COMMUNITY NEWS 2016: ISSUE 2
FAMILY ADVOCATES
FAMILY ADVOCATES
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MAKING A SPLASH
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IN STEP WITH GOOD HEALTH
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WELCOMING NEW AMERICANS
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CHILLIN’ 4 A VOICE FOR MANY INSPIRING INNOVATION TACKLING A COMMUNITY CRISIS
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THE Y HOSTS VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND GOVERNOR CUOMO AT RALLIES TO SUPPORT FAMILIES
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he Y has a long history of supporting families through programs such as early childcare, afterschool, family fitness classes, and more. Therefore the Y was proud to support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Paid Family Leave initiative by hosting two rallies, one at the McBurney Y and one at the West Side Y. Both rallies highlighted the need for working families to have more financial stability in times of family transitions. Vice President Joseph Biden (pictured here with YMCA President & CEO Sharon Greenberger) shared truly moving words on the importance of standing with families as they face challenges and embrace the joys of family life. • Governor Cuomo speaks passionately as (l to r) State Senator Jeffrey Klein, advocate Christy Turlington of Every Mother Counts, Vice President Biden, and Representative Carolyn Maloney look on in support.
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(l) Representative Jerrold Nadler comes out in support of families; (r) cheers for Representative Nancy Pelosi at the West Side Y rally.
MAKING A SPLASH Y SWIM PROGRAMS WIN BIG
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he Flushing Flyers of the Flushing Y have won an unprecedented 30 consecutive state swimming championships. Yes, 30! In addition to a legacy of success, the Flushing swim team boasts a dedicated staff and special guests who keep swimmers motivated: Olympic gold medalists Jason Lezak and Josh Davis (pictured at right with swimmers and Y coach Richard Finkelstein) recently visited to train with participants and inspire the next generation of Olympians. •
Nipping at their heels are the Cross Island Y Barracudas, which recently took top state spots for 9 to 10-year-old boys and 11 to 12-year-old girls. Four individual Barracudas also claimed State Champion titles, while another set a new state record. 2
2016: ISSUE 2
IN STEP WITH GOOD HEALTH THE U.S. SURGEON GENERAL PROMOTES WELLNESS AT THE Y
(l) New York State Senator Brad Hoylman joined U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger; (r) following his speech, Dr. Murthy “walked the walk,” joining Y walking club members and staff for laps around McBurney’s indoor track.
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.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy gave the keynote at the Y’s community breakfast at the McBurney Y and urged people to take up walking. His Call to Action, Step It Up!, is designed to get America walking and echoes the McBurney Y’s message to its walking club members. He called on attendees to support walking as a widely accessible form of exercise and to do their part in removing potential
barriers, such as by improving street lighting so that people may walk more safely in the evenings. He also mentioned a range of other wellness activities that he recommends to promote health – from urban gardening programs to mental health support services. Healthy lifestyles programs mentioned by Dr. Murthy are already in place in
Ys throughout the city. In addition to walking clubs at locations such as Jamaica, Staten Island and McBurney, the Y also works with partner schools such as PS 154 in the Bronx, CS 200 in Harlem, JHS 189 in Flushing, and Port Richmond High School in Staten Island to support gardening projects that introduce young people to healthy eating habits. •
(l to r) Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, YMCA Board Member Wellington Chen, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Dr. Mary Bassett, and Bill Chong, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development; (right) Dr. Bassett shares insight into health solutions in NYC. 3
WELCOMING NEW AMERICANS Y CENTERS SERVE AS CRITICAL GATEWAYS FOR THE CITY’S NEWEST RESIDENTS
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s part of its commitment to meeting the needs of the city’s ever-changing, diverse communities, the Y has helped tens of thousands of foreignborn New Yorkers on their paths to self-sufficiency. In 1918, New York City’s Y began offering its first formal classes in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). Today, in partnership with the NYS Office for New Americans, the NYS Department of Education, NYC Department of Youth & Community Development, NYC Department of Education, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and the NYC Commission on Human Rights – and with support from Con Edison, Delta Air Lines, Inc., and the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation – the Y
worker’s rights, resume writing and job interviewing, and using technology. The Y also has longstanding relationships with more than 130 government, community-based and educational agencies providing social services, legal counsel, and workforce readiness support.
operates six New Americans Welcome Centers across all five boroughs. In addition to English and citizen preparation classes, new residents can access computer literacy classes, free legal counsel, and workshops on high school equivalency education, financial literacy, domestic violence,
In 2015, the six Centers collectively served 10,000 individuals from 99 different countries, through classes, workshops, and referrals. Based on economic analysis provided by Appleseed, a firm specializing in providing economic and community impact analysis, the 4,439 participants who enrolled in classes at the Y are projected to have increased aggregate lifetime earnings of more than $43 million. •
CHILLIN’
CREATING UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES FOR Y CHILDREN AND TEENS
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ver the course of four Saturdays, 130 children and teens from the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens took part in progressive snow sport lessons at the National Winter Activity Center (NWAC) in Vernon, NJ. Youth were accompanied by Y staff and provided with full head-to-toe winter sports gear for their visits. Taught by certified Professional Ski Instructors of America and United States Ski and Snowboard Association instructors, youth learned a range of winter sport skills: dressing in the appropriate gear, building stamina, developing balance, learning movements such as step and glide, navigating the magic carpet lift, learning to fall independently, controlling speed and changing directions. Their commitment to learning was rewarded by newfound confidence on the snow and an amazing adventure they won’t forget. This unique experience was made possible with generous support from the Phillip and Elizabeth Gross Family Foundation. • 4
2016: ISSUE 2
A VOICE FOR MANY
THE Y ENGAGES IN ADVOCACY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND ALBANY
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programs such as diabetes prevention, services for New Americans, and youth leadership were the priorities when the Y visited Washington, D.C. Officials such as Senator Charles Schumer (pictured above with YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger and Y staff and teens) were eager to discuss ways they can support communities through impactful programming. The YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program was honored by the Health and Human Services Department, and leadership
Y staff toured the Senate Chamber with State Senator Kevin Parker.
from the Y Roads program attended the White House Summit on Opportunity Youth. During the visit, youth leaders from the Flushing Y shared their stories of challenges and hope. In Albany, representatives from the Y reached out to State Senators and Assembly Members to discuss programs in their districts and citywide initiatives such as community schools. The Y is grateful for these opportunities to address important community issues with its partners in office. •
Assembly Member Marcos Crespo met with Y staff.
