Community News 2023 Issue 2

COMMUNITY NEWS TOMORROW’S LEADERS

Y TEENS TACKLE ADVOCACY AND LEGISLATION

For the first time since 2019, the Y took a group of teen leaders to meet with their Congressional Representatives to advocate for their communities and funding for youth programs.

Back in NYC, these teen leaders and dozens of their peers later gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall to discuss their policy proposals and hear from local elected officials about the legislative process. Teen policy recommendations included increasing accessibility on public transportation, making life skills

classes part of the NYC Department of Education’s core curriculum, providing job opportunities and safer shelters for homeless individuals, increasing availability of free hygiene products for students, and improving the quality of school lunches.•

(top) l to r: Y Teen Counselors Eduardo Cajasmero and Mark Martinez, Youth Manhattan Borough President Lakshmi Raghunath, Program Manager of Citywide Teen Programs and Alumni Services Nicole Pellerano, Youth Bronx Borough President Kamren Page, Youth Deputy Mayor Edwin Velasquez, Youth Mayor Dianna Levans, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Youth Public Advocate/Brooklyn Borough President Ariana DeVito, Youth Queens Borough President Kadida Bocoum, Youth Comptroller Carter Crump, and YMCA of Greater New York President and CEO Sharon Greenberger; (left) Congress Member Nydia Velázquez speaks with Youth Mayor Dianna Levans about resilience and representation.

(clockwise, starting from upper right)

Congress Member Grace Meng talks with Sharon Greenberger, Youth Queens Borough President Kadida Bocoum, and Youth Deputy Mayor Edwin Velasquez about their experiences with Y programs like Teens Take the City, Leaders Club, and Rowe Scholars; Congress Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chats with teens about the new YMCAs in the Bronx and teens belonging in the halls of Congress; Congress Member Ritchie Torres celebrates making the cover of Community News with fellow Bronx resident and Youth Comptroller Carter Crump while Youth Manhattan Borough President Lakshmi Raghunath looks on.

(clockwise, starting from above left)

l to r: Council Members Rita Joseph and Lincoln Restler join youth leaders Dianna Levins and Ariana DeVito, and Sharon Greenberger, at a Teens Take the City event; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso addresses Teens Take the City delegates at Brooklyn Borough Hall; Youth Queens Borough President and aspiring journalist Kadida Bocoum interviews Congress Member Gregory Meeks at an event at the Jamaica Y.

TO YOUR HEALTH

YMCAS HOST FREE HEALTHY KIDS DAY EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY

In an annual celebration of health, all YMCAs across the city hosted free community events for Healthy Kids Day. The day featured food prep demos, family exercise activities, bounce houses, face painting, giveaways, and more.

Every location also promoted “civic health” by offering voter registration and education in collaboration with partners such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Brooklyn NAACP, Brooklyn Voters Alliance, Chinese Progressive Association, Dominicanos USA, League

of Women Voters, LiveOnNY, MinKwon Center for Community Action, NALEO Educational Fund, NYC Votes, the Office of the NYC Public Advocate, the Office of the Queens Borough President, and Rockaway Women for Progress. •

WHAT’S COOKIN’?

THE NORTHEAST BRONX Y OFFERS CULINARY INSTRUCTION

The Northeast Bronx Y is offering innovative programming in its community kitchen. In partnership with the Sylvia Center, the Y hosted an 8-week course providing teens with culinary and nutrition education, with a Chef Educator teaching participants to prepare healthy, plant-based recipes.

The Y also partnered with Fidelis Care and ShopRite to offer a 6-week course for adults that covered food safety, My Plate meal guidelines, the importance of fruits and vegetables, the role of proteins and whole grains, and how to make healthier snacks. The Y also collaborated with a nutritionist

from Stop & Shop to offer seniors and families special workshops that highlighted healthy ways to make cooking and mealtime simple, fun, and flavorful.•

(l to r) Council Member Ari Kagan stops by Healthy Kids Day at the Coney Island Y; Lili Li and Minnie Singleton Schaefer from NewYork-Presbyterian join Flushing Y Executive Director Tiffany Dunbar; Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers joins in the fun at the Rockaway Y.

SUMMER CAMP FOR ALL

Y INCLUSION CAMPS RELY ON A TRUSTED PARTNER

Since 2003, the Lisa Beth Gerstman Foundation (LBGF) and the Y have partnered to bring the summer camp experience to children with disabilities. Recognizing the lack of summer programs for children with disabilities the LBGF and the Y worked together to create opportunities for a safe, fun and inclusive summer experience. By integrating children with the larger camp populations, we create environments that foster new respect, friendships, and a sense of connectedness.

Since our camp partnership first began at the Cross Island YMCA, LBGF programs have expanded across the city. This summer 9 branches will host inclusion camps: Broadway, Castle Hill, Cross Island, Greenpoint, Harlem, Long Island City, McBurney, Prospect Park, and South Shore YMCAs.

We are grateful for our years of partnership with the LBGF, which helps make the magic of summer camp possible for all of our campers. For more information about the Y summer camps visit the Y website. Visit the Lisa Beth Gerstman Foundation’s website to learn more about the foundation.•

NO KID HUNGRY

THE Y HELPS ADDRESS HUNGER IN THE BRONX

Thanks to generous funding from No Kid Hungry, the Y Community Markets food distribution program continues to provide a critical resource in the Coney Island, Flatbush and North Brooklyn communities. Expanding on this partnership, No Kid Hungry recently enabled the Y to bring food relief to a new audience: PS 112 Bronxwood. PS 112 is a povertyimpacted elementary school where the Y serves as the lead CBO for a NYC Department of Education-funded community school program. Through our community schools initiative, the Y facilitates a unique wrap-around model that supports families in accessing comprehensive social, health care, and educational resources that mitigate the effects of poverty at their local school.

