Staying Healthy in Renovo – WCCRA Offers Classes, Options
By Christopher Miller
The great outdoors offer a number of reasons for one to keep healthy, or to adopt healthy living practices. We know this very well in Clinton County. To avoid the outdoors while living here one really has to practice hard to not fall in love with a crisp autumn morning, or a hot summer night’s walk.
Aside from the great outdoors there are many options for staying physically fit or beginning a regular fitness regimen. One of these fitness centers that reside in our area is the Western Clinton County Recreation Authority or WCCRA for short.
Opened in 1996, the WCCRA has been in business for nearly 25 years. In fact, 2021 will mark the Silver Anniversary for the WCCRA which calls 222 St. Clair Avenue in Renovo its home. Trust me – you do not need to be a resident of the western part of the county to be able to utilize this facility; membership is open to anybody, anywhere.
“Our membership number hovers somewhere over 100, with 59 people who have fitness interests in only our weight room,” Executive Director DeAnna Poorman said in an interview with The Record. “The pool is open, we are fully operational, at a reduced building capacity per current guidelines and we are offering our normal classes of which Cardio Drumming with Carrie is very popular, and Aquasize in the pool are back on the menu,” DeAnna explained.
DeAnna explained that the WCCRA also has a unique program called Positive Action, which is planned and enacted with a grant from the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Commission. “The students in this program range in age from K-6th grade and we have a cap at 10-15 children maximum…here they swim for an hour, have a craft, a snack and an evidence-based social skills lesson such as practicing good hygiene, social skills, and saying NO to drugs.” These are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm-7pm.
The WCCRA is busy year-round, but no time more so than the Fall and Winter months. DeAnna attributes this to the colder weather, lack of outdoor activity, and the post-holidays New Year’s Resolutions.
Year round, there are many opportunities for people at the WCCRA to do more than just exercise and competitive sports.
“Working directly with children will require an individual to obtain all background checks and educational clearances, but we also have a need for people to just volunteer your time and assist with the general upkeep of the building and grounds,” DeAnna explained. “Cleaning and sanitizing the facility, keeping up with the outdoors landscaping, cleaning windows and shoveling snow from our sidewalks are all wonderful ways people can donate their time!” The WCCRA also accepts financial donations as well.
Fundraisers also bring in extra finances to help offset the cost of overhead such as office paper, electricity, and general maintenance. A popular fundraiser is their annual January Outdoor Night and Gun Raffle at the Renovo Fire Hall. “It has been an annual event since the early 2000s,” DeAnna stated. “We have a gun raffle, food, and various outdoor vendors come out…we also have an annual Fruit Basket Sale where we sell, assemble by hand and deliver over 80 baskets at the holidays.”
The WCCRA also has discount membership plans available through participating health insurance providers such as Geisinger, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a Silver Sneakers plan for senior citizens, and a more recent insurance addition: Renew Active by UnitedHealthCare. There are also membership drives held annually in September and March where the public can purchase or renew their memberships for a discount rate.
Throughout DeAnna’s current tenure as the Executive Director of the WCCRA, she has encountered hundreds of people looking to better themselves through fitness and activity. She recounted a heartwarming story recently of an elderly man who looked forward to coming to walk every day on the treadmill, but was recently turned away due to the COVID situation. “His wife would call us asking when would we reopen, when could he come by and walk again and we had to just keep saying that we do not know when, not until it was okay to do so,” explained DeAnna. “He was so very grateful when we finally did reopen; being there makes a huge difference in his life.”
The WCCRA can be found on Facebook thanks to Board Member Lynn Gavlock for creating and maintaining the account.
The Western Clinton County Recreation Authority can be found online at www.wccra.org and on Facebook as the Western Clinton County Recreation Authority. Below is a list of hours of classes and general operation:
Office and Gym Hours
Monday – Friday: 9am to 12pm, 5pm to 8pm
Weight Room Hours
Every day (including holidays) 5am to 10pm
Pool Hours
Monday – Friday: 9am-11am, 6pm-8pm
(Special shout out to Michael Kelly, instructor for the Red Cross certified lifeguard safety course – THANK YOU for all that you do maintaining the pool and keeping everything running so smoothly!)
Aquasize
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9am to 10am, Monday, Thursday: 7pm to 8pm
Fun Time Free Time
K – 6th Grade
Tuesday and Thursday: 5pm to 7pm
Cardio Drumming with Carrie:
Tuesday 6:45pm
The Western Clinton County Recreation Authority is a proud partner agency of the Clinton County United Way.
