Young Mens Christian Association of Central Massachusetts

“Prior to filing form 990 ceo will disperse the form electronically to board members.”

“The board of directors reviews the organization's conflict of interest policy annually in order to insure that the organization's board of directors, officers, and employees are regularly and consistently monitoring and enforcing it. We have not encountered any incidences of conflict of interest.”

“The organization utilizes the services of a human resource consultant who gathers information from other comparable organizations and data provided by ymca. The information is then reported to the executive committee and benchmarks are compared in order to determine the appropriate compensation. This process is completed annually and was done in calendar 2017.”

“Forms are available for public inspection upon request”

“- Total Revenue: , Related or Exempt Function Revenue: , Unrelated Business Revenue: , Revenue Excluded from Tax Under Sections 512, 513, or 514: ; - Total Revenue: , Related or Exempt Function Revenue: , Unrelated Business Revenue: , Revenue Excluded from Tax Under Sections 512, 513, or 514: ;”

“Prior to filing form 990 the ceo will disburse the form electronically to board members.”

“The board of directors reviews the organization's conflict of interest policy annually in order to insure that the organization's board of directors, officers, and employees are regularly and consistently monitoring and enforcing it. We have not encountered any incidences of conflict of interest.”

“The organization utilizes the services of a human resource consultant who gathers information from other comparable organizations and data provided by ymca. The information is then reported to the executive committee and benchmarks are compared in order to determine the appropriate compensation. This process is completed annually and was done in calendar 2017.”

“Forms are available for public inspection upon request”

“During 2018, the tri-community young men's christian association of southbridge, inc. ("tri-community") merged into the association pursuant to a merger agreement dated march, 29, 2018. All assets and liabilities of tri-community were transferred to the association as of the agreement effective date of september 28, 2018. The excess of the fair value of assets over its liabilities of $4,156,577 has been recorded as contribution revenue in the association's statement of activities.”

“Net Gain on Interest Rate Swap Agreement - 1112597;”

“Mission statement: the ymca of central massachusetts is an association united in a common goal to strengthen our communities and to develop the spirit, mind and body of all persons, regardless of means, through activities guided by and based upon our core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.”

“Cause statement: the ymca of central massachusetts will strengthen the foundations of community through programs and services that support youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.”

“Diversity and inclusion vision statement: the ymca of central massachusetts will nurture and support an environment that reflects, respects, and celebrates our differences, and embraces the richness of our diversity.”

“Strategic advantage: the ymca of central massachusetts successfully impacts families and individuals by fostering a sense of belonging to a movement that continually evolves to meet the relevant needs of our community.”

“Organization description: the ymca of central ma is an association united in a common goal to strengthen our communities and to develop the spirit, mind and body of all persons, regardless of means, through activities guided by and based upon our core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. No other community-based, non-profit organization in central massachusetts has the geographic reach or the breadth of programs and services that encompass youth development, healthy living and social responsibility as the ymca. Our six branches support over 35,000 members across nearly 70 cities and towns in the heart of the commonwealth. Collaboration with more than 100 other partners extends our reach to nearly 50,000 individuals annually. We also deliver programs at offsite sites in other locations, along with our three rural summer day camps. In 2011, we were honored to join a group of only 50 ys to become a diversity, inclusion and global innovation y. Ymcas with this distinction focus on responding to and serving diverse and changing regions and populations in order to best strengthen communities. Our strategy fosters understanding of and connection to the global reality influencing local cities and towns, addresses demographic changes, develops programs/services to meet the needs of diverse, underserved communities and positions us as a leading global human-service organization. We have introduced dynamic programs to meet the needs of diverse populations we serve, such as global sports and female-only classes to accommodate muslim women. To maintain high levels of financial assistance and program subsidies to ensure access to these program and services for all, y staff and volunteers executed a successful annual campaign last year, once again raising over $1 million in the calendar year 2018.”

