Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges
Impact Report 2020
Impact Highlights
Letter From Leadership
Dear Friend,
2020 was a year of extraordinary challenges for our communities and our Ys. It was also a year of extraordinary growth and impact.
The Metro Y supported our communities in ways we never imagined: as meal distribution and blood collection sites, Emergency Child Care centers, virtual learning spaces, and so much more. We stepped up to meet the challenges of our members and families, supplying them with essential needs, health and wellness support, comfort, and connections, even when we couldn’t be together in person.
Many families in our communities faced sudden job loss and relied on the Y not only for basic needs like food or diapers but also for financial support. We provided over $821,000 in financial assistance so children could attend child care and summer camp, and members could exercise to gain relief from the stressors of the pandemic.
The Y stepped up in other ways to support our changing communities, by strengthening our role as a powerful force for good in the fight against racism and disparities that became even more evident during the pandemic.
We could not have done a fraction of this work without the generosity and support of our members, donors and partners.
This Impact Report tells of how we reimagined, reinvented, and transformed many of our programs, just as we’ve done in the past 135 years. Our resolve and our resilience is stronger than ever, and our mission of healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility has never been more critical.
Board of Directors
The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges Board of Directors provides governance, policy direction, and fund-raising support for the entire Association. The visionary leadership of these volunteers helps us provide extraordinary youth development, and healthy living experiences and so much more throughout our service area.
Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges - Board of Directors
Jason Baynes, MD. • Kristen Boni • Dan Borgna, VP • Valerie W. Crawford* • Susan DiGiacomo • Larry Fechner, Esq. • Ted Foung • Paul A. Gomperz* • James Griffin • Alease Griffith, Ed.D • Matthew B. Jarmel • Bethany Joseph • Nancy Josephs • Kenneth D. King, Ed.D • W. Joshua Levering, SIOR • Douglas G. Phelps • Daren J. Phil • Megan L. Redzia • A. Michael Rubin • William R. Ruhl • Peter Schofel • Ronald Schwarzk • Alex Serrano, CPA • Peter H. Tanella, Esq. • Stuart Vorcheimer • Marlene Waldock • Ed Walker • Mary Washington-Nieves • Michele D. Williams • * Emeritus
COVID-19:
Meeting Community Needs
As COVID-19 swept throughout our communities, the Y responded as we have always done in times of crisis - by evolving with the community’s needs. Two of our Ys opened their child care centers to families of frontline workers, safely caring for more than 80 children in the weeks following the virus outbreak. Our Ys distributed thousands of meals to individuals and families in need, hosted blood and diaper drives, regularly checked in on our seniors, and supported children adapting to remote learning. We’re grateful for the more than two dozen partners who assisted us in our efforts to feed those in need.
- Increasing Access to Healthy Meals
- 844,490 Meals
- 47,669 Boxes of Healthy Food
- 1,013,388 lbs of Food Provided
- 20+ Community Partners
- Partnerships for food distribution
- Community FoodBank of NJ
- Seashore Produce Co.
- America’s Grow-A-Row
- MEND Hunger Relief Network
- Table to Table
- Simple Greek Restaurant
- Wayne United (Wayne Township, Wayne Public Schools, Wayne Education Association, Wayne Interfaith Network Food Pantry, Wayne Helping Hands, Wayne Council of PTOs, Wayne Volunteers, Feed it Forward, Community Foodbank of NJ)
- NJ State YMCA Alliance
- Livingston’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Food Pantry
- Westy Self Storage
- East Orange Township
- Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Counties
- Project Self Sufficiency
- Sussex County NJ Hunger Coalition
- Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP)
- ARYTZA
- Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Office of Emergency Management (East Orange)
- United Way
- Whole Foods
- PSEG
- Welcoming America
- New Jersey Healthier Communities Network (NJHCN)
- Child Care for Families of Essential Workers
- 1,160 hours
- 86 kids served from April - June
- Blood Drives
- 901 pints of blood
- 2,703 lives potentially saved
- Wellness Check-Ins and Senior Connections
- 3,550 calls to Seniors, Teens, and Chronic Disease Program Participants
- 36 Virtual Coffee Clubs
- 30+ care packages to members living in the West Essex YMCA community
- Diaper & Basic Need Drives
- 4,700 diapers donated
- 500 feminine hygiene products provided to families
- 500 toys went to 93 children during holiday toy drive
- Employee Relief Fund
- $35,003 in donations
- $200,000 from the Metro YMCA
- $236,500 awarded to colleagues in financial stress
- Virtual Programs
- 819 Live Streamed Wellness Classes and Activities with Over 6,400 Participants
- 518 Distance Learning Sessions
- Outreach Communication
- 1,236 emails, newsletters, and social media posts to the community
- School Year Day Camp
- 30 kids enjoyed year-round day camp at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps with access to remote learning assistance, outdoor activities and enrichment, and physical fitness
Strengthening Community
Building Healthy Communities
In 2020, the Y:
- Encouraged safe, family-friendly fitness with both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Virtual 5Ks and Healthy Kids Day
- Partnered with behavioral healthcare nonprofit The Bridge Inc. to provide low-cost support to families and individuals
- Launched Virtual Group Exercise and On-Demand classes to fit members’ new lifestyles
Diversity and Inclusion: Advancing the Conversation on Race
In 2020, the Y:
- Reaffirmed our commitment to being a Y for all and strengthened our role in the fight against racism, inequities and disparities
- Introduced the African American Employee Resource Group organized by staff
- Hosted two Conversations on Race and Racism for Parents of Young Children
- Held our first Break the Silence Virtual 5K with 53 runners
- Partnered with South Orange-Maplewood Middle Schools for a Concert of Hope to raise money for the Community Coalition on Race
- Hosted our first Forever Welcoming Series to encourage community engagement and education
- Hosted the first LGBTQ+ Family Camp Weekend for families at Fairview Lake YMCA Camps
- Recorded 70 staff interviews with prominent leaders, entertainers, authors, etc. who are influential in society, presented by the Jewish Culture & Jewish Awareness program at the Wayne YMCA
Equity - Expanding Access to All Adults, Children & Families
In 2020, the Y:
- Awarded 1,226 recipients a total of $821,805 in Financial Assistance and expedited the application process
- Launched virtual learning assistance and academic support programs to help all youth succeed, including:
- Virtual Kindergarten Readiness
- Virtual Distance Learning Support
- Virtual Tutoring
- Partnered with the Achieve Foundation, Parenting Center, and the South Orange-Maplewood School District to provide financial aid to families in need of child care
- Supported moms in the workforce by providing safe, reliable child care
- Provided up to 200 Distance Learning and Virtual Kindergarten Readiness sessions to more than 80 children of low-income families. Children learned letters, early vocabulary, numbers and participated in activities that helped them learn social interaction with their peers.
Senior Health & Wellness: Combating Isolation and Boosting Mental Health
In 2020, the Y:
- Hosted our first Virtual Senior Health and Fitness Day
- Created safe virtual and outdoor spaces for older members to continue exercising
Fundraising - Supporting Our Cause
In 2020, the community supported the Y by giving:
- $25,754 for the Y and Maplewood community in the First Ever Virtual Duck Race
- $47,664 on YMCA Day of Giving
- $29,070 on Giving Tuesday
- $3,500 during 3 virtual 5Ks
Voices of Impact
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Thank you for letting us share a bit about the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges. Hopefully you learned something new about how our YMCA strives to provide for the ever changing needs of the communities we serve. We could not serve without so many wonderful members, donors, partners and community supporters.
Our Mission: Strengthen community through youth development, healthy living, social responsibility
Impact Report 2020
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