COMMUNITY NEWS 2018: ISSUE 1
THIS LAND IS MY LAND
THIS LAND IS MY LAND
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WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
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LAYING THE FOUNDATION
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NOTHING BUT NET
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SÍ SE PUEDE
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MANY MEANINGS 5 IT TAKES A VILLAGE AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
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THE Y STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
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s part of its mission to strengthen community, the Y is partnering with collaborators like NYC Votes to support New Yorkers’ civic engagement. In 2017, the Y worked with NYC Votes and the League of Women Voters to participate in National Voter Registration Day, registering nearly 100 voters at sites across the city. Building on the foundation laid in 2017, the Y will be collaborating with YMCA
of the USA beginning in 2018 as part of their “Voter Registration Initiative.” Registering to vote is a first step in civic engagement and a key component in connecting individuals to their communities. The Y’s planned work with local partners will include: voter registration drives, voter awareness, voter turnout and legislative advocacy to expand voter access. •
The McBurney Y hosts National Voter Registration Day activities with (l to r) Omar Suarez, New York Director of Dominicanos USA; Scott Wohl from LiveOnNY; YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger; Onida Coward Mayers, Director of Voter Assistance at NYC Votes; Cathy Gray from the League of Women Voters of NYC; McBurney Y Fund Development Associate Rannie McCants; McBurney Y Property Manager Guillermo Abreu; McBurney Y Membership Director Mitch Lyons; McBurney Y Business Office Manager Oksana Antonyuk; and Shadawn Smith from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
(top) A volunteer registers a community member at the Dodge Y; (above) Y Community School Director Hady Mendez joins students at P.S. 154 in the Bronx to motivate area residents to register. 1
WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE THE Y’S SECOND GRADE SWIM PROGRAM PREPARES KIDS FOR WATER SPORTS
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ome New York City elementary students get extra special lessons during the school week – swim lessons. Across the five boroughs, the Y partners with public schools to bring second graders to their local Y for 10 weeks of life-saving swim classes. The Second Grade Swim program, which is supported by the New York City Council, individual members such as Council Member Margaret Chin and Brad Lander, and individual donors, helps hundreds of public school students become proficient in the water during the academic year. The importance of these lessons cannot be overstated. Data collected by the New York State Health Department shows that between 1987 and 2010, 29% of drowning victims at regulated facilities, such as public beaches, were children between the ages of 6 and 15, and another 32% were young adults between the ages of 16 and 25. Through a scientifically-based national YMCA curriculum that incorporates personal safety, personal growth, stroke development, water games, and rescue, the Y seeks to curb the risk of drownings and empower youth to enjoy swimming and other water sports safely. •
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2018: ISSUE 1
LAYING THE FOUNDATION THE Y ENGAGES COMMUNITY AROUND THE FUTURE EDENWALD YMCA
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uilding a new YMCA isn’t all architectural drawings and cement prices. It also requires significant levels of community outreach to foster collaborative relationships with community partners to ensure that the new facility meets local needs. Leadership from the YMCA of Greater New York has delighted in sharing plans for the new building and in gathering input along the way. Engagement activities have included the following: a community meeting and public hearing at Bronx Community Board 12, as well as a presentation to its board members; a tour of another YMCA facility with Edenwald community leaders and elected officials; a presentation to a tenant association at Edenwald Houses; and a Public Design Commission review and City Planning ULURP certification. •
(l to r) YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, Council Member Andy King, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie visit the Prospect Park Y to better visualize potential amenities in the Edenwald YMCA.
(left, l to r) Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. strategizes about two new Bronx YMCAs with YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger, YMCA Vice President of Public Affairs Sharon Levy, and YMCA Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Property Management Joe Chan. (right) Community leaders discuss the design for the new Edenwald YMCA project. Front row (l to r): Kevin Riley, Lissa So, Al de Castro, Shirley Feron, and State Senator Jamaal Bailey; Second Row: YMCA Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Property Management Joe Chan, Jevonnie Brooks, Brea Grate from the office of Council Member Andy King, and Lethia Williams; third row: Norma Diego from the office of CM King, and George Torres. 3
NOTHING BUT NET THE GREENPOINT YMCA’S GYM GETS A NEW LOOK
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ith support from Greenpoint Landing, a 22-acre waterfront development with more than 5,000 housing units, the Greenpoint Y was able to overhaul and update its gymnasium.
The gymnasium is now equipped with brand new basketball hoops, lighting, doors, floors, scoreboard, benches, and ventilation system.
Business leaders, board members, youth participants, and Assembly Member Joe Lentol (below left) came out to celebrate the updated facility and test out the backboards of the basketball hoops. •
SÍ SE PUEDE
THE Y HONORS BUSINESS LEADERS AT ITS HISPANIC ACHIEVERS EVENT
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he Y celebrated the accomplishments of amazing business leaders in the community at the annual Hispanic Achievers event. Now in its third year, this reception continues to serve as an important platform for identifying, inspiring and developing New York City’s next generation of Hispanic business and civic leaders. As such, the event raised more than $170,000 in support of the Y’s Rowe Scholars program, which provides college and career access for approximately 1,600 young people each year. The event also presented the 2017 Outstanding Leadership Award to Juan Mejia, Vice President, Operations, New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, and Rita DiMartino, Board Member, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center (inset). •
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(above) Class of 2017 Corporate Hispanic Achievers (l to r): Ludy Schuverer, L’Oreal Paris; Alice Rodriguez, JP Morgan; Javier Llinas, Colgate-Palmolive Company; Ana Carvajalino, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; Daniel Bethelmy-Rada, L’Oreal, USA; and Luis Lopez, Deloitte. (left) Y Rowe Scholars Shayna Gonzalez and Gisselle Gonzalez were awarded scholarships and celebrated with Y youth leader Joshen Ayukawa and YMCA President and CEO Sharon Greenberger.