“Ymca history: the ymca of central massachusetts has been impacting children, teens, families and adults for nearly 155 years. When our y began in 1864, it operated out of one rented room on the second floor of the iconic mechanics hall in downtown worcester--one of the first landmarks in the city. Today, our y has evolved from serving one gender and one religion to proudly serving all people. We have become one of the region's most impactful non-profit organizations. Thanks to our deep roots in the community, our y continues to be uniquely positioned to address the ever-changing needs of those we serve. While our health and fitness resources help our members become their best selves, our impact reaches far beyond our wellness centers. Both inside and outside the walls of our y, we deliver impactful programming to those who need us most. In 1920, the flagship central community branch opened its doors in downtown worcester's main south neighborhood. Due to the socioeconomic demographics of this part of the city, the central branch functions as a safe haven for the residents of the area, including the teen achievement center and family locker room. Many low-income members from the neighborhoods we serve qualify for free or reduced membership and programs. Just down the road, the greendale family branch was established in 1929 thanks to norton company's (now saint-gobain's) generous donation of facilities. The boroughs family branch opened in 2002, but our y first reached this underserved region starting in 1983. With no dedicated branch location, we offered only limited programming. Now, the boroughs family branch is a thriving y location. The next addition to the umbrella of the ymca of central massachusetts, the fitchburg y, was founded in 1887 by a group of community leaders who recognized the importance of the worldwide ymca movement. Throughout this branch's history, it has strived to improve the y experience for residents of northern central massachusetts with expansions, such as the 1957 purchase of camp lowe in nearby lancaster, ma. Since becoming part of our y in 2012, the montachusett community branch (mcb) has enabled us to continue fulfilling our cause of strengthening the foundations of community. Fitchburg is a key location for many y members who live and work outside the area of worcester because they no longer have to make the stressful commute into the city to receive our y's services. Furthermore, since the opening of the new leominster community branch, our y has had the opportunity to deepen its impact beyond its previous boundaries. The state-of-the-art facility is helping to revitalize a downtown neighborhood while acting as a resource for a diverse range of people, including a network of homeschool families, local girl scout troops and professional athletes. Now, many of our association-wide programs have expanded to this new location. Our cancer survivor initiative, livestrong at the ymca is an example of critical programming which is reaching underserved audiences in leominster and the surrounding towns. From 1882 to 2018, the tri-community young men's christian association thrived as an independent ymca. On march 29th, 2018, the tri-community reached a merger agreement and joined the ymca of central massachusetts and gained access to many of its association-wide programming.”

“Our promise: thanks to the diversity and dedication of our volunteers, mission partners and staff, our y continues to meet community need while fulfilling our commitment to nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy living and building a sense of social responsibility. We are dedicated to the wellbeing of our children, our health and our neighbors. Only by working together can we address the ever-changing needs of those we serve. With this in mind, at the y, our cause is strengthening communities. Every day, we work side-by-side with community partners to ensure everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the tools to become their best selves.”

“Our impact: each of our six branches has a unique blend of programming, some part of association-wide endeavors and some distinct to the branch, which meets the specific needs of the cities and towns surrounding the respective location. We are proud to continue providing relevant and engaging programming. Our members and others who rely on us specifically seek out initiatives which offer safe environments for children and families and which address chronic health issues, such as cancer, diabetes and obesity. With our support, everyone who turns to the y can achieve their personal best. For the most effective program approaches, we have grouped our programs and services into three areas of focus: youth development-nurturing the potential of every child at our y, children and teens are a priority because we know the future is in the hands of the youngest generation. Our initiatives set a foundation focused on education, a balanced lifestyle and responsibility to the community. Each program engages mentors to serve as role models for youth, demonstrating all they can aspire to be. Staff and volunteers serve as role models for our youngest program participants to build confidence and practical skills they can utilize in school and beyond.”

