What’s Your Story?

MASSILLON FAMILY YMCA

Generations of Love: Making Healthy Habits a Family Tradition
August 2018

“Fall down seven times and get up eight,” that’s what

Massillon Family YMCA member, Chelsey Church, lives by.
Herself and her daughters, Caelyn and Aanna, have been
attending the Y for seven years on an almost daily basis,
but Chelsey has been involved in the Y since childhood for
as long as she can remember, with her dad and aunt having
gone to the Y devotedly each day. So when it came to starting
a family, it was a no-brainer that she would involve her
children too. Having grown up obese, Chelsey’s personal
goal is to never be the person she used to be and to keep
healthy, active, and motivated so that she doesn’t have to put
back on the weight she worked hard to lose. In turn, she
wants her children to embrace the same lifestyle changes
that she has made, so that they may never experience
for themselves the life she used to live. She says, “Just keep
going. The start is hard, but the finish is worth it.”
The family has stayed active and motivated in the Y community by getting involved
in several different groups such as soccer, softball, gymnastics, swimming, and almost all
of the different children’s events. The YMCA gives the kids a chance to enjoy the
activities that are too expensive outside of the organization, such as school sports or
the gymnastics and dance centers. Chelsey accredits the Y for being the primary reason
that both of her children are able to swim and she is grateful that the Y has helped to
make such beneficial changes in wellbeing to their lives. She says now they can, “do
anything, go anywhere,” because her girls stay healthy, active, and most importantly,
optimistic.
 One of her main sources of motivation that keeps her pushing through to reach her
goals is the positive people at the YMCA who encourage her along the way. Whether that
.
be employees, fellow members, or friends, there is always someone who is there to
spread the positive energy and Chelsey is ecstatic that such energy can be shared with
her kids. The one thing she hopes her children take away from their experiences at the Y
is the kindness that they have been shown and she wants them to want to put back into
the community what they, themselves, have gotten out of it. She hopes that we, as the Y
community, could gain from her story, not only inspiration, but more importantly, smiles.

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the
fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.
Matthew 6:30

Written by Emma Stefanick

For further inquiries or to submit your own story, please contact the author at
estefanick@weststarky.org