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Capital District YMCA Sculpins’ Morgan Lebrecht, front left, Courtney Mann, back left, and Athens’ Deanna DeSimone perform their trio routine during the East Zone Synchronized Swimming Championships at the Unversity at Albany Saturday. (Contributed photo)

By Casey Bolduc

On Tuesday, March 9^th at the Albany Marriot, the Capital District YMCA celebrated the end of the 2010 Reach Out for Youth Scholarship Campaign. Volunteers, staff and community leaders were on hand when campaign chairwoman, Lynn Siebert, announced that the Reach Out for Youth Campaign not only reached its $1,450,000 goal, but exceeded it, raising $1,466,857 that will go directly to helping families and children in the Capital District.

“We appreciate that the economy continues to be a challenge for people,” said Colleen Keating, the Capital District YMCAs Director of Annual Giving and Special Events, “but the response we’ve received from individuals, businesses and the entire community is overwhelming. In tough times like these, the services we’re able to offer because of these donations will help the YMCA continue to build strong kids, families and communities.”

The Reach Out for Youth Scholarship Program is the Capital District YMCA’s annual giving campaign which raises funds to help the YMCA serve more than 30,000 families who need financial support in order to take part in the programs and services delivered by the Capital District YMCA.

The Capital District YMCA is a not-for-profit organization serving more than 118,000 members in eleven branches. Through a variety of programs and services focused on the holistic development of children and youth, family strengthening, and health and well-being for all, YMCAs unite men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, our YMCAs have proudly served the Capital District’s communities for more than 150 years by building healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Visit http://www.cdymca.org to learn more about the Capital District YMCA.

March's Healthy Family Home Newsletter came with this question from a reader.  Get your full march newsletter here.

Ask the Food Dude – Nutritionist 

As a family we have the tendency to have high fat and high sugar desserts with most meals, how can we begin to reduce our intake of these treats?

Begin by using the word “treats” for special occasions. Instead of every day being dessert day reserve treats to the events they were intended for – birthdays, anniversaries, retirement parties, holidays, etc. Something that happens less than once a year can be a good rule of thumb when it comes to helping to determine what you could consider a special occasion. Another idea is to return to making (baking) your own desserts, this will definitely reduce the number of days treats are eaten. Involve the whole family in the preparation process. The next time the children ask for cookies, sign them up to help with the mixing and baking process. A few hours later the “treats” can be enjoyed and the extras placed in the freezer for another day. Baking as a family, rather than buying at the grocery store, will reduce the frequency of treats and help us to stay away from the expensive convenient solutions. Remember heavily processed treats are high in fat and sugar while at home your family can control the amounts. Take a family stand this month and stick to “treats” only for special occasions and make the food yourself from scratch. The final product will be enjoyed that much more if it is a “treat” in the true sense of the word in terms of the frequency it is served and the preparation time involves the entire family.

On Tuesday, March 2^nd, the Capital District YMCAs North Albany branch will join millions of their peers across the country to celebrate the twelfth annual National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America Day.

NEA's Read Across America Day, which falls on or around Dr. Seuss's birthday, expects more than 45 million readers, both young and old, to pick up a book and read.

To honor the good doctor and celebrate the fun and value of reading, the Capital District YMCA is asking you to join the NEA and many of America's leading literacy, youth, and civic groups in bringing a nation of readers together under one hat-the red and white stovepipe made famous by the Cat in the Hat-for a flurry (or furry) of reading excitement!

WHO:             Capital District YMCA – North Albany Branch
WHAT:           Reading of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham by
Executive Director, Orville Abrahams to the 4 year old class at the
North Albany YMCA
WHEN:           Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 8:30AM
WHERE:        616 North Pearl St., Albany, NY

The goal is to show America's children the joy of reading-on March 2 and every day.  For more information NEA's Read Across America, visit www.nea.org/readacross and learn of other reading celebrations that are happening from coast to coast.

Check back on Wednesday for Photos from the event.