“Examples of programs include: early childhood education y early childhood education strengthens the holistic development of infants, toddlers, young children and their families by supporting early literacy, healthy-habits development and strong parenting skills. Our program provides early-learning readiness experiences designed to prepare them for entering the education system on the right foot. We also feature nutritionally educational exercises when age appropriate, such as food group sorting and healthy food collages, along with fruit and vegetable color organization. Furthermore, opportunities for family involvement and events are highlighted throughout the year, with a focus on nutritionally-optimum diets and physical play. By offering this vital programming, the y is laying the groundwork for future and ongoing achievement and success. School's out this association-wide initiative is available to students, fosters and develops physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills in children from kindergarten to sixth grade. Students in school's out follow the same schedule every day-as much as that is possible. Our staff understands that in order to meet the constantly changing and expanding needs of youth, it is essential to be flexible and adaptive. When children first arrive to school's out after school, they have the opportunity to relax with quiet activities. Immediately following quiet playtime is a healthy snack. Next, they are encouraged to work independently during homework/learning time with the support of the y staff. Finally, children engage in activity time. Despite the established schedule, we intentionally vary the program's routine to encourage students to become well-rounded and flexible. To instill healthy habits in the youth we serve, active play or team sports are incorporated into the activity time once a week as well as nutritional education. Our staff act as positive role models, demonstrating the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. School's out offers a balanced and adult-supervised environment. Children flourish in the structured setting we provide them, as outlined by well-established school-age care curriculum frameworks. The core content areas are arts & humanities; character development; health, wellness and fitness; literacy; science and technology; service-learning; and social competence and conflict resolution. Our main goal is to keep youth engaged in learning while having fun. The school's out experience is crafted to complement school learning practices, support diverse learning styles and encourage the development of the whole child in spirit, mind and body to ensure academic and social success for the children we support. To ensure participants are engaged in activities and receiving the sustenance they need, we are working towards the goal of providing a nutritious meal each day to all enrollees. The program's services are a welcome relief to many working parents who previously struggled to arrange transportation to quality childcare-leaving their children potentially unsupervised and at risk to destructive decisions. Thanks to school's out, parents in our communities have access to affordable after school programming for their children which supplements the education they receive at school and encourages healthy choices. Summer literacy programs our y operates three critical summer literacy programs. At camp blanchard, camp lowe and lakeside summer camp, literacy activities are incorporated into the daily curricula to mitigate summer learning loss-and sometimes increase overall reading and writing skills! Once again engaging in the city-wide summer literacy initiative, we conducted summer play to help keep youth excited about reading and writing during summer months while gaining many other skills. At the central community and greendale family branches, utilizing three worcester public schools literacy specialists and following a state alliance with the y-usa, we continued”

