COMMUNITY NEWS 2016: ISSUE 1
FROM ABC TO UPK
1–2
MAKING STRIDES TO SURVIVE
3
MLK MAGIC 3
FROM ABC TO UPK
HONORING GREATNESS
4
BREAKING A SWEAT
5
HEALTHY AND HOPEFUL EYES ON THE PRIZE
6–7
8
THE Y’S EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS SUPPORT YOUNG LEARNERS AND FAMILIES
T
he YMCA of Greater New York has been a leading Early Childhood Education Program provider for decades. In addition to fee-based Early Childhood programs at several sites, the Y partners with the NYC Department of Education on Pre-K for All, an initiative bringing free, fullday, high-quality pre-K programs to all ageappropriate children in the City. The Y operates UPK programs in Queens (Cross Island Y, Flushing Y, Long Island City Y, Ridgewood Y) and Staten Island (Broadway Y, South Shore Y). All of our Early Childhood programs offer a play-based approach to learning in well-equipped classrooms designed to allow children to learn individually, in small groups, and in large groups. Children are encouraged to self-select the learning centers they explore, with each center offering ways to spark curiosity and creativity, to build language skills, and to increase knowledge of the world. • Mayor Bill de Blasio (above, on right) and Deputy Mayor Richard Buery (above, on left) visit students and teachers at the Long Island City Y’s pre-Kindergarten program.
1
(left) Council Member Peter Koo helps a UPK student at the Flushing Y build a gingerbread house. (above) State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky visits campers at an Early Childhood day camp at the Flushing Y.
(above) Council Member Barry Grodenchik, seated next to Cross Island YMCA Executive Director Dana Feinberg, visits the UPK program at the Cross Island Y.
(above) Students complete an art project with their teacher at the Greenpoint Y.
(left and above) Pre-K teachers and students celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Cross Island Y. 2
2016: ISSUE 1
MAKING STRIDES TO SURVIVE LOCAL OFFICIALS HOST A COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR AT THE FLATBUSH Y
C
ity Council Member Jumaane Williams, State Senator Kevin Parker, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte (all pictured, left to right, sampling a dance class), and the Haitian American Centers Council sponsored the Making Strides to Survive Health Fair at the Flatbush Y. The health fair provided approximately 400 community members with free health services such as flu shots, fitness demonstrations, and screenings for breast cancer, Hepatitic C, and HIV. Data from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s 2015 Community Health
Profile shows such a focus on health to be highly important in the Flatbush and Midwood areas (Brooklyn Community District 14). Within the district, heart disease is the leading cause of death, 28% of adults are obese, and 11% suffer from diabetes. Nevertheless, 16% of adults go without needed medical care, giving the district the sixth-worst rate in the City for medical care. To address these issues and more, the Y will continue to partner with elected officials and community-based organizations to promote healthy living. •
(l to r) City Council Member Jumaane Williams, Flatbush Y Executive Director Meishay Gattis, and State Senator Kevin Parker come together to promote neighborhood health.
MLK MAGIC
Y TEENS HONOR DR. KING BY SERVING THEIR COMMUNITIES
I
n honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 130 teens from 22 Leaders Clubs throughout the city joined Y staff to contribute a combined total of 534 hours of volunteer service. Teens engaged in a variety of tasks at PS 54 in Brooklyn, including donating 143 books they had collected in book drives, and working with teachers to organize supplies and clear out unusable materials. To celebrate their service, YMCA President and CEO Sharon
Greenberger, Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA Executive Director Dordy Jourdain, Assembly Member Annette Robinson, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, and Principal Anthony Pirro (above, l to r) came out to talk about the value of the teens’ contributions. Assembly Member Walter Mosley (above right) joined other officials in encouraging teens to continue to develop their leadership skills and engage in service throughout their lives. • 3
HONORING GREATNESS
THE Y HOSTS THE FIRST ANNUAL HISPANIC ACHIEVERS RECEPTION
T
he YMCA was proud to partner with the Colgate-Palmolive Company to host its 1st Annual Hispanic Achievers Reception at Le Parker Meridien. Chaired by Josué Muñoz, Vice President of Global Customer Service and Logistics at the Colgate-Palmolive Company, the event welcomed approximately 100 friends of the Y, who collectively pledged over $70,000 to support the Y’s high school success, college access and workforce development programs. The inaugural event served to highlight distinguished Hispanic leaders in business, government and education in New York City.
The evening honored Dr. Antonio Pérez, President of Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York; Honorable Rubén Díaz Jr., Bronx Borough President; and Ms. Jessica Rodriguez, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Univision Communications, Inc. In addition to the accomplishments of these professionals, the event celebrated the success of Y kids, including West Side Y Teen Career Connection alumna and current Barnard College freshman Deisy Cedeno and Y Scholars Bianca Munoz and Melissa Queliz, who were each awarded $2,000 in college scholarships. •
(above left) Y board member Justin Skala with scholarship recipients. (above) Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. addresses the crowd. (below) Event Chair Josué Muñoz.
