Help Support the YMCA of Greater Houston

Everyone in America is familiar with the YMCA and the great work they do to strengthen communities and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Did you know the YMCA is a non-profit? They rely heavily on volunteers, public and private donors to provide the support they need to serve the community. That’s why I’m excited to announce that the Cadillac Cares Houston Challenge is giving the YMCA of Greater Houston a chance to win $50,000 in free advertising to help them spread their mission locally.

The YMCA of Greater Houston is one of three charities that have been chosen by the Houston Area Cadillac Dealers to participate in this month-long challenge. The other two charities are the Children’s Museum of Houston and the Houston Food Bank, also wonderful organizations I support. These three charities are competing from May 9th through June 5th to see who can get the most votes on the Challenge Facebook page, hosted by the Houston Area Cadillac Dealers. The winner at the end of the month will receive the $50,000 in free advertising, but even the “losers” will go home with $1000 each. Isn’t that a GREAT contest?

If you’ve been reading Water Water Everywhere for long you probably know that the Katy Family YMCA is like a home away from home for me. We have a family membership and I am there working out every chance I get, which is usually several days a week. I meet my friends for time on the elliptical, I work on my Couch to 5K training on the treadmill, and I take Christ-centered Yoga class there once or twice a week. I’ve tried loads of other classes too, from Zumba to pilates. The thing is my kids love going to the Child Watch center there too and I am amazed by how well operated it is. The people who work with my kids are really awesome.

Right now my six year old is taking four weeks of swimming lessons at the Y too, so that’s another two nights a week I’m there. I usually end up in the pool with my younger child during that time too. Both the indoor and outdoor pools are impressive…what really blew me away was the long ramp for handicapped people to enter the pool using waterproof wheelchairs. Isn’t that cool? It totally fits the YMCA’s mission of making sure everyone has the opportunity for healthy living.

Crush-0136My son has also participated in youth sports teams through the YMCA including soccer and basketball. He loved both and they are just another example of how the Y is committed to youth development. This summer he will participate in the YMCA summer day camp program because I love what I have seen from the staff and other programs and I trust the people there a whole lot more than I did the daycamp he was at last summer.

I could go on and on about how the YMCA partners with other community organizations, like my church for example. But the Katy Family YMCA is just one of the 36 centers in the YMCA of Greater Houston. Through these centers and hundreds of other facilities the YMCA of Greater Houston serves more than 800,000 boys, girls, men and women a year.

That’s why I would LOVE it if YOU would click over to the Cadillac Cares Charity Challenge Facebook page and “Like” the YMCA of Greater Houston. You don’t even have to live here to vote, and you can vote as often as once a day!

Please vote daily! 

Have you ever participated in any YMCA programs? Tell me why else you love the Y! 


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I have been compensated to bring your attention to this worthy cause. All opinions are my own and I swear the money has nothing to do with my opinion about how awesome the YMCA is…can you tell?

Feb 4 is National Wear Red Day!

What’s more fashionable than a red dress?

The Heart Truth: National Wear Red Day, Friday, February 4, 2011. Get Involved!

The symbol of National Wear Red Day, designed to increase awareness of heart disease among women, is a red dress! The goal is to get more women taking action by talking to their doctor about their risks for heart disease and making lifestyle changes to reduce those risks.

Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women? I guess a lot of people don’t know that, maybe being breast cancer awareness has been so heavily marketed it would be easy to think that breast cancer killed the most women each year. So that’s why National Wear Red Day was created.

Why am I talking about this today? Because my dad died suddenly of a heart attack under the age of 50. That’s a huge risk factor for me, increasing my risk of heart disease by 136%. So when my first cholesterol test measured 200 and my doctor started talking about ways to bring that down, I paid attention. At that time, pre-kids, I was a couch potato and a junk food junkie. I was heavier than I should be and incredibly out of shape.

After the birth of my first baby I hit the gym hard. Pregnancy and child birth were actually good for me, kick starting my weight loss and giving me the drive to work out. My cholesterol dropped like a rock, as did my blood pressure and resting heart rate. I’ve been able to maintain that low cholesterol even when I’m not eating well through my active lifestyle. I get a full physical with bloodwork almost annually, because I am ever conscious of my family health history.

So today I’m joining in with my red dress, made by Liz Claiborne. And I thought I’d shop around and find a few others that I love, in case you were inclined to find one for yourself!

Here’s a cute and affordable one I found at Target for $39.99.

And here’s another I found at Nordstrom by Ralph Lauren. They have several great styles I like from both Ralph Lauren and JS Boutique. 
And just to present some beautiful options for curvier women, here’s a stunning red dress I saw at Nordstrom by Calvin Klein
So I hope you’ll take this Fashion Friday  post to heart and after you pick out your red dress, go talk to your doctor about your heart health! Now hop on over and check out some other Fashion Friday posts!