Mar 31, 2026 4 min read

Spencer Family YMCA is expanding its annual Healthy Kids Day this year to show those who attend all the facility and community organizations have to offer.

The YMCA on Church Road in Bethel Park is partnering with St. Clair Health for this year’s free event, scheduled from 9:30 to 2 p.m. April 18.

“Everybody agreed that combining Healthy Kids Day with a health fair would be a really good step to try to see how we could do an outreach to see if we could meet some additional needs,” explained Mary Anne Poutos, Spencer Family YMCA advisory board member. “The Y is always looking to see how (it) can reach more people within the community and really have the Y be an asset for the larger community. It’s a jewel within the community. People are not aware of the breadth of services that it gives. The scope of service the Y offers is truly remarkable.”

Healthy Kids Day is the YMCA’s national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids and families. YMCAs and their communities have hosted free events for more than 30 years for kids and families to keep their minds and bodies active throughout the summer and beyond.

Lindsay Meucci, St. Clair Health vice president of marketing, communications and advocacy, said the organization held a health fair in the past and the YMCA wanted to partner on such an activity.

“They remembered what we used to do several years ago at South Hills Village prior to the start of the pandemic where we would offer free screenings and different programs for community members just to come and learn more about our services,” Meucci said. “We’re really excited because we’re going to have about 15 different service lines represented across our health system that day where people can come and meet some of our providers, learn more about the programs and services that we offer. There’s so many out there that I don’t think people are aware are available to them.”

Those 15 service lines will represent an array of health care professionals. Many of the health organization’s service providers will have representation including Outreach Teen and Family Services.

The Spencer Family YMCA will be providing samplers of some of its classes throughout the day ranging from tot-sized to seniors such as Mommy & Me, Zumba and Cardio Hip Hop.

There also will be information available about many of the YMCA’s programs like Livestrong for cancer survivors, which features survivors working with trainers on cardio and strength training. There’s also the Veterans Wellness program for veterans and their spouses that runs for 12 weeks and not only focuses on cardio but gives them a sense of community and a sense of social interaction.

“The more community outreach events we do, the more people know about us,” said Sarah Knight, Spencer Family YMCA healthy living director. “We are here to serve the community.”

Other activities scheduled for the day include Touch-a-Truck and car seat checks. Local police, fire and emergency medical services will be in attendance as well as two horses from the City of Pittsburgh’s Mounted Police.

Plus, there will be food trucks and a disc jockey on hand.

“We’re trying to make this as fun as possible for any age,” Knight said.

Meucci sees it as an opportunity for St. Clair Health to display the services it provides.

“We want community members to always know what we offer for them and that there’s really great care located here in the South Hills,” she said. “We’re just trying to make sure that we’re rounding out not only what we offer but the community as a whole knows what’s available to them.

Then again, it’s an opportunity for the Spencer Family YMCA to do that as well.

“We want to showcase everything that we offer,” Knight said. “We are not just a gym. We are a community. The Spencer YMCA is essential to the South Hills. A lot of people don’t work their social muscle. A lot of friendships happen here and it’s what people need post-COVID.”