Ventura Family YMCA Member Virginia Chavez Overcomes Her Fear O...
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Ventura Family YMCA Member Virginia Chavez Overcomes Her Fear O
Swimming At The Age Of 75
YMCA member Virginia Madsen learned to swim at 75 years of age
Fri, Jan 22, 2016
[Ventura, Calif., January 21, 2016] – Throughout Ventura County there are challenges of homelessness, obesity, and people
all ages and backgrounds who are struggling to reach their full potential. For 128 years, the Ventura Family YMCA has been
stepping in to address these community struggles through the help of volunteers, collaborators, and generous donors.
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Ventura Family YMCA Member Virginia Chavez Overcomes Her Fear O...
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Virginia Chavez has been battling oesteo-arthritis for over 20-years, so at the urging of her husband, she became a membe
Ventura Y. After one-year of consistently working out at the Y and attending classes, her mobility began to improve, includin
mental health.
“The Y saved my life because I’m so old that I felt as if I had nothing else to learn. So, I gave up on life and seriously consid
suicide,” Virgina Chavez recalls.
At the age of 75, Virginia did not even consider learning how to swim when becoming a Y member. Like many people within
community, she came for the gym membership, not realizing that the Y offers more than just programs, but altruistic benefits
differ from a regular gym.
“My entire life I was terrified of swimming because I grew up in Moorpark and didn’t go to the beach a lot…I know it sounds
strange because I wasn’t so far from the ocean, but that’s how it was. So the first time I saw the water and the waves, I thou
was humongous and became scared.”
Virginia eventually grew more confident mentally through her exercising and the Y’s positive family environment, giving her t
mindset to overcome depression and to battle her fear of swimming. She eventually saw swimming as an obstacle to defeat
she made a private swimming lesson reservation with the Ventura Y’s swim instructor Cathy Bryant. Cathy’s kindness and
compassion gave Virginia the courage to enter the swimming pool.
“You can do this, you can swim,” recalls Cathy’s first swimming lessons with Virginia. “She only needed encouragement bec
knew she could swim, so I was there to give her the support she needed.”
Cathy has over 24-years of experiences as a swimming instructor and continues to teach at the Ventura Family YMCA. Virg
still attends her classes and attributes much of her life’s happienss to the support the Y and Cathy has given her.
“I am no longer terrified of the water or of swimming because of Cathy, and now I love to swim. And I love my life,” Virginia
Chavez.
Learn more about the Y, watch Virginia’s entire video story, and help make more of these videos possible at ciymca.org/vent
For more information please contact Alicia Cattoni the Y’s Marketing & Communication Director by email at
[email protected] or call 805.642.2131 ext. 18.
The Ventura Family YMCA would like to thank their volunteers, donors, and Board of Directors for their support: Danielle Ve
(Board Chair), Jim Duran (Past Chair), Todd Beguelin, Peter Berson, Pattie Braga, Rich Favor, Randy George, Rafael Gonz
Coral T. Hansen, Jeff Hata, Rick Jeffery, Dan Lyon, Doug Miller, Paul Mistele, Doug Moe, Tom Nevins, Ric Ruffinelli, Cherie
Jean, Gema Walk, Jim White, and Kay Woodburn.
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