Cross Island YMCA

10/27/2026

🪔✨ Celebrate Diwali: The Festival of Lights at the Cross Island Y! ✨🪔

Join us for an afternoon of creativity, culture, and community as we celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights! 🌟

Bring your family and friends for a fun-filled afternoon of crafting as we come together to honor this beautiful tradition that celebrates light over darkness, hope, and new beginnings. 💜

🪔 Friday, November 6, 2026
🕒 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Cross Island YMCA | Main Lobby
🎨 FREE and open to the community!

Whether you’re celebrating Diwali or learning about the festival for the first time, everyone is welcome to join in the festivities!

✨ Let’s light up our community together! 💙

10/25/2026

⚽💙 What a day on the field at the Cross Island YMCA! 🔥🙌

Yesterday, we teamed up with New York City FC and The Perecman Firm for an incredible FREE Youth Soccer Clinic, bringing young athletes together for a fun-filled day of soccer, skill-building, and teamwork!
From practicing new moves to building confidence and making new friends, our young soccer stars brought their energy, enthusiasm, and love for the game! ⚽🌟

A HUGE thank-you to New York City FC and The Perecman Firm for making this special experience possible, and to all the families and young athletes who joined us!

At the Y, we’re proud to create opportunities that bring our community together, inspire the next generation, and help every child shine—on and off the field! 💙🧡

10/23/2026

💜🗳️ Exercise Your Right to VOTE! 🇺🇸

Early voting is almost here, and the Cross Island YMCA is helping our community get ready to make their voices heard!

With the 2026 General Election just around the corner, we’re reminding everyone that every voice matters and every vote counts! 💪

And even our spooky friend is getting into the election spirit! 💀🎃

📅 Early Voting: October 24 – November 1
🗳️ Election Day: Tuesday, November 3
📍 Find your polling location and learn more at NYCVotes.org

A stronger community starts with civic engagement. Let’s make our voices heard, Queens! 💜

10/19/2026

🏀🧡 What a night at the Cross Island YMCA!

What an incredible evening of basketball, teamwork, and inspiration! On Saturday, October 17, we were thrilled to host the first joint New York Knicks x YMCA basketball clinic of the season, bringing young athletes from across Queens together for an unforgettable experience! 🔥

Led by New York Knicks coaches, participants ages 6–18 had the opportunity to sharpen their ball-handling and shooting skills, build confidence on the court, and take home some awesome Knicks gear! 👕🏀

🌟 The highlight of the evening? A special appearance by Knicks legend John Wallace, who inspired our young athletes and made the experience even more memorable!

A HUGE thank you to Spectrum, the New York Knicks, John Wallace, and our incredible Y team for making this free community event possible!

More than just basketball, this was about empowering young people, building connections, and inspiring the next generation of athletes and leaders. 💙🙌

10/15/2026

🎃👻 Get ready for a spooktacular morning of Halloween fun at the Cross Island YMCA! 🦇✨

Bring the whole family for our Halloween Family Craft Day, filled with creativity, costumes, and festive fun! 🧡

🎨 Pumpkin Painting – Decorate your own mini pumpkin to take home!
🎭 Mask Making – Create your very own spooky or silly Halloween mask!
🍬 Plus, enjoy snacks, giveaways, and fun prizes for the whole family!

📅 Saturday, October 31
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Cross Island YMCA | Classrooms A & B
🎟️ FREE and open to the community!

👻 Costumes are highly encouraged, so come dressed in your Halloween best!

⚠️ Space is limited! Sign up via Linktree in bio to reserve your family’s spot today.

Parents must stay with their children throughout the event.

10/15/2026

🎓 A glimpse into college life! 📚✨

14 students from the Cross Island YMCA’s Rowe Scholars program recently visited Brooklyn College for an exciting campus tour! From exploring academic buildings and student spaces to learning about different majors, our scholars got a firsthand look at the possibilities that await them beyond high school.

A special highlight? Running into two alumni from the Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights (IHPCH) and the Rowe Scholars program, who are continuing their own educational journeys! 💙

Experiences like these help inspire our young people to dream big, explore their interests, and take the next steps toward a bright future. Brooklyn College

10/12/2026

⚽🔥 Calling all young soccer stars!

