East Valley Family YMCA to open on ATSU campus
Posted: October 21, 2009Creating an environment for healthy living through a unique wellness partnership
MESA, Ariz. – Valley of the Sun YMCA will celebrate the grand opening of the East Valley Family YMCA (EVFY) on the campus of A.T. Still University (ATSU) on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A variety of activities are scheduled, including a drawing for a 32” flat screen TV, and attendees will be able to tour the new state-of-the-art facility and receive information about the YMCA’s programs and the benefits of membership. The event is free and open to the public.
The new facility, which is the seventh YMCA in the East Valley, will encompass 32,000 square feet and will feature amenities including a fitness center, teen center, gymnasium, 25-yard competitive lap/fitness pool, a family adventure aquatic area, and a Lifestyle Concierge who will assist members in determining their successful path to a healthier life. The EVFY, in partnership with ATSU, will offer unique life-enhancing programs and fitness facilities to East Valley community members as well as to University students, faculty, and staff. Through a partnership that began in 2002, ATSU and EVFY have focused on creating innovative, wellness-oriented programs that will eventually be utilized in YMCA’s across the Valley of the Sun.
“We are excited to have the YMCA on ATSU’s campus,” said ATSU Provost Craig Phelps, D.O. “We are collaborating with the YMCA on a number of unique programs that will improve the health status of its members and the greater East Valley communities. This partnership with the YMCA also allows ATSU to continue working within the community to improve health professions education opportunities for East Valley residents, our students, and programs.”
“We feel the EVFY benefits tremendously by having access to ATSU’s top-notch educators and students who are dedicated to serving the community’s health and wellness needs,” said Damon Olsen, East Valley Family YMCA Executive Director. “The ability to leverage the resources of the Arizona Health & Technology Park as well as Mesa’s ‘Power Road Knowledge Corridor’ will provide unprecedented growth possibilities to the EVFY and opportunities to our members.”
The EVFY, which began construction in August 2008, is the latest addition to the Arizona Health & Technology Park in Mesa, a 132-acre business park that currently includes ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, and School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, as well as HealthSouth’s 40-bed rehabilitation hospital which opened in August 2009. Future plans for expansion of the Arizona Health & Technology Park will include medical offices and health technology/biomedical research and development facilities.
“The University is very fortunate to have been able to partner with organizations within the Arizona Health & Technology Park that share our vision for keeping the community, students, faculty and staff focused on improving wellness,” said ATSU Assistant Provost Gary Cloud, Ph.D. “Healthy lifestyles matter to ATSU.”