2018: ISSUE 1
MANY MEANINGS
Y AFTERSCHOOL EMPOWERS YOUTH TO MAKE THE MOST OF AFTERNOON HOURS
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he final school bell of the day can take on many meanings. For some, it represents the freedom of heading home for games and rest. For others, it represents boredom, as the hours of unchaperoned time stretch out before them, waiting for parents to come home from work. For Y kids, the final bell can signal time to connect with friends over fun enrichment activities, such as CATCH sports, or STEM clubs. Or it may mean time to check in with a favorite staff
member and get reminded of all the promise the future holds. Or it can signal an opportunity to finally grasp a tricky school-day concept and feel empowered to return to class the next day ready to move on to the next level. By offering a wide range of programming, Y Afterschool is designed to take on whatever meaning best connects with each child and enables them to develop social-emotional skills, improve academically, develop character, and have fun. •
April Armstrong, a volunteer from the Council for Living Music, on a weekly visit to P.S. 33 where she helps Y kids explore folksongs, stories, and dances from around the world. (top) Future engineers at the Cross Island Y. (above) Students from the Long Island City Y’s after school program at P.S. 150 join after school director Tyrina Bailey and LIC Y Executive Director Ebony Young to help spread (and receive) holiday cheer at a Queens Rotary Club holiday celebration.
(left) Peter Rabbit drops in after school. (above) Y kids at P.S. 96 learn to keep it ecofriendly by creating their own lotions, face creams, and lip balms. 5
IT TAKES THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
FAMILY TIES State Senator Jeffrey Klein (center with Bronx Y Executive Director Sharlene Brown) presented the Bronx Y with a contribution for the Family Ties program. Family Ties promotes the well-being of children and families in the community through exercise, educational enrichment and healthy eating in a supportive and stable environment.
READING RAINBOW Assembly Member Joe Lentol read to little ones at the early childhood program at the Greenpoint Y as Executive Director Kendall Charter and Board Member Paul Pullo (seated) looked on.
HEALTHY CHOICES Congress Member Nydia Velรกzquez sponsored a Health Fair in conjunction with the Ridgewood Y at P.S. 305. STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY IN STATEN ISLAND The South Shore Y proudly celebrated the opening of a YMCA Community School at P.S. 57 in Staten Island with funding as a 21st Century Community Learning Center. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by students and (l to r) South Shore Y Executive Director Tom Swanciger, New York State Senator Diane Savino, Superintendent Anthony Lodico, Principal of P.S. 57 Karyn Lind, and Councilwoman Debi Rose.
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2018: ISSUE 1
A VILLAGE PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES
SPEAKING OUT The YMCA’s Vice President of Healthy Living, Joann Donnelly, spoke on a panel at City & State’s State of NY Health event regarding services in healthcare for the aging and vulnerable populations in New York. Joining her on the panel were (l to r): Erin Billups, Health Reporter, Spectrum News NY1 (moderator); Christopher A. Langston, Vice President, HealthCare Services, Aging in New York Fund; Council Member Margaret Chin, Chair, Committee on Aging; Tom Check, CEO, Healthix, Inc.; and Jeffrey Plaut, Founding Partner, Global Strategy Group, LLC.
TO YOUR HEALTH Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (center) met with Y staff to discuss healthy living initiatives such as the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. Y staff included (l to r): Michael Rivadeneyra, Senior Director of Government Relations; Joshua Stabenfeldt, Dodge Y Executive Director; Marjorie Jean-Jacques, North Brooklyn Y Executive Director; Joann Donnelly, Vice President of Healthy Living; and Mel Tse, Senior Vice President of Operations.
COMMUNITY BUILDERS The Y hosted its first ever Community Builders Reception where community members and Y advocates gathered to honor L. Jay Cross (above), President of Related Hudson Yards, and Matt Van Buren (right), President of the Northeast Divison of CBRE, for their dedication and partnership in building up their communities and making an incredible difference in New York City.
A LIVING LEGEND AT HARLEM NBA basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited the Harlem Y with Today Show anchor, Al Roker, to talk about his book, Becoming Kareem, which highlights the importance of youth programs and Kareem’s involvement and passion for AfricanAmerican history and culture. The former Harlem Y member took some time to play basketball with some Y kids.
TOMORROW’S CITIZENS The Flatbush Y hosted a free citizenship application assistance event in partnership with CUNY Citizenship Now!, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, State Senator Kevin Parker, and City Council Member Jumaane Williams. 7
YMCA of Greater New York 5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023 212 630 9600 ymcanyc.org
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
THE YMCA’S DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM TO RECEIVE MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT
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ince 2010, the YMCA of Greater New York has been providing the evidence-based YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program (YDPP) to New Yorkers diagnosed with prediabetes. The 12-month, 25-session communitybased program can fight diabetes more effectively and at lower cost than
other approaches. With 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of people 65 and older in New York City qualifying for that diagnosis, programs that support individuals in making lifestyle changes to ward off type 2 diabetes are essential. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services agrees, and starting in 2018 Medicare will reimburse programs like the YMCA’s DPP. The reimbursement program has the potential to save taxpayers more than $1 billion and drastically reduce the number of seniors with prediabetes in New York City and throughout the United States. • (l) YDPP lifestyle coach Alexandra Jean Francois with participant Miladys Ortega; (r) a YDPP participant studies a lesson on handling holidays, vacations, and special events.