Last week the East Boston YMCA kicked off its annual capital campaign efforts with a donation of $25,000 from Massport. The Y’s capital campaign will culminate in the agency’s annual breakfast fundraiser in April the Logan Hilton Hotel.
Last year, the YMCA raised well above their $140,000 goal during the annual ‘Reach Out for Youth’ campaign and breakfast. The campaign culminates each year at the Y’s annual breakfast. The donations and money raised during the fundraising campaign ensures that no child, family or adult will ever be turned away from the Y due to an inability to pay full fees.
“At the Y, we believe in the power of community collaboration and our meaningful memberships to transform lives,” said Operations Director for the YMCA of Greater Boston Bridgette Ridlon. “We work closely with our partners to address community needs. This year, we are working to increase water-safety programming in East Boston through a program we run at the Mario Umana Academy. This would not be possible without the generosity of partners like Massachusetts Port Authority.”
Ridlon said the local Ys of Greater Boston foster relationships and collaborate with state and local partners to ensure that all people get the care and respect they deserve. Staff, volunteers, community partners and Annual Campaign donors like Massport empower more than 100,000 people in Greater Boston to live longer, healthier lives. With 13 branches in and around Boston, the Y works to meet unique needs of each community it serves.
Since 2008, Massport has awarded the East Boston Y with more than $375,000 to support its important work in the community.
“Massport has been a proud partner of the YMCA of Greater Boston and we support its mission of building healthy communities,” said John Pranckevicius, Massport Acting CEO. “The East Boston branch has enriched the lives of so many working families in our neighborhood, including members of our Logan Airport family. Every dollar donated to the East Boston Y stretches far and impacts people of all ages through programs like early education and care, after school activities, group exercises for adults, and the YMCA’s teaching kitchen.”
This year’s breakfast, which usually draws over 500 supporters, will again feature Rep. Adrian Madaro will serve as the event host.
“As the former Vice President of the Y’s board I have seen first hand the great work they do for children and families in East Boston,” said Madaro. “I look forward to help raise money for this great organization that will help continue their work in our neighborhood.”
As in years past, all money raised through the Annual fund is 100 percent directed to scholarship assistance for programming in Eastie. In 2015 through donations and fundraising the Y was able to raise over $200,000.
For more nearly two decades, the East Boston Y has been helping people in the community improve the quality of their lives with programs that focus on healthy living, social responsibility and youth development.It’s the Y’s mission to be a cornerstone for social change, leading individuals and families of all backgrounds and at all stages of life to learn, thrive and improve the neighborhood
At the East Boston Y, the fitness and nutrition programs are educating and supporting members in their quest to have healthier lives. Seniors are using their membership to stay connected to activities and to people to keep them young and living with purpose, and youth in the East Boston Y’s early education and care and after-school programs are learning literacy skills and receiving academic support in conjunction with Boston Public Schools curriculum.
The Y is also empowering teens, socially and academically. The Y’s Safe Dates Program provides teens with the skills they need to help them make positive choices in their personal relationships, and free SAT programs and employment through the Y give them the tools they need to be successful in school and beyond.
The Y’s of Greater Boston foster relationships and collaborate with state and local partners to ensure that all people get the care and respect they deserve. Staff, volunteers, community partners and Reach Out donors like Massport empower more than 100,000 people in Greater Boston to live longer healthier lives.With 13 branches in and around Boston, the Y works to meet unique needs of each community it serves.
Sponsorships and tickets to the YMCA’s Reach Out For Youth Breakfast can be purchased at 215 Bremen Street. For more information on how to support the YMCA of Greater Boston’s Annual Fund, visit www.ymcaboston.org/giving/annual-fund.