Cowart Family YMCA — Local services in Brookhaven

Cowart ymca Has been a godsend to me! It has changed my world to completely! I am severely disabled but that doesn’t matter at the YMCA, my disability is invisible. I have A hard time walking around the pool, when I stepped foot from my walker to the door to the pool a lifeguard or Sandy or Christina come and help me into the water. In the water is the only time I feel normal. I get to swim like a fish. Then I go to Boot Camp water aerobics . It makes me so proud that I am doing the harder water aerobics. Christina and Sandy adapt the class for me so I am able to achieve everything everybody else can achieve. I feel like I am a member of the family. The classmates are so kind to me as are the instructors and the lifeguards. When I am finished with water aerobics Sandy or Christina walk me the pool to my walker and all the doors to the shower room And make sure I am safe before they go back to what they have to do. I feel so safe in the pool area. Erin , The lifeguard, helps me Get to the handicap bathroom to wash out the chlorine in my eyes and sits me on the bench until the Boot Camp aerobics starts. Rafael the lifeguard before Erin helped me immensely also. I recently got in a car crash and lost the ability to drive and Christina and Lisa have been working diligently to find a way for me to get to and from the Y and to my appointment at Emory without having to pay Uber. They let me know how important Y is to me! Every morning Erin The receptionist opens the handicap doors for me without me saying anything and greets me with a smile and a kind word. She make sure I am safe when I am waiting for my Uber car. The members of my aerobics class sometimes take me home from the Y so I don’t have to pay Uber and one member who remains anonymous gives me a check every month for two Uber rides. The YMCA is such a giving and loving and nurturing community and it is the thing that I look forward to the most during my week. I smile all the time when I am there and I smile on my way home. It’s nice to know I have a family when my family lives...

I came in today to cancel my membership because of the unwelcoming at best, and outwardly hostile at worst environment (especially for women, especially on the basketball court) at this gym. I literally emailed a formal complaint to the directors about an incident on the basketball court where a group of young men made obscene comments and hand gestures about me, to no response for multiple weeks. I came in because there's no information that I could find on the website about how to cancel. I sat in the waiting area for 20-30 minutes while the desk girl helped another customer which is fine and not her fault; however, when the customer left and I finally approached her, the first thing she said to me was "I get off work in like one minute, so...". Literally before I even told her what I needed. She did not let me get a word out before notifying me that her shift was over and therefore she wouldn't be able to help me after I just sat waiting for her for half an hour! I asked her who would be at the desk after her and she just kind of looked at me lol. I just told her I needed to cancel my membership and she let me know it wouldn't be processed for 30 days anyway and so I will be paying these people through october for a gym I don't even feel comfortable working out in. Everything I've read about canceling a membership the YMCA says I have to do it before the 10th of the month and it will be cancelled for the next month so I really don't know what these people are doing. Aside from everything else, it's really not worth the membership fee if you're serious about lifting and the range of motion on the machines is limited. It feels tailored to older adults. Anyway, this happened at 3:50ish on...

Overall, my experience was good.

My 1st issue is not specifically for this Y, but instead of the Nationwide Program. My card did not work after the Membership Director at my Home YMCA spoke to Corporate and got me a new Membership #. A big thank you to Quinton for manually checking me in on Saturday and Monday mornings. So, I do not have proof in my account that I swiped in, which doesn't help me when I show proof of attendance to my employer for reimbursement.

I have been on a healthy lifestyle journey for over 7 years. For the 1st 7, I had a Personal Trainer and was able to lose 1/2 of me (170 lbs), so I just joined the Y at the beginning of the year to have some variety in my daily cardio. I am thankful for the friendliness I have received from folks at my Home YMCA, because if I had met some of the people in the Cowart YMCA first, I would have cancelled my membership. I know that is not the actual Y's fault, but if the overall theme of the YMCA organization is friendliness and celebrate and embrace diversity, I wish some members would remember that.

The Instructors I had were great and definitely energetic and funny. I took new classes that my Home YMCA does not have. Big shout out to Miki (Y BURN Core & More and Barre Fusion), Hillary (substitute for Turbokick), Glenn (YFit), and Christina (HIIT and Pilates). Thank you for making me feel welcomed and being friendly enough to approach. When I am back in the area and have availability, I will definitely try to find time to attend their classes again.

Also, thank you to Corey Henson who I spoke with the week before I arrived in ATL and helped me determine the issue with my name in the...