Around Town

‘It’s Very Special’: New Canaan Y Co-Hosts Autism Awareness Family Fun Day

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Town resident Maura Delany held back tears Saturday afternoon watching her 14-year-old daughter Lila step across a trampoline in the Kid Zone at the New Canaan YMCA. A Saxe Middle School student who has autism, Lila Delany had missed last year’s inaugural Autism Awareness Family Fun Day—co-hosted by a local organization, Inclusive Together, in partnership with the Y—because she was scared, according to her mom. “I’ve never actually really seen her play as much as she is right now, so it’s amazing for her,” Delany said as her daughter moved freely among the kid-friendly equipment with other children and teens. Delany added: “I’m trying to hold back tears right now because she went on the trampoline for the first time today. It’s very special.”

The free 90-minute event, part of the Y’s celebration of Autism Awareness Month, saw 12 families with 23 kids play in the Kid Zone and do activities in another room at the Y where a Sherman-based company, Sensory on Wheels, set up a “slime bar” and stations with dyed salt, beans and lentils, balls, scarves and other items designed to empower the kids by helping fulfill their sensory needs in a natural, child-led environment.

Around Town

COVID-19: Two New Canaan YMCA Employees Working in Children’s Programs Test Positive 

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Two employees of the New Canaan YMCA who work in children’s programs have tested positive for COVID-19 virus, officials said. In an email sent late Wednesday to Y members, the organization said one of the employees works in its “Kids Unlimited” after-school program and the other in the “Rainbow Station” childcare center. They last were at the South Avenue facility on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the email said. “The affected Rainbow Station classroom and the Kids Unlimited classrooms will be closed for 14 days and will undergo an additional deep cleaning in accordance with the guidelines set by the [Connecticut] Office of Early Childhood,” the email said. It continued, “The teachers and participants of the Rainbow Station classroom and those who were in the Kids Unlimited program on Monday, October 12 have been advised by the New Canaan Health Department to self-quarantine and will not be using the Y for at least this 14-day period. Since reopening, both of these programs have been strictly following Office of Early Childhood guidelines, which are in place to help prevent transmission.”

The news comes as New Canaan continues to see new confirmed cases of COVID-19 virus.

Government

Rec Director: ‘Non-Summer’ at Kiwanis Due to COVID, YMCA

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The town couldn’t open Kiwanis Park to the public in the way it had planned this summer, officials say, not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because a local organization that took over the Old Norwalk Road property for its own campers left it in sub-par condition. In years past, residents including Kiwanis pass-holders and Recreation Department campers, among others, have split use of the beach at the park’s swimming hole with the New Canaan YMCA. This year, citing space restrictions due to COVID-19, town officials approved a new lease that gave the Y exclusive weekday use of Kiwanis for its camp, limiting public access to 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and open use on weekends. As a result, “the summer was a non-summer,” according to Recreation Director Steve Benko, “because we ran into the COVID situation and we ended up leasing the whole complex to the Y.”

“That really affected the attendance,” Benko told members of the Town Council Land Use, Recreation and Conservation Committee during their Oct. 7 meeting, held via videoconference.

COVID-19 New Canaan

Local Organizations and COVID-19: New Canaan YMCA 

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For today’s Q&A with the head of a local organization, we interviewed Craig Panzano, executive director of the New Canaan YMCA. The Y’s doors are closed and the building is essentially shut down, though the organization launched virtual programming that includes on-demand and live workouts in areas such as yoga and pilates, as well as kids’ dance classes and sessions on nutrition. Some of the videos are live while others are pre-recorded, and the Y has had some 14,000 views on them since launch, Panzano said. Here’s our interview. New Canaanite: The YCMA serves so many local people and in different ways.

Domestic Violence Crisis Center

“Ride to Raise Awareness” #TDVAM

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February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. New Canaan YMCA will open its spinning studio for local youth to participate in a “Ride to Raise Awareness.” The ride, co-hosted by Domestic Violence Crisis Center will incorporate a fun, high-energy workout with some key facts about teen dating abuse prevention. The 45-minute spin is free to all area high school students with a valid school ID. Contact arodwelllawton@dvccct.org to reserve a bike.#TDVAM2020