Jenny Ramsey
Jenny Ramsey’s Story
It could be said that Jenny Ramsey came of age at the CCBA. It’s where she learned to swim. It’s where she discovered the benefits of strength training, a lifelong pursuit. When she sustained a running injury in high school, she used the CCBA’s pool for her physical therapy and rehab. And the CCBA hosted her Project Graduation all night party.
A decade after leaving the area for college, Jenny returned to the Upper Valley in 2013, married and raising her first two children. Not surprisingly, she found her way back to the CCBA, looking for a place to exercise and a way to reconnect with area residents. She discovered the same community she remembered from her childhood and what so many of our members have found over the years: a warm, inclusive, and family-oriented fitness center that offers a wide array of programs and services for people of all ages. Best of all for Jenny upon her return were the social benefits of membership. “My first friend after I moved back,” she recalled with a smile, “was Becky Jo Denning who supervised the child care center.” All 4 of her boys have gone through the child care center, a free service we provide to our members.
In addition to finding a network of other young mothers, Jenny built lasting friendships at the CCBA with people she would not otherwise have met. As she put it, “What I came to value most were the intergenerational relationships I formed. I learned so much from older people, and I’ve become more civic-minded as a result of their positive influence.” She also talks effusively about the motivational power of working out with a regular group of friends: “We hold each other accountable for showing up each day.” For Jenny, inclusiveness and diversity are the features of the CCBA that she values most, in part because her mother, a Parkinson’s Disease patient, has benefited so much from the weekly Rock Steady boxing program hosted by the CCBA.
Today, Jenny and her husband are working harder than ever, balancing their schedules along with those of their four boys, ages 11, 9, 7, and 3. Working out at the CCBA is a priority for her, not simply as a social outlet and a way to relieve stress; staying strong and active helps her prevent injury and allows her to keep up with her children. She recently ran a road race with one of her sons, a meaningful accomplishment and a source of family pride. Having grown up with the CCBA as a fixture in her childhood, Jenny understands its central importance in the lives of young people and families. She is representative of so many Upper Valley residents for whom membership at the CCBA weaves together the threads of a vibrant, supportive community.