NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Traction Rec, a technology company serving community recreation organizations across North America, today unveiled Fresh at YMCA General Assembly. Fresh is a new platform built around how people search, plan, and register for programs today. The first product to launch is Community Self Serve, an AI-powered experience that helps families find and register for programs in minutes, without a call to the front desk.
Instead of scrolling through a catalogue of programs, a parent can describe what they need, such as a Saturday morning swim class for a six-year-old, and receive a personalized recommendation in return. The experience carries a household through registration for every child in a single, easy-to-use flow.
For community organizations, the change will be felt where it matters most. Front desk teams will field fewer calls during peak registration times, families will complete registration on the first try more often, and staff will spend less time reconciling waitlists and changes by hand. For organizations considering a switch to Traction Rec, Community Self Serve is a new user experience layered on top of a proven Salesforce CRM foundation, the same foundation already running program and member management for organizations across North America.
“Community members expect more from every experience in their lives, and registration shouldn’t be the exception,” said Lara Gilchrist, Chief Executive Officer at Traction Rec. “The Fresh platform provides an intuitive and modern experience for the people who rely on it, and serves to further empower the good our customers do in their communities every day.”
Christine Mulder, Chief Experience and Innovation Officer at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, shared, “A family’s experience with us starts long before they walk through our doors, and that first step has always been the hardest part to solve. With 80 percent of our programs now purchased online, we know most parents are forming their impression of the Y before they ever meet a staff member face to face. We see Fresh as the way to get a parent who doesn’t know our programs yet to the right place the very first time, whether that’s online or in person.”
YMCA General Assembly attendees can see the Fresh platform in action at booth #1831. Live demonstrations run on the hour throughout the exhibit hall days.
Community Self Serve, powered by the Fresh platform, is available today for early access and many customers are already getting started. The next product built on Fresh, a modern take on facility booking, arrives at the NRPA Annual Conference later this month. More products will follow in the new year. Existing customers interested in Fresh can reach out to their account team to learn more.
Fresh is an innovation platform aimed at helping community organizations spend less time on process and more time on the people they serve, and Community Self Serve is the first step in that direction.
ABOUT TRACTION REC
Traction Rec pairs an intuitive and modern user experience with a proven CRM foundation, Salesforce, helping community organizations deepen the experiences of constituents and create greater community impact. Traction Rec serves YMCAs, JCCs, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and municipal Parks & Recreation departments. Learn more at www.tractionrec.com.
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d681b5b4-4694-4d2b-b6ff-4c1c7311f0d4
MEDIA CONTACT Heather Ballachey Director of Marketing, Traction Rec hballachey@tractionrec.com 604 620 6143
