MANATEE YMCA NIFTY THRIFT SHOP
Have You Heard? The Manatee YMCA Nifty Thrift Shop has opened in Palmetto, and we need your donations!
Drop off your used items to any of our 3 branch locations in Lakewood Ranch, Parrish and Bradenton. Items may include clothing, furniture, toys, kitchenware, sporting equipment, books, electronics, tools, and art. Pick-up and delivery services are available in Manatee County for large items.
All proceeds from the store will be used to support families and children by providing programs and services at the Y such as gang prevention, mentoring and leadership, summer/day camp, safe places before and after school, services for veterans, and other health and wellness services.
The Nifty Thrift Shop also supports victims of disaster. If you know anyone who needs help from flooding or other disasters in Manatee County or if you need a large item picked up for donation, please contact the store at (941) 212-4652.
You can also support this effort by visiting the Manatee YMCA Nifty Thrift Shop for all of your shopping needs. The store is located at 627 10th Street East in Palmetto, across from Walmart and behind McDonalds.
Thank you for your donations in support of the Y!
News Articles About the Thrift Shop
SNN6 – Manatee YMCA opens Thrift Store to benefit community
The Herald-Tribune- Parrish YMCA’s new thrift store one of only 3 in country
The Herald-Tribune Video- YMCA Nifty Thrift Shop
The Bradenton Herald- Thrift store fans now have YMCA’s new Palmetto shop
The Observer News- Manatee YMCA takes on a new venture: a thrift store
MANATEE YMCA YOUTH OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTERS COMPETE AT WEIGHTLIFTING
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alexis Grella, 14, and Megan Citera-Juarez, 11, have been a part of the Olympic Weightlifting Club at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA for less than a year, but their hard work during that time earned them qualifications for the 2017 Youth National Championships for USA Weightlifting in Atlanta, Georgia.
The girls have worked with their Weightlifting coach, Paul Harris, to excel in their age and weight classes in the clean and jerk, snatch, and the total for both.
“The National event is a stepping stone to the IWF Youth World Championship,” Harris said. “There is a really good chance that one or both of these girls could come back as a National Champion. They are exceptional kids.”
The Olympic Weightlifting Club at the Lakewood Ranch YMCA currently has 12 competitors, 9 of them under the age of 18, who work with Harris for three days a week to push their limits in weightlifting. Harris has been power lifting for more than 25 years, and started coaching about five years ago. He tries to teach his athletes that the sport is as much mental as it is physical.
“It’s a great sport to be involved with,” he said. “There are opportunities for these kids to get college scholarships someday, and I believe they can get there.”
The Olympic Weightlifting program has room to grow, and the kids are currently planning fundraisers to buy new equipment and support the trip to Nationals. The Club meets Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., and is open to all ages. The fee for members is $40/month for members and $65/month for nonmembers.
BOY SCOUT HONOR AT THE LAKEWOOD RANCH YMCA 
Andrew denBoggende, a Boy Scout in Manatee County, earned his Eagle Scout wings in part by designing and building a Ga-ga Pit for the Manatee YMCA. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program, and only four percent of Boy Scouts are granted this rank after a lengthy review process.
Ga-ga is a variant of dodgeball that is played with one ball. The game combines dodging, striking, running, and jumping, with the object of being the last person standing. The Manatee YMCA will be able to use the Ga-ga pit at Healthy Kids Day, summer camp, and other events that support the community.
Andrew chose the YMCA for his service because the mission and values align with what he learned and practices in Boy Scouts.
Thank you Andrew for this awesome gift!
YDASH KIDS ENJOY FREE HOCKEY PROGRAM WITH THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
The Manatee YMCA is partnering with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chase Bank to provide street and ice hockey lessons to kids in our YDASH before and after school program.
Last year, the Lightning provided kids from 3 of our middle schools with street hockey lessons after school. This year, kids from Buffalo Creek Middle School will take the skills they learned from street hockey and apply them to the ice for a free 13 week ice hockey lesson program at Ellenton Ice Rink. YDASH kids from 3 new schools, Haile Middle, Braden River Middle, and Nolan Middle, will start street hockey lessons and will hope to advance to the ice hockey program next year.
The Lightning and Chase Bank will provide all equipment and give a stick and puck to each child. What a great opportunity for our YDASH kids!