DID YOU KNOW?
The Gateway Family YMCA . . . THE GATEWAY FAMIlY YMCA
WELCOMES ALL With our doors open to all, the Y brings together people from all backgrounds and supports those who need us most by providing financial assistance for members, programs and services.
SAFETY AROUND WATER With a commitment to ensuring people learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy, we provide swim lessons and water safety skills instruction to improve lives and reduce the risk of drowning in our neighborhoods.
IMPACTS HEALTH Since 2012, we have provided the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program to 40 members diagnosed with pre-diabetes, creating an opportunity to regain their health and stop the disease progression. As part of this initiative, we have provided over 160
THE Y IS OPEN TO ALL With a commitment to nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility, The Gateway Family YMCA ensures that every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow and thrive. The Y welcomes all who wish to participate and believes that no one should be denied access based on their financial ability. Our Financial Assistance program provides assistance for youth, adults and families and is supported by our Annual Support Campaign.
FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT® FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
participants with free diabetes screenings at our branches.
PROVIDES HOMES Every night, The Gateway Family YMCA housing programs provide homes for over 350 people. But it’s more than a shelter that we provide. Our housing programs not only combat homelessness, we provide wraparound social services, emergency shelter, programs to provide support for recovery from addiction.
CREATES FAMILY TIME The Gateway Family YMCA provides free memberships to families of children in our preschool and school age child care programs as well as the families of those attending our W.I.S.E. adult day services program, allowing them to connect, recharge and get healthy together.
NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT Our donors, members, volunteers, supporters, and staff demonstrate the power of what we can achieve by giving back together. Our Annual Campaign provides funds to support the financial assistance program at The Gateway Family YMCA.
www.tgfymca.org
DECEMBEr 2015
TRANSFORMING LIVES AS WE APPROACH THE CONCLUSION OF ANOTHER GREAT YEAR, I am humbled by all we do to transform the lives of those around us every day. For over 115 years, The Gateway YMCA has served the communities of Eastern Union County and northern Middlesex County, working closely with our neighbors and donors to create a better us. THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BUILD A BETTER US. As a friend and neighbor, you are aware of the unique challenges we face in our community. People of all ages and backgrounds are struggling to reach their full potential. More and more children face seemingly insurmountable learning gaps and parents struggle to balance long work hours with supportive child care providers. In our changing family structure, working caregivers struggle to find compassionate adult day care for their loved ones. Families find it difficult to spend quality time together. Our neighbors struggle to find affordable housing and sustainable jobs. People are not connected to their neighbors and face time happens through a phone. And, instead of seeing the income gap shrink, it seems all we do is watch it grow. But when challenges arise, The Gateway Family YMCA – and donors like you – steps in. We understand what our community needs to be at its best. Working with generous donors like you, the Y provides everyone the opportunity to be healthy and thrive, to connect with others, transform their lives and contribute to a better community. Everything we do at The Gateway Family YMCA is in service of making us – as individuals and a community – better. WE BELIEVE THAT A BETTER YOU MAKES A BETTER US. Everyone has a very different Y story and our organization means so much to so many that it amazes me every day. Your stories are what make the work we do at The Gateway Family YMCA so special. Whether you came to the Y to learn to swim and stayed because you found an endearing sense of community, or you came to play basketball and joined our Togetherhood volunteer group, or
you made a donation of support and were forever moved by the stories that were KrYSTAl r. CAnADY shared at an event, or came to Chief Executive Officer the Y for fitness and stayed for friendship, we are there as a steady partner in your personal journey to better health and your partner in creating a better community. 2015 has been an exciting year when thinking back on the impact we have made together. We’ve seen our members go through amazing transformations in programs such as lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, a twelve week wellness and recovery program for cancer survivors. We’ve seen the progress of those diagnosed with prediabetes struggling to regain their health in our Diabetes Prevention Program, forever changing their lives and thwarting the onset of diabetes. We’ve partnered with local physicians seeking better health for their patients and social workers seeking a home and support system for families in crisis. We’ve built partnerships to create lasting change in the communities we serve, such as Shaping Elizabeth. We’ve provided free memberships for all 7th grade students in our community working to instill life-long healthy habits and provide a strong relationship and support system to help them throughout their future lives. BECAUSE WE BELIEVE EVERY PERSON AND EVERY COMMUNITY DESERVES A CHANCE TO THRIVE, AND SO DO YOU. As a partner of the Y, we ask that you join us in celebrating the amazing transformations in our members’ lives. As you read the stories throughout this newsletter, remember that you — our donors — are instrumental in providing us the support to fill the gaps where society falls short. With partners like you, the Y has the power to strengthen our community and positively impact the lives of those around us. For a better you. For a better community. For a better country. The Y.™ For a better us.™
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers
PrESIDEnT Joseph r. Venezia VICE PrESIDEnT James Masterson Eugene Maxwell SECrETArY Sharon Patel TrEASUrEr Michael Minitelli ASSISTAnT TrEASUrEr John Forrester IMMEDIATE PAST PrESIDEnT John ludington Members Jeffrey Beck Derek Chiao Mark De noble Karen Ensle Anne Evans Estabrook* Paul Fernandez Christine Hrycenko Maria Irizarry David Jenkins Philip Krevsky, Esq. Eugene Mitchell Elsa Muniz Calvin Sierra Ann Zwiebel revaitis
SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM Krystal r. Canady Chief Executive Officer
Melynda A. Mileski EVP, Chief Operating Officer
CREATE A LEGACY
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH
In June, we celebrated the official Grand Opening of the rahway Branch, celebrating the completion of a year-long expansive renovation. With the renovations, the rahway Branch has opportunities for individuals, organizations and corporations to leave a lasting legacy for all to see.
