@waynesboroymca.org We understand that every member must make the best decision for their situation and we respect that whole heartedly.

CONTRIBUTE:
Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated! Financial generosity now will allow the Y to serve Waynesboro throughout the coming weeks and months. The Y is charitable organization and all donations are tax deductible. Make your donation here!

Program specific payments & credits:
Please note that all automatic payments associated with our licensed child care programs have been suspended effective March 16th. Once we have more information on when the Y can return to regular operations we will explore the best way to credit those members who were auto-drafted for care on March 13th. Anyone in dire financial hardship in need of refund should contact us at service@waynesboroymca.org. We are working to accommodate everyone’s situation while attempting to avoid confusion when regular service is restored which is why we encourage credits to be used towards future services. Please note, credits for fitness and aquatic programs will also be evaluated once the Y can return to regular operations.

To read this letter as a pdf document, please click here

March 15, 2020 Update:

Together, we are facing a health crisis in our community. To further support the Governor’s request for social distancing/mitigation, the Y will close our facility to members effective Sunday, March 15^th at 5pm. The YMCA facility closure will extend until state officials and health experts advise our leadership that it is wise to resume normal operations.  This includes the suspension of care for school age children.  However, the Genesis Learning Center will remain open during this time, unless we are mandated to close.

We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these unchartered waters. We encourage all our members to heed the advice of the CDC and state authorities while also leaning on your faith. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Please continue to visit our social media sites and website for additional closure details and information.

March 15, 2020 Youth Development Update:

With the Y  closing our facility to members effective Sunday, March 15^th at 5pm. The YMCA facility closure will extend until state officials and health experts advise our leadership that it is wise to resume normal operations.

This includes the suspension of care for school age children. Please click here to read the information about the closure that was sent to the YMCA School-Age Family. Please click here to read the information about the closure that was sent to the YMCA Genesis Learning Center Family.

Please continue to visit our social media sites and website for additional closure details and information.

Health and safety of our members and staff remain our top priority and we want to communicate what we are doing to keep you, our members, and the community healthy and safe.