American Legion’s painting intro adds to YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day
Hogan Family YMCA will host “Healthy Kids Day 2025” on April 26
MADISON – Hogan Family YMCA, 130 Park Square Lane in Madison, will present “Healthy Kids Day 2025” on April 26. The day will include an introductory painting session, courtesy of American Legion, Post 229.
Hogan Family YMCA’s staff invites local youth to join in the activities from 10 a.m. to noon. This free, annual event features various family-friendly promotions to encourage healthy kids, healthy families and a healthy start to the 2025 summer season.
Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families. For more than 30 years, YMCAs and their communities have hosted free community events aimed to inspire youth and families to keep their minds and bodies active throughout the summer months and beyond.
Heart of the Valley YMCA also will conduct Healthy Kids Day at the Southeast Family YMCA in Huntsville from 9 to 11 a.m.
For 2025, members of American Legion, Post 229 in Madison, along with help from Scout Troop 201, will host the “Youth Introductory Painting Project” in the Arts & Craft Room at Hogan Family YMCA. The audience will be eligible to receive numerous door prizes throughout the day’s events.
The Legionnaires and Scouts have defined specific steps for participants in the painting session: • Dab paint in primary colors on a laser-cut palette or a wooden coaster.
• Paint flowers on the front of a preprinted Mother’s Day card.
• Youth will be eligible to win more than 20 door prizes of various art-related items, including acrylic paint sets, paint brush sets and three tabletop paint easels.
• Parents or guardians will have a chance to win a prize at the end of the event. American Legion, Post 229 will award one lucky adult with an ergonomic Emerge Vortex Gaming Chair. Staples in Madison is donating the chair.
The YMCA staff recommends five activities to encourage active, summertime play:
• Swimming (ymcahuntsville. org/swim-lessons).
• Summer camp, such as Camp Cha-La-Kee, a day camp (ymcahuntsville. org/camps).
• Five youth sports at the Y (ymcahuntsville.org/youthsports).
• The Y’s teen and young adult programs (ymcahuntsville.org/ teen-programs).
• STEM in early childhood education, after school and summer learning loss programs (sciencey. org).
For more information, call Jennifer Dykes, Heart of the Valley YMCA, at 256-705-9622, ext. 327, or Dan Marr, project coordinator and member of Post 229’s Executive Committee, at 703-232-0297. For information about Post 229, visit americanlegionpost229.org.
