Lynn YMCA girls program lands grant

LYNN – The Greater Lynn YMCA kicked off a new program for teenage girls Wednesday following a successful pilot run and news that it will receive a $7,000 grant later this month from the Women’s Fund of Essex County, the Ronald McDonald House Children’s Charities, and from Pepsi Co. A Lynn-based program to assist elderly women suffering from emotional or physical abuse was also selected to receive $5,000.The funding will be awarded on Tuesday, Oct. 21, when the Women’s Fund holds its 6th annual Grants Awards Luncheon at the Peabody Marriott Hotel, 8 Centennial Drive in Peabody, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Liz Walker will be the keynote speaker.In addition to the Greater Lynn YMCA’s My Time program, and Greater Lynn Senior Services’ Older Battered Women’s Program, the other Essex County agencies to receive funding are: Beverly Hospital: Connecting Young Moms-Doula Program; Catholic Charities North: Healthy Living for Young Mothers; The Family Self-Sufficiency Center: Health Literacy: Risk, Recognition and Response; Health Quarters: Cervical Cancer Prevention Program; North Shore Health Project: Healing Our Community Collaborative; YWCA of Greater Lawrence: Women’s Health Advocacy Program.”Today is our very first day of the new session for the My Time program,” Audrey Jimenez, the Lynn YMCA branch director, explained Wednesday as she reviewed the itinerary with Salem State College student Jennifer Diaz, who will be facilitating the group.”We held a preliminary session over the summer just to see how it would work. Now we’re ready and the grant will provide the necessary funding for the program, which is offered free.”My Time was originally designed for girls between the ages of 11 and 14, but that has been expanded to include girls 9 to 15 years old. Eight girls have signed up and there is room for at least another four, Jimenez said.My Time was the brainchild of Jimenez, along with Beth Tilley, the YMCA’s director of operations, and Sharon Dobbyn, the fitness director. “We wanted to find a way to respond to the needs that we were seeing in the community,” said Jimenez. “We’ve witnessed a high level of teen pregnancies, and there are academic skills that need to be strengthened. We’re also concerned about the lack of etiquette among young women. And as a YMCA, we thought we needed to provide access to healthy lifestyles.”Jimenez said the My Time program advocates exercise and eating healthy rather than drastic dieting, the path followed by many teenage girls. “My Time will equip girls with knowledge and show them how to live a healthy lifestyle and make wise choices. It will also give them exposure to creative venues,” she said.The My Time group meets once a week on Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. in addition to outside trips and activities. Girls interesting in joining the program should call the YMCA at 781-581-3105.”We’re delighted to have as our keynote speaker Liz Walker, award-winning journalist, documentary producer and co-founder of Liz Walker Journey Productions,” said Women’s Fund President Paula Jerome. “Liz is a dynamic speaker and she really understands the importance and impact of our work.”The award recipients were chosen for their strong programs, wide geographic reach and a broad range of ages, Jerome said.Walker is host and executive producer of WBZ 4’s Sunday With Liz Walker. An ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a 2005 graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Walker has chosen to combine her communication skills with her spiritual passion to serve the world. She will give a speech entitled “The Risk of Love, The Art of Activism.”The Women’s Fund of Essex County was founded in 2003 to raise and distribute funds to non-profit agencies within the county, with intent to support programs that benefit women and girls.Grants are awarded annually to fund one field of focus on a rotational basis: Health and Well Being, Leadership and Empowerment and Economic