| 3 
| 
| 
The Delta Family YMCA's Exercise Champs program is currently underway for kids and teens with special needs. The six-week course offers a small group circuit-style class, which includes machine training and strength conditioning exercises.
Jude Byrne, a parent of two special-needs children, was instrumental in helping the program get off the ground. She said the commitment of the YMCA to provide a health and fitness program for the special needs population has been phenomenal.
I'm always on the lookout for new activities and appropriate experiences for my youngsters, but finding a gym for my 15-year-old son Danny has been my most challenging search yet, said Byrne. Danny has Down Syndrome and very low muscle tone, but as he entered his teens he really wanted to be stronger and build his muscles like the other boys at school.
But Byrne's search for local gym and fitness centers willing to take her son came up empty because of safety and liability issues. Early last year, however, Byrne was introduced to the director of the YMCA, who was also working with the Special Kids Foundation to develop a Universal Abilities Playground at the Oakley location. A short time later, the first Exercise Champs program was launched, and the classes have continued to be a success.
For the first time, Danny's disability was not a problem and were welcomed into the YMCA with open arms, said Byrne. They have really made a difference.
For more information on the Exercise Champs program, contact Ana Chuey, special needs program coordinator for the Delta Family YMCA, at 925-692-2330.