Community Impact
The Valley Shore YMCA is uniquely suited to meet our community’s health and well-being needs, every day.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Valley Shore YMCA is uniquely suited to meet our community’s health and well-being needs, every day.
Making a difference in the lives of our community.
Every day, the Valley Shore Y is strengthening the foundation of our community. It is our responsibility to adapt and grow in response to area needs so that we can continue to serve in the greatest capacity possible. Together, we will create a vibrant organization for community engagement, and inclusion that unites our community and transforms lives.
A CAUSE FOR GOOD
The Y is a cause-driven organization that is for youth development, for healthy living and for social responsibility. We believe a strong community can only be achieved when we invest in our kids, our health, and our neighbors. We bring people together of all ages and backgrounds to bridge the gap in community needs, and believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.
Drowning remains the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 – 14. We here at the Valley Shore YMCA are determined to keep children safe and help them learn to enjoy water activities. That is why we provide valuable lifesaving water safety and swim instruction to more than 150 children in our service area by offering 4 FREE (45 min) swim lessons during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
In 2014, we launched our community garden program, Partner to Grow with the goal for our YMCA community to work together and provide fresh produce to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries. During our first season we learned how to create garden bed plans, “the pick and squish” management of pests, harvesting techniques, and with the help of many volunteers and stakeholders from the community at large, proudly delivered more than 2000 pounds to the food pantry from our 18 garden beds. Due to that success, in 2015 we increased our garden to 30 beds and by 2016 we were harvesting over 3,000 pounds of produce out of our “front yard”.
The Valley Shore YMCA provides evidence-based programming for our community’s health and well-being. Programs and activities promote wellness, reduce risk for disease and help others reclaim their health. These programs and everything else the Y does are in service of making us—our Ys and our communities—better. The result is a community that values health and supports healthy choices.
At the Valley Shore YMCA, we offer numerous programs to keep kids active and engaged. Our programs strive to teach valuable skill and character development. Our offerings include Camp Shore, Before and After School Programming, Healthy Kids Day, Teen Center, Camps, and Kids Night Out. Our facilities provide a safe space where kids and teens can do homework, learn to swim, play ping pong, foosball, and much more. All of our programs promote the YMCA four core values: Honesty, Caring, Responsibility and Respect.
We work to help improve the health and well-being of our members and our community. We offer a new state of the art Brady Wellness Center, provide over 40 group exercise classes per week, a heated pool, a full size gymnasium, to provide space for pickleball, basketball, and other gym games. Additionally, we collaborate with community leaders to bring healthy living within reach of all people. No one is turned away due to inability to pay.
The YMCA believes our communities are strongest when everyone is included and has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We welcome and connect people of all generations, backgrounds and perspectives, and we’re committed to addressing issues that people face to create positive change. We work to provide kids, families and communities with the resources and opportunities they need to learn, grow and thrive. That’s why we offer a range of programs and services to meet the unique needs of each community we serve.
