YMCA Locations Across the Country Set Kids Up for Summer Success at Healthy Kids Day
Free and open to the public, this annual event features a day of fun-filled activities to celebrate kids being kids.
CHICAGO (April 16, 2024) — On Saturday, April 20, YMCA locations across the country will be taking part in the Y’s Healthy Kids Day®, the Y’s nationwide initiative to help build strong, healthy communities. This free, annual event features a variety of family-friendly activities to encourage healthy kids, healthy families and a healthy start to the summer season.
“YMCAs across the country support families year-round through programs and resources that empower children to reach their full potential,” said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA. “As summer approaches, Healthy Kids Day serves as an important reminder for families to stay physically and mentally active and to make the most of the opportunities offered by their local Y.”
This year's Healthy Kids Day is sponsored nationally by Peanuts™ as part of a new multi-year partnership to increase summer camp access, innovative conservation programs, and camp leadership development for children across the U.S. and internationally. The partnership is a natural fit for Peanuts, whose outdoors-loving Beagle Scouts (Woodstock and his bird friends) and their leader, Beagle Scout Snoopy, represent fun and adventure in the outdoors. Peanuts is delighted to partner with the Y to inspire kids and families to keep their minds and bodies active throughout the summer months.
“Healthy Kids Day is the perfect way to kick off our partnership with the YMCA as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beagle Scouts’ debut in the Peanuts comic strip,” said Melissa Menta, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications for Peanuts Worldwide. “We look forward to celebrating Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts’ love of the great outdoors with Y locations nationwide on Healthy Kids Day and throughout the camp season.”
To find a Healthy Kids Day location near you, ymca.org/hkd.
About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 177 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. ymca.org
About Peanuts
The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students.