Meeting Waters YMCA chosen as national model

One of the smallest Ys in the country, at least in terms of budget, is once again serving as a model for its nearly 2,700 peers around the country.

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2016-02-23 / Local Meeting Waters YMCA chosen as national model Two sets of fathers and sons doing a communication and teambuilding activity at a Y Day Camp family night. Two sets of fathers and sons doing a communication and teambuilding activity at a Y Day Camp family night. One of the smallest Ys in the country, at least in terms of budget, is once again serving as a model for its nearly 2,700 peers around the country. Meeting Waters YMCA leaders were recently notified by YMCA of the USA, the national resource center for all Ys in America, they’ve been identified as a model for family strengthening. “Through recommendations by Y-USA colleagues, your Y has been identified as one that is providing innovative opportunities for families in your community,” stated an email sent to Meeting Waters YMCA Program Director, Susan Fortier. The email invited MWYMCA leaders to participate in a one-day family strengthening leadership meeting at Y-USA’s headquarters in Chicago in mid-March. The purpose of the meeting is to learn strategies from model Ys so that the national resource center can help all YMCAs throughout the country deepen and broaden their commitments to engaging, supporting and strengthening families. Fortier will attend the summit and share Meeting Waters Y’s multiple approaches to family engagement. “When Steve (Fortier, Executive Director) and I began serving Meeting Waters YMCA in 1998, we brought with us a strong focus on family engagement in youth development programs and community initiatives,” said Susan Fortier. “We feel strongly that the most powerful force for positively shaping a child’s life is their family. We also know that families today are under a lot of stress. We’ve designed our ‘Family Connection events’ at Y-ASPIRE and our Family Nights at Y Day Camp to allow families an opportunity to slow down, work together on a fun project, enjoy a healthy snack they can make together at home afterward, and, often, participating together in a physical activity, again, that can be done easily and inexpensively at home. And, because a parent must pick their child up every day at Y-ASPIRE, we have the opportunity for daily interaction with all parents. We see ourselves as partners in helping all children and their families thrive.” Last year, Meeting Waters YMCA was one of 18 Ys in the country recognized as “HEPA Champions” for their commitment to healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices in their Y-ASPIRE programs. Four years before that, the regional Y was recognized by Y-USA and the CDC as one of four “model success stories” within the healthy communities’ movement. Meeting Waters YMCA was founded 120 years ago. It is a charitable, social service organization serving over two dozen communities in the Bellows Falls, Fall Mountain, Springfield and Brattleboro regions. More information is available at www.meetingwatersymca.org, on Facebook, or by calling them at (802) 463-4769 (BF and Fall Mountain area), (802) 246-1036 (Brattleboro area), or (802) 885-8131 (Springfield area).