Ready to take your soccer skills to the next level? Join us at the Cross Island YMCA for a FREE Youth Soccer Clinic in partnership with and ! 🙌

Whether you’re just getting started or already love the game, come out for a fun-filled day of soccer, skill-building, and teamwork! ⚽💪

📅 Saturday, October 24
📍 Cross Island YMCA | 238-10 Hillside Ave., Bellerose, NY 11426
✅ Register through Linktree in Bio

⚽ Age-Based Sessions:

• Ages 5–8: 9:30–10:30 AM
• Ages 9–11: 10:30–11:30 AM
• Ages 12–14: 11:30 AM–12:30 PM

🚨 Space is limited and subject to availability so register NOW through Linktree in Bio!

A huge thank-you to our partners, and , for helping bring this exciting opportunity to our young athletes and community! 💙🧡

10/01/2026

09/30/2026

🥗 Eat smarter. Feel better. Live healthier!

Join us online or in-person at the Cross Island YMCA for Smart Eating, Active Living (SEAL) — a FREE 8-week program designed to help you build healthier habits that fit into everyday life.

Learn how to make nutritious recipes, plan healthy meals while saving time and money, reduce salt, sugar and fat in your cooking, and make more informed choices when reading food labels. 💚

Choose the option that works best for you:
🏠 In Person: Tuesdays at 1:30 PM, beginning October 6
💻 Virtual: Wednesdays at 1:30 PM, beginning October 7

✨ FREE for YMCA members!

⚠️ Only 25 spots available — register by October 4 via Linktree in Bio!

08/26/2026

A place for friendship, arts and crafts, and napping 😴 😅 Enriching experiences for kids start inside the Y. Anand is one of the many kids who walk through our doors and find a safe place to be themselves. Learn more and explore our available programs through the link in our bio.

08/24/2026

This summer inside the Y, our campers made lifelong friends, learned new skills, and grew bolder and braver ☺️ From big messy art to basketball and soccer academy, we are proud to be a place of belonging and fun for New York City kids. Is your kid ready for the next adventure? Sign them up for Fall I programs through the link in our bio!

08/19/2026

From first-generation students to scholarship recipients, these Y students are living proof of the transformational power of our Y community—and what it truly means to go to college.

08/17/2026

Zainab didn’t think studying computer information systems was in her future until she found her potential at the Y. Now she’s headed to Mercy University and hopes to inspire other young Black women to pursue STEM.

Through our Rowe Scholars program, students are given individualized academic planning and support through high school from specially trained Y staff members. Learn more through the link in our bio.

08/10/2026

A home away from home. That’s what the Y is ☺️ Whether you’re a new member or a familiar face, you belong in our supportive community. Riona is one of the many smiling faces you’ll see inside our doors!

08/04/2026

Everyone deserves the chance to feel confident and safe in the water.
 
It was inspiring to welcome local leaders into the pool to take part lessons and also hear firsthand how access to swim education can change lives.
 
Every lesson helps build confidence, teaches lifesaving skills, and empowers New Yorkers to stay safe in and around the water.
 

07/31/2026

Today is Lifeguard Appreciation Day! We celebrate the extraordinary individuals in our branches who do far more than watch the water. At the Y, lifeguards provide safety at our pools, welcoming New Yorkers of all ages to build skills, gain confidence, and have fun in a supportive environment 🏊

07/31/2026

Ready to level up your incline dumbbell press technique? Staten Island Broadway YMCA fitness instructor Daniele is here to show you how to safely lift the weight and incorporate four-second negatives. The “negative” is the lowering phase of an exercise. When doing an incline dumbbell press, it’s when the dumbbells move from the top of the press back down toward your chest. This part of the lift is as important as the press itself—it’s one of the best ways to build strength, muscle, and control 💪

Find your Y and the routine that works for you with a supportive community to cheer you on through the link in our bio.

07/30/2026

What does it mean to stand up for your community?

For Layla, a participant in our Teens Take the City (TTC) Youth Leadership Program, it starts with using your voice.

As Layla shares, if you care about your community, don’t be afraid to speak up about issues that matter. Civic engagement isn’t reserved for elected officials or community leaders. It starts with neighbors, young people, families, and everyday residents who care enough to get involved and advocate for the people around them.

At the YMCA of Greater New York, we believe strong communities are built from the ground up. Through programs like Teens Take the City, young people develop the confidence, knowledge, and leadership skills to become active participants in shaping their neighborhoods and creating positive change.

When we empower young people to raise their voices today, we’re helping build stronger, healthier communities for tomorrow.

07/27/2026

Rapid-fire questions are back!  

This time, we’re getting to know Malcolm, Membership Representative at the Dodge YMCA. 

Whether it’s his favorites or fun facts, hear what makes Malcolm, Malcolm! And get to know another friendly face who helps make our Y community so welcoming. 

Who’s next? You’ll have to stay tuned.