Sharon Greenberger with (clockwise from above): Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte; Assembly Member Félix Ortiz; State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson and Y Staff; Assembly Members Cathy Nolan and Michael Miller; Assembly Members Phillip Goldfeder and Ron Kim; State Senators Joseph Addabbo and Michael Gianaris; State Senator Rubén Díaz, Sr.
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INSPIRING THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PUBLIC SECTOR SUPPORT The Bronx and Prospect Park YMCAs launched their Annual Campaigns, which underwrite financial assistance for youth and community programs. Assembly Member Michael Benedetto (with Bronx Y Executive Director Sharlene Brown) and Council Member Brad Lander (seen here with Prospect Park Y Executive Director Erika Rautenstrauch, Y participant and Lander office intern Melissa Queliz, and Prospect Park Associate Executive Director Jamel Davis) joined in supporting kids.
COLOR OF JUSTICE The Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA hosted its second Color of Justice program at the Kings County Supreme Court in collaboration with the National Association of Women Judges. Teens from the Bedford-Stuyvesant Y, Dodge Y, and North Brooklyn Y attended panel discussions on the judicial process and networked with state and federal judges, practicing attorneys, and law students. Teens are pictured with (l to r) Hon. Lillian Wan, Hon. Ruth Shillingford, Hon. Betty Williams, Hon. Kathy King, Hon. Joanne Quiñones, and Hon. Margarita López Torres.
A QUESTION OF COMFORT Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland led the charge to get better access to feminine hygiene products in schools, with support from (l to r) NYC Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Elizabeth Rose, Council Member Daniel Dromm, and Representative Grace Meng. The Y and other youth-serving organizations have come out in support of a pilot program through which the NYC Department of Education will provide free feminine hygiene dispensers, serving over 11,000 young women in 25 schools. 6
JR. KNICKS AT CHINATOWN Kids at the Chinatown Y’s Jr. Knicks program and the Y School at PS 126 got a once in a lifetime experience when former Knicks Larry Johnson and John Wallace came out for an afternoon with the New York Knicks Fan Development Clinic staff. In addition to running drills and emphasizing fundamentals, these special guests shared giveaways, photos, and autographs with their junior fans.
TAKING A DIP Singer Usher stopped by the Prospect Park YMCA to enjoy some pool time and was joined by Y swimmers.
2016: ISSUE 2
INNOVATION PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES GETTING TO KNOW YOU YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Sharon Greenberger met with Council Member Mark Levine to discuss Y programs on the Upper West Side, including early childcare programs at the Grosvenor Neighborhood House YMCA, and the Y’s engagement with public parks through the Let’s Move! Outside initiative. WINNING PROPOSALS Teens took over Brooklyn Borough Hall in the mid-season event for Teens Take the City, the Y’s signature civics engagement program. After months of research, teens put forward policy proposals covering a wide range of NYC issues. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams shared inspirational words on leadership and community engagement.
STORY TIME Council Member Barry Grodenchik (seated next to Cross Island Y Executive Director Dana Feinberg) came out to meet students in the pre-Kindergarten program at the Cross Island Y. CELEBRATING WITH SERVICE Through the Let’s Move! Outside NYC initiative led by the Y, nearly 50 Y teens celebrated Earth Day by joining a service project at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. Organized by the Student Conservation Association, the event brought 370 volunteers together to reopen 7,500 feet of trails, repaint 6,000 square feet of graffiti-covered walls, and clear three tons of debris from the beach! THE WELCOME WAGON Council Member Carlos Menchaca stood by advocates at City Hall on a rainy day in support of adult literacy. Menchaca met with Y Program Director of the New Americans Initiative Lorna Blancafor and students Bizhang Chen and Min Rui Gao. 7
YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
TACKLING A COMMUNITY CRISIS THE Y ADVOCATES FOR ADDICTION AND RECOVERY LEGISLATION
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he YMCA Counseling Service on Staten Island joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, families and other advocates to call on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to help end the opioid epidemic. Nationwide, there was a 400% increase in sales of prescription opioid pain relievers between 1999 and 2010. From 2000 to 2014, the rate of unintentional overdose deaths in Staten Island has grown by 178%, with Staten Island reporting the city’s highest rates of overdose deaths involving opioid analgesics and heroin in 2014. Speaking in support of Senator Gillibrand’s amendment to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, Counseling Service Executive Director Jacqueline Filis stated: “We believe this legislation is an important step towards limiting the access to overprescribed pills and minimizing their number on our streets.” •
(l to r) Jeffrey Selzer, MD, DFASAM, the New York Region Director and member of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Addiction Medicine; Jon Morgenstern, PhD, Director of Addiction Services at Northwell Health; Jacqueline Filis, Executive Director of the YMCA Counseling Service; Dr. Arthur Williams, Fellow, Division on Substance Abuse at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; and Stephen G. Rice, MD, PhD, MPH, FACSM at American College of Sports Medicine.