(l to r) Colgate-Palmolive representative Sergio Couto, former Y participant Deisy Cedeno, Colgate-Palmolive representative Dafry Rivera, YMCA President & CEO Sharon Greenberger, honoree Jessica Rodriguez, honoree Dr. Antonio Pérez, and Y Board Member Justin Skala. 4
2016: ISSUE 1
BREAKING A SWEAT THE Y-MVP PROGRAM HELPS TEENS GET FIT
T
hanks to generous philanthropic support from lead donors such as the PepsiCo Foundation, The New York Community Trust’s Hive Digital Media Learning Fund, the Aetna Foundation, and The Hyde and Watson Foundation, the YMCA of Greater New York’s Y-MVP teen fitness program is growing steadily. Combining fun fitness activities with digital badges, social media and gamification, Y-MVP motivates youth, ages 11-17, to regularly engage in Moderate to Vigorous Physical (MVP) activity. By taking the Y-MVP Teen Fitness Challenge, an eight-week class taught by trained youth fitness coaches, teens learn how to develop a personal fitness program that is enjoyable, sustainable and improves cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular strength and flexibility. The program aims to counteract the sharp decline in MVP activity that typically occurs during adolescence and help reverse the obesity epidemic by encouraging teens to develop the lifelong habit of regular exercise.
This innovative approach is making a big impact: youth enrolled in the program have significantly increased their physical activity levels and nearly 90% of participants reported Y-MVP helped them become more physically active. Most meaningfully, a 2015 program evaluation study found that participating youth increased their vigorous physical activity by 91%, while their non-Y-MVP peers decreased vigorous physical activity by 14%. To date, Y-MVP has served nearly 2,000 teens at 20 YMCAs located across all five boroughs. Over the next two years, the program is projected to serve an additional 6,000 to 10,000 teens. This growth is in large part due to the development of a new mobile app that enables the Y to conduct the program outside the walls of our traditional community centers and serve youth at other program sites, including after-school programs and summer day camps. The app will be made available to the public at no cost (in both iOS and Android versions) through the iTunes App Store and Google Play. • 5
HEALTHY
THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIGHTS ON AFTERSCHOOL Council Members Jumaane Williams and Julissa FerrerasCopeland joined the Campaign for Children, the Afterschool Alliance, and dozens of young people in calling for increased government support for after-school programs.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME The McBurney YMCA revealed its remodeled member lounge, which is the heart of the facility. McBurney YMCA Board Chair Colin Peters, Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, McBurney YMCA Executive Director Jolaina Peltier, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and YMCA President & CEO Sharon Greenberger were on hand to cut the ribbon on the new space. THE ART OF GIVING More than 500 community business leaders, philanthropists, and YMCA supporters gathered for the 15th annual Arts and Letters Reception at The TimesCenter. Among the honorees, pictured left to right with YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, were Kris Magel, Chief Investment Officer at Initiative, Gail Grimmett, Senior Vice President at New York Delta Air Lines, Inc, and comedian Jim Gaffigan. 6
2016: ISSUE 1
AND HOPEFUL
PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES COMMUNITY COUNTS The Bronx YMCA partnered with the Castle Hill Homeowners Association, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, Council Member Annabel Palma, and local businesses to host a Bronx community event at which 300 people enjoyed bouncy houses, kick-ball games, pony rides, and more. (l to r) State Senator Jeffrey Klein, Castle Hill Homeowners Association President Izzy Morales, Bronx YMCA Executive Director Sharlene Brown, and Bronx YMCA Membership Representative and Rental Coordinator Jasmine Marsh.
ONE DAY AT A TIME Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Travis Bassett, Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, and NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre joined others at the YMCA Counseling Service on Staten Island to announce new initiatives to combat opioid use and overdose deaths across the city. As part of the city’s ThriveNYC plan to improve mental health services, the City will improve access to medications to treat addiction and will form a community task force to help combat addiction.
5K OR $50K Instead of riding for distance, New Yorkers got to ride for good with the Citi Bike For Good program. Due to great turnout, the Y and two other nonprofits each received $50,000 for programs. Photo (l to r) John Frost, Executive Director for Bike Share, New York City Department of Transportation; Josh Lockwood, Regional CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region; Chuck Scofield, Share Our Strength Chief Development Officer; Paula Kelley, Managing Director, Citi Cards; Jay Walder, CEO of Motivate; and Sharon Greenberger, President & CEO of YMCA of Greater New York. Credit: Amy Sussman/AP Images for Citi
AT THE READY Dozens of students in the YMCA’s free English and citizenship classes took part in a training course with the New York State Citizen Preparedness Corps. With the help of Erick A. Contreras, a Technical Sergeant with the New York Air National Guard, and support from the NYS Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, participants learned how to properly prepare for any disaster, including developing a family emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies. 7
YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
EYES ON THE PRIZE
THE JAMAICA Y SUPPORTS HOMELESS YOUTH IN PURSUING THEIR GOALS
W
ith support from the NYC Department of Education, the Jamaica YMCA is helping students remain focused on achieving their goals despite their current living situations through academic improvement, leadership and self-respect. The Y’s Standing Tall and Ready to Uphold Progress (START UP) program provides afterschool and summer programming to young people
ages 11 to 21 who are homeless and living in temporary housing. Cedric Dew, Executive Director of the Jamaica YMCA, hopes the program will expand to other parts of the city: “I think it will be a great opportunity to help more young people who may be in shelters and dealing with some of the difficult aspects that come with being in a shelter.” •
(above) START UP graduate and staff member Kimeko Johnson helps a participant with a project. (below) Budding fashion designers work on their pieces in sewing club.