Home >> About Us >> YMCA In The News >> Hartford Foundation awards $1 million for two new YMCA facilities in Greater Hartford
Hartford Foundation awards $1 million for two new YMCA facilities in Greater Hartford
March 9, 2007
HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded a grant of $1 million to the YMCA of Greater Hartford for the construction of two new YMCA facilities – $500,000 each for facilities on Albany Avenue in North Hartford and in Ellington. The new facilities will provide a wide range of health, wellness, educational and recreational services and programs for all ages.
Both facilities will offer year-round child care, a teen center available for teens to hold alcohol- and drug-free celebrations, accredited day camps, health and wellness center, a rock climbing wall staffed by trainers, and sports programs. In addition, the Ellington facility will have a year-round indoor pool.
The YMCA facility in Ellington will serve over 12,000 children and families in its first year from the towns of Vernon, Tolland, Coventry, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Somers, South Windsor, and Stafford.
The facility in North Hartford is estimated to reach 4,000 to 6,000 children and families in its first year -- all within walking distance for families in Hartford’s Clay/Arsenal, Upper Albany, North Meadows and Northeast neighborhoods. Other services offered by the North Hartford Y will include the Y’s Minority Achievers Program, a leadership development program guided by parents and adult achiever volunteers, which focuses on college preparation and career exploration for students in grades five through eight. In providing services, the North Hartford Y will collaborate with Community Health Services, Urban League of Greater Hartford, and the City of Hartford.
"This significant grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving will enable the YMCA campaign to move forward with the North Hartford and Eastern Regional initiatives. Both our initiatives are about collaboration, children, families, neighborhoods and communities,” said Kevin Washington, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Hartford. “Research has shown that a YMCA is a stabilizing force for neighborhoods and the heart of a healthy community.”
“We are pleased to support the YMCA’s new facilities where high quality wellness, educational and recreational activities will benefit all residents of these communities,” said Linda J. Kelly, President, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The $1 million grant from the Foundation provides the opportunity to leverage up to an additional $2.5 million in private and foundation funding.
 |
|
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded a grant of $1 million to the YMCA of Greater Hartford for the construction of two new YMCA facilities _ $500,000 each for facilities on Albany Avenue in North Hartford and in Ellington. The new facilities will provide a wide range of health, wellness, educational and recreational services and programs for all ages. Pictured at the East Hartford YMCA Child Care Center are from left to right: John Byrnes, Board Chair, YMCA of Greater Hartford, Kevin Washington, President & CEO, YMCA of Greater Hartford, James Willingham, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Hartford, Jarrel Douglas, student, Mark F. Korber, Chair, Board of Directors, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Haley Coons, student, Linda J. Kelly, President, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Scott Anderson, Board Chair, Downtown YMCA Board of Managers. |
The YMCA of Greater Hartford is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable organization which served more than 100,000 people in 33 towns of the Capital Region in 2006. YMCA programs put the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility into practice to build healthy spirit, mind and body for all participants.
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region. For over 80 years, it has built successful partnerships with donors, nonprofits and community leaders to enhance the quality of life for people in this region. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.hfpg.org or call 548-1888.
Contact:
Natalie Zembrzuski, YMCA, 860-522-9622 ext: 2309
or
Donna Jolly, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 548-1888 ext. 1018, djolly@hfpg.org
 |
 |