The 7th Grade Initiative is designed to increase physical activity and support teens in the development of lifelong healthy habits. We recognize that middle school is a pivotal time in youth development, where sports become more competitive and teens begin to become less active. We believe in providing these students with a positive environment, where healthy habits can be learned and reinforced, where new friendships can be made and where positive programs and role models are part of the daily routine.
BRICK CAMPAIGN We have renovated the courtyard at the rahway Branch and have begun installing personalized bricks, showcasing those who have partnered with us on this path to creating a stronger community. A $150 tax-deductible donation will reserve your personalized brick to be placed in the courtyard at the rahway Branch as a testament to your support of our Y.
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES Throughout the beautifully renovated facility, there are many opportunities to show your support through a naming opportunity. Whether you feel an affinity with a particular area of the facility or are an avid sponsor of the arts, youth development, aquatics or physical health and well-being, now is the time to claim your opportunity to show your support in the form of a plaque. For more information on the Brick Campaign or naming Opportunities at the rahway Branch, please contact Marilyn Phinn at The Gateway Family YMCA’s Association Office at 908-249-4800.
Dennis J. Mcnany SVP, Chief Financial Officer
Marilyn D. Phinn, SPHr
“It is so very important to teach our children about water safety – one of the reasons why I chose the Y! No other organization focuses as much on family than what all YMCA’s provide.”
VP, Chief Human resources Officer
OPERATIONS TEAM Danielle B. Cioffi
District Executive Director Elizabeth and Five Points
rodger D. Koerber
rahway Branch Executive
E. Paul Mickiewicz Wellness Center Branch Executive
—ErYn JEAn, MEMBEr
*Y Homes, Inc.
ASSOCIATION OFFICE
144 Madison Avenue, Elizabeth, nJ 07201
908.249.4800
ELIzABETH BRANCH
135 Madison Avenue, Elizabeth, nJ 07201
908.355.9622
FIVE POINTS BRANCH
201 Tucker Avenue, Union, nJ 07083
908.688.9622
WELLNESS CENTER BRANCH
1000 Galloping Hill rd., Union, nJ 07083
908.349.9622
RAHWAY BRANCH
1564 Irving Street, rahway, nJ 07065
732.388.0057
MISSION
THE GATEWAY FAMILY YMCA is a community-based organization rooted in Christian principles and committed to building healthy lives through programs that strengthen spirits, minds and bodies for people of all ages, religions and cultures.
Through the 7th Grade Initiative at The Gateway Family YMCA, we are providing all local 7th grade students with a free
membership to our Y. In addition to the physical benefits of a YMCA membership, we are providing a place outside of school hours to connect and grow relationships to last a lifetime. The Y has become a second home to many of our teens as they see us as a safe place to go after school to hang out with friends, build relationships and work toward improving their health. Our staff works closely with these teens creating an environment where health, support, caring and friendship becomes a strong habit to continue as they grow. Many teens continue with us at the Y after their year in the program and consider our staff role models and friends, stopping by and sharing their academic and personal achievements.