“Healthy living the y is dedicated to giving all people, regardless of age, ability or socioeconomic status, the resources to develop and maintain healthy habits. We are proud to be a catalyst in supporting individuals and families in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Our y strives to set the bar for wellness standards-not just meet them. Our programming is driven by staff, volunteers and mission partners and is member-focused. At a branch level, national resources and technical assistance have translated into program innovation and improvement relating to our youth wellness initiative. We have integrated the food & fun curriculum, created by the harvard school of public health, designed to help ymcas integrate healthy snacks, active games and creative learning opportunities into afterschool programs. Over the past few years, we have built capacity and have been able to experiment with different aspects of program implementation, all with the goal of gaining a better understanding of our children and families and reaching them in meaningful ways. Examples of innovative healthy living initiatives include: livestrong at the ymca our y has proudly hosted livestrong at the ymca since 2011. We are privileged to be amongst the ranks of over 400 ymcas across the nation who offer this program. Our initiative is instrumental in helping the people affected by cancer reach their holistic health goals. We help survivors and their caregivers build a network of support, composed of everyone from y staff to peer in the community, in order to improve their well-being in body, mind and spirit. To date, we have served over 900 survivors along with many more family members and loved ones. Livestrong at the y is available to any adult over the age of 18 who has completed or is undergoing cancer treatment. Y staff and volunteers perform an extensive intake process, including communication with potential participants' physicians. To reach more people in need, our y partners with valuable community leaders, such as saint vincent hospital and dana-farber cancer institute to help inform potential participants about the benefits of the program. Our y is proud to foster relationship in our region with prestigious medical institutions such as these who share our commitment to compassionately support vulnerable members of our communities. One of the most positive aspects of livestrong at the y is our ability to be flexible, which is made possible by offering the program across our six branches. Thanks to the evidence-informed curriculum, our staff is able to tailor the exercise routines to meet the health and safety need of each individual. For certain survivors, a calming, outdoor yoga class is the best fit. For example, one participant was weak from a white blood cell count of zero. Instead, our instructors showed him how to build up strength using relaxation techniques and yoga. Others can handle a more rigorous spinning class or strength training session without straining their bodies. Shore park collaboration a revitalized shore park was opened in june 2018, with the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate and dedicate the opening of the park, which included the new boathouse and bathroom facilities. We are excited for families to have a safe and fun place to gether, cool off and enjoy the summer months. Our y ensures the safety and wellness of hundreds of children and families, thanks to the dedication of highly-trained staff, while encouraging our neighbors to take advantage of this wonderful community asset. Y-fit y-fit is a health and wellness initiative, run in collaboration with the family health center and edward kennedy community health center, the community health center operated through worcester public schools and other local organizations. The program's target audience are young people, ages 12 t0 18, from the main south neighborhood who are at a higher risk for obesity and other health factors. The programming structure takes advantage o”

“Engaging a neighborhood-engaging a community the ymca is proud of its involvement in many neighborhood community events that promote our social responsibility focus area. National night out is a nationally recognized neighborhood crime and drug night prevention event that occurs annually on the first tuesday in august. This event is celebrated in many of america's largest cities and towns. In addition to increasing awareness of crime and drug prevention programs, national night out strengthens neighborhood spirit and community-police partnership, while sending a message to criminals that our neighborhoods are organized and fighting back against crime. Each august, the central community branch hosts worcester's national night out. Families of many diverse backgrounds, local politicians and leaders, police officers, firefighters, clergy and people of all ages, including our youth, celebrate our community coming together. This annual event features the participation of dozens of children who enjoy the many educational and fun activities held that night. Many parents take the opportunity to ask how they can get involved in the community programs that are focused on protecting their neighborhoods. The evening includes fun activities such as face painting, educational games and a festive block party atmosphere. There are several other local neighborhood initiatives, including safety around water, a life-safety, water-safety skills initiative aimed at serving around 100 children from low-income households who otherwise may not have access to resources teaching them to be safe around water. Collaborations with over 100 different formal and informal groups help us reach even more individuals throughout our nearly 70 communities. Diversity, inclusion and global innovation ymca according to the diversity, inclusion and global innovation (dig) frameworks developed by the ymca of the usa, a dig y is distinguished from other associations by its commitment to achieving and maintaining exceptional global best practices. In 2012, we were honored to join a select group of ys to become a global center of excellence. Global centers of excellence focus on responding to and serving diverse and changing regions and populations in order to best strengthen communities. Our y's gce strategy fosters understanding of and connection to the global reality influencing local cities and towns, addresses demographic changes, develops programs/services to meet the needs of diverse, underserved communities and positions us as a leading global human service organization. As a nationally-recognized diversity, inclusion and global innovation ymca, we constantly strive to identify and address the needs of the diverse population we serve. In 2017, we continued our focus on inclusive programming, such as global sports for brazilian-among many other-populations, female-only classes for muslim women and volunteer opportunities for individuals with special needs. Investments in people in 2017, our y exceeded the $1 million goal for the annual campaign, directly benefiting those members who rely on us most. Our signature events, the annual golf classic and the livestrong at the ymca program reception, are instrumental in helping us achieve our goal and continue to provide significant levels of assistance throughout central massachusetts.”