The incentive — available to new members only until capacity is reached — is being offered in connection with a $200,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente that will enhance the YMCA’s COVID-19 vaccine efforts, education and outreach programs, officials said.
Vaccinated pre-teens and teens can present their vaccine cards at any of the Los Angeles-YMCA’s 21 open locations throughout the Los Angeles County area to receive the free two-month memberships. Locally, the Antelope Valley Family YMCA is located at 43001 10th Street West in Lancaster.
“We thank Kaiser Permanente in partnering with us to encourage young people to get the COVID-19 vaccine to help their communities move toward pandemic recovery,” said Victor Dominquez, executive vice president/chief mission advancement officer of the YMCA-LA.
“This donation furthers our outreach to educate high risk communities to the benefits of getting vaccinated. The incentive of a free Y gym membership offers an inclusive opportunity for youth who may not have had access or the funds to join a gym facility and exposes them to the importance of regular physical activity in building an overall healthy lifestyle,” Dominquez added.
John Yamamoto, Kaiser Permanente’s vice president of community health and government relations, said the health care provider is “committed to doing what it can to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in Southern California, and our partnership with the LA-Y to help increase vaccinations in our communities is a critically important step in that direction.”
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