MEASURABLE PROGRESS, UNLIMITED SUPPORT The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is a community-based lifestyle improvement program for adults with prediabetes. Its purpose is to empower adults with lasting lifestyle changes that will improve their overall health and reduce their chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program uses a CDC-approved curriculum and is part of the CDC-led national Diabetes Prevention Program. Currently, diabetes affects nearly 29 million people. Another 86 million have prediabetes and are at risk of developing diabetes, but only 11 percent are aware of it. Since 2012, we have provided the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program to
40 members of our community diagnosed with prediabetes, creating an opportunity to regain their health and stop the disease progression. As part of this initiative, we have provided over 160 participants with free diabetes screenings at our branches, and have partnered with local physicians in increasing awareness of prediabetes in the community. Studies show that healthier eating, increasing your physical activity and reducing your body weight by 7% can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes and improve your overall health. The Gateway Family YMCA is one of 186 Ys delivering this evidence-based program to the community. Over 36,000 participants have attended a YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program at their local Y.
FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT® FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The Y: Strengthening the foundations of community.
TAKING ACTION, CHANGING ODDS
BUILDING A CULTURE OF HEALTH
lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA is a nationally recognized twelve week, evidence-based program that helps adult cancer survivors reclaim their health and well-being following a cancer diagnosis. This program fulfills the important need of supporting the increasing number of cancer survivors who find themselves in the transitional period between completing their cancer treatment and the
A final goal of the program is to assist participants in developing their own physical fitness program so they can continue to practice a healthy lifestyle, not only as part of their recovery, but as a way of life. lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA Coaches work with each participant to fit the program to their individual needs and are trained in the elements of cancer, post rehab exercise and supportive cancer care.
In 2015 the goal of Shaping Elizabeth, CHI (Community Health Initiative) was to expand our reach into the community to support changes that would influence residents to eat healthier and increase their physical activity by making the “healthy choice the easy choice.”
“I would highly recommend this program. It improved my physical and mental health, my side effects from treatment were minimized and I met a wonderful group of people that I truly care about.”
This year, The Gateway Family YMCA celebrated two very special graduations from the lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA program. In the company of their new friends, Y supporters and family, each participant received a certificate of completion and a yellow rose. It was an uplifting and emotional evening and many family members expressed how grateful they were for the program because they saw the improvement in their loved one.
shift to feeling physically and emotionally strong enough to attempt to return to their normal life or their "new normal". At The Gateway Family YMCA, we create a welcoming community in which survivors can improve their strength and physical fitness, diminish the severity of therapy side effects, develop supportive relationships, and improve their quality of life. Since 2007, the lIVESTRONG® Foundation has been the YMCA’s partner in developing and delivering lIVESTrOnG® at the YMCA. The Gateway Family YMCA is one of 174 corporate YMCA associations offering lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA. Over the course of this program, more than 33,116 survivors have participated and 2,246 staff “Thank you for opening the doors of your heart and giving us joy, gentleness, vision, courage and most especially HOPE.” members have been certified as instructors. Collectively, Ys are positively impacting 453 communities in 37 states. This work is so important because medical studies show that moderate levels of appropriate physical activity can reduce fatigue, boost self-esteem and improve muscle strength and physical endurance in individuals following cancer treatment. However, physical activity and wellbeing programs specifically designed for cancer survivors are scarce, especially in local communities – which is where we step in. In addition to physical benefits, the program also focuses on the emotional well-being of survivors and their families by providing a supportive “community” where people impacted by cancer can connect during treatment and beyond.
Through lIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, we are able to offer those who have been diagnosed with cancer the support they need to build both emotional and physical strength. The twelve week program is offered at no cost to the participant and is open to the community. To view photos and personal stories from our graduates, please visit http://bit.ly/YLIVE.
LIVESTRONG AT THE YMCA has proven to: 1. Help survivors MEET OR EXCEED the recommended amount of physical activity 2. Help survivors SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE their cardiovascular endurance 3. IMPROVE cancer survivors’ overall quality of life 4. DECREASE their cancer-related fatigue
Our healthy collaborative currently has 22 partners and 4 major funders. Shaping nJ (nJ Department of Health), Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation, robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Food Trust have all supported our initiative in order to impact the Elizabeth Community for Healthy living. The Funding allowed us to:
n Provide Community Playstreets – 1 Playstreets in 1st, 2nd and 5th Wards, serving over 350 people. Councilpersons Torres, Gallman, Gonzalez were involved and donated bicycles, Council person at large Patricia PerkinsAuguste and Freeholder Granados were engaged. The City of Elizabeth and The Gateway Family YMCA led the events and several organizations supported with in-kind donations including Community Food Bank of nJ and WellCare Inc. Shaping nJ Grant provided funding. n Create a Facebook page to share information – 110 likes since August 2015
n Enroll 2 Corner Stores in the Healthy Corner Store Program - 7 people were trained to approach stores, 1 additional store is ready to sign Shaping nJ Grant provided funding is realized. Groundwork Elizabeth, rutgers Cooperative Extension and Bayway Family Success Center provided leadership.