Opening a market in a public school provides access to healthy nutrition and basic care needs for families in a setting they are familiar with and one they go to often. The food pantry is

distributing to families once a month and since September 2022, the food pantry has served 1,843 community members and distributed of 9,492 pounds of food, hygiene supplies, and formula.

Thanks to No Kids Hungry’s support, the Y will be able to expand distribution days into the summer months of 2023, providing sustained resources and year-round support for families who rely on the services of PS 112 Bronxwood Food Pantry.•

IN THE ROUND

THE Y HOSTS CHAIR’S ROUND TABLE RECEPTION FOR DONORS

The Y hosted its annual Chair’s Round Table reception, a spirited celebration of our most generous and loyal donors. The event, held at the Lincoln Center Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, was a great way to strengthen Y connections, make new ones, and celebrate the impact that donors have on the lives of New Yorkers that the Y serves across the five boroughs.

The highlights of the evening were the powerful and moving testimonials from our amazing Y Volunteer, Yvonne Bruno, and New Americans Initiative participant, Jessica Perez. In addition, guests met dedicated Y staff and volunteers and spoke with Y Ambassadors, a cohort of current Y teens who represent the Y at special events and help bring the youth programs to life by sharing their personal stories and experiences.

You can watch a video from the evening or look through photos from the event.•

Jessica Perez (right) and her children Alexa and Axel and husband Cesar Henriquez are originally from Peru and came to New York as asylum seekers in early 2022. Just 14 months later she says, “We can see a future shaping up for our family and all this started when the Y opened its doors for us. My family and I are very grateful.”

Y President and CEO Sharon Greenberger and other guests enjoying the evening program which included a performance by The Bronx Renaissance Community Theater.

Y Ambassadors (left to right): Zakhro Kakhramonova, Jane Huang, Dianna Levans, Michael Serrano, Hajer Al-Taie, and Erica Morales.

Yvonne Bruno said in 1998 “I walked into the Y as a guest and have never left. People often ask me if I ever go home [to her country of birth, Jamaica]. I tell them that the Y is my home away from home.”

Long-time volunteer Yvonne Bruno (center) is accompanied by Y Executive Directors and Vice Presidents with whom she has worked over the past 25 years: (left to right) Michael Keller, Jamel Davis, Marjorie Jean Jacques, Meishay Gattis, Dordy Jourdain, and Kendall Charter.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

THE Y AND ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS DEEPEN IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES

MAKING AN IMPACT

l to r: VP of Transitional Housing and the Jamaica Y Cedric Dew, Congress Member Gregory Meeks, Rockaway Y Executive Director Michael Garcia, and teens at the Jamaica Y celebrated Meeks securing Community Project Funding for the Ys in his district.

HEALTH FIRST

The La Central Y collaborated with the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, the Office of Assembly Member Amanda Septimo, and partners such as H+H: Test & Treat Corps, MetroPlus Health, New York Blood Center, to host a Health Care Fair in the South Bronx. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson stopped by to show support.

HOOP DREAMS

Participants of Saturday Night Lights programs at the Broadway, Castle Hill, Cross Island, Dodge, Flatbush, Jamaica, Long Island City, Northeast Bronx, Prospect Park, and Ridgewood Ys came together for a special event at Madison Square Garden where they ran drills and learned from New York Knicks legends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

In collaboration with Heart of Dinner and Meals on Wheels, youth in the Chinatown Y’s afterschool program made greeting cards for the elderly and those living with severe illnesses to accompany their care packages and meals in celebration of Lunar New Year.

SHRED IT

Congress Member Grace Meng and Assembly Member Ron Kim stopped by the Flushing Y’s shredding event, with was hosted in partnership with AARP New York.

MARCH POLITICAL MADNESS

For the second year in a row, the Y partnered with City & State to host March Political Madness, a chance for elected officials to hoop it up. This year’s event took place at the Rockaway Y. (l to r) City & State’s Skye Ostreicher spoke with Council Member Joann Ariola, State Senator James Sanders Jr. focused on style, and State Senator Jamaal Bailey showed up ready to win.

YOU’RE HIRED!

(l to r) Doris I. Kiefer, Talent Acquisition Manager at TD Bank; Hong Shing Lee, Executive Director of CMP; Council Member Sandra Ung; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and Flushing Y Executive Director Tiffany Dunbar all showed their support for a CMP Job Fair hosted at the Flushing Y.

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

The Chinatown Y’s program at Beacon 131 reached out for help with winter coats for newly arrived migrant families, and the NYC Department of Education coordinated a donation of coats, hats, and gloves from the United Federation of Teachers

YMCA of Greater New York

5 West 63rd Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10023

212 630 9600

ymcanyc.org

GOING SWIMMINGLY

THE Y SERVES DISTRICT 75 STUDENTS ACROSS THE CITY

In partnership with the NYC Department of Education’s District 75, the Y has launched a program providing swim lessons to students with disabilities across the five boroughs. District 75 provides specialized

instructional support for students with significant challenges, such as: Autism Spectrum Disorders, significant cognitive delays, emotional disabilities, sensory impairments, and multiple disabilities.

With support from District 75 staff, and using select YMCA facilities, the Y’s trained swim instructors and lifeguards have been introducing students to water safety and swimming techniques.•