n Continued work with YMCA Community Garden. Groundwork Elizabeth provided expertise for “Garden Camp”. Over 50 campers learned about Urban Gardening and took home fresh grown produce.
n Fresh fruits were taken from Kean Farm operated by partner Groundwork Elizabeth to Mravlag Housing Authority, YMCA residents and YMCA programs for first time. Goal to increase next year as well as support the farm with volunteers from Mravlag and YMCA residents to pick and keep fresh vegetables. n A registered Dietician was hired in October to offer “Eat Healthy, Be Active Community Workshop” to the community. 4 Organizations from Shaping Elizabeth have already agreed to host the workshops at their sites. (Proceed, Inc., Bayway Family Success, YMCA and Planned Parenthood). n Trinitas rMS received a grant to begin Community Medic Model – A model to support patients after release from the hospital – Have home visits to review medication, discuss healthy eating and managing on their own.
n Trinitas sponsored Million Step Challenge with Shaping Elizabeth September 2015 – 8 Organizations engaged with over 150 people walking over 10 million recorded steps. n received rWJF Grant for Capacity Building and Development of Blue Print For Change $200,000 over 4 years. Organizations involved Groundwork Elizabeth, City of Elizabeth, The YMCA, Proceed, Inc., and Trinitas rMC.
n received $30,000 Elizabethtown Healthcare Grant for nutrition Education and support of work with Mravlag, community garden, marketing and playstreets. n Two Healthy Schools designated in Elizabeth held end of year health events and worked on healthy changes to increase physical activity and healthy nutrition over 1,000 children impacted. Our 4 Work Groups: Access to Healthy Foods, Increased Physical Activity, School Wellness and Community Health met in October to begin Strategic Planning for 2016 goals. Teams worked together with leadership from the coalition from Groundwork Elizabeth, City of Elizabeth, rutgers Cooperative Extension, Trinitas rMC, Proceed, Inc. to brainstorm ideas. Visit our Shaping Elizabeth Facebook page and Like us for our next endeavors. For more information on Shaping Elizabeth, please contact Alane McCahey at 908-249-4800.
Our Cause: A Stronger Community The Y is a positive force in this community. Together, we take on the challenges that shape our community’s future. From tackling the achievement gap to teaching healthy habits for a lifetime or giving people the chance to strengthen the community through volunteering; everything the Y does is in service of building a better us. “The Y provides me with the venue to help myself get and stay healthy. I absolutely love the idea that it is a non-profit, community based organization. My family and I were members for years and knew they do ‘good work.’ Recently, I got laid off and struggled financially. The Y was there to help out financially, cutting our family membership in half. The Y is the most important resource I have to get and stay healthy, which when unemployed is incredibly important. I love the Y.” —MEMBEr Because you believe everyone has the power to make their lives and community better, we are able to open our doors to all. Your support makes a better us possible.
WHEN YOU GIVE, YOUR NEIGHBOR GETS
Vital partners join The Gateway Family YMCA in solving challenges that are larger than any single organization.
“As a single father caring for a young daughter, I didn’t know what we were going to do when my disability and medical expenses caused us to become homeless. Through the Y’s Supportive Housing Program, we were provided with not only a home but also the ability to further my education and regain my self-sufficiency and support my family.” —Mr. r., MEMBEr With partners like you, along with hundreds of donors, volunteers and staff, the Y has the power to strengthen our community and positively impact the lives of those around us.
LIFT THE WORLD AROUND YOU
GIVE for a better us. • Give at tgfymca.org • Text TGFYMCA to 41444 • Call 908-249-4800
Every dollar donated to our Y has a lasting impact on the people of Eastern Union County and northern Middlesex County. When you donate to our Y, you are donating for a better us. “I was diagnosed in 2008 with breast cancer. I was a single mom and my daughter was only 6 years old. I was devastated and all I could think was that I was going to die and what would happen to my precious girl. I chose to do a double mastectomy and underwent five months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation as well as two reconstructive surgeries and a full hysterectomy. In that time my body went from a size five to twelve. When I learned about the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, I immediately signed up. The trainers were fabulous and worked with us individually due to our different limitations. I regained my strength and learned how to live a healthier life. My daughter is now turning thirteen and we joined the Y so we could go together.” —MS. G., MEMBEr
By making a difference here, you become part of a collective effort to impact communities nationwide. These outcomes are only possible with your philanthropic support.
THE Y. FOR A BETTER US. TM
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