logo
Holyoke YMCA awards volunteers at ‘Sneaker Peek' event

Holyoke YMCA awards volunteers at ‘Sneaker Peek' event

Yahoo02-03-2025
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Greater Holyoke YMCA celebrated their volunteers Saturday evening during the annual 'Sneaker Peek' event.
Marshal Mania kickoff party raises funds for 72nd Holyoke Saint Patrick's Parade
These volunteers had the spotlight shined on them for their efforts, and the positive impact they've had on the community through the YMCA's programs and services.
Two volunteers were honored this evening for their contributions to the organization and the community. Molly LePage was the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award and Arthur Bergeron received the 2025 Oldershaw Community Service Award.
'For 139 years, we were founded on volunteers,' said Conor Bevan, CEO of the Greater Holyoke YMCA. 'They are our lifeline. Without volunteers, we can't exist, so it's our way to simply say thank you. We can't say thank you enough to our volunteers.'
The Greater Holyoke YMCA currently serves approximately 5,000 people within the community. To learn more about their programming and services, visit holyokeymca.org.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How I Learned About Homemaking From a Couple of Birds
How I Learned About Homemaking From a Couple of Birds

Wall Street Journal

time17-07-2025

  • Wall Street Journal

How I Learned About Homemaking From a Couple of Birds

'About Face' is a column about how someone changed their mind. I've never had much of a sense of home. Before the age of 21, I'd moved house roughly 20 times, from the army base in West Germany where I was born to YMCA housing in southern England in my late teens. My itinerant childhood gave me itchy feet as an adult. Wherever I landed, I'd soon feel pulled toward the next place, and then the next.

Beloved OKC outdoor camp facing closure saved with new partnership
Beloved OKC outdoor camp facing closure saved with new partnership

Yahoo

time16-07-2025

  • Yahoo

Beloved OKC outdoor camp facing closure saved with new partnership

Two nonprofits are partnering to ensure the continued operation of a beloved outdoor space for children and families in the Oklahoma City metro area. Camp DaKaNi, an outdoor camp sitting on almost 40-acre in Oklahoma City, will fall under the stewardship of the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City through a new partnership between the YMCA and Camp DaKaNi. Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma had operated the camp at 3309 E Hefner Road for decades. Numerous young people and families, particularly those affiliated with the Camp Fire Boys & Girls, expressed shock and grief in 2024 when Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma officials announced the popular urban camp's closure due to financial struggles. The new partnership announced on Tuesday means the camp will come alive with trail walks, day camps and other activities once again. "This is an extraordinary example of what's possible when nonprofits work together for the greater good," Kelly Kay, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City president and chief executive officer, said in a news release. More: Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma to dissolve, taking OKC's historic Camp DaKaNi with it: What's next? "Camp DaKaNi has long been a place where kids experience adventure, confidence and connection. We're honored to continue that legacy and expand its reach to even more families." April Jolley, chief executive officer of Camp DaKaNi, expressed deep gratitude for the path forward. "Camp DaKaNi has always been about connection — to nature, to community and to one another," Jolley said in a statement. "This partnership with the YMCA allows that mission to grow and thrive. I'm incredibly proud of the resilience shown by so many in Oklahoma's nonprofit world who came together to make this possible." The two organizations said the transition secures the future of Camp DaKaNi and opens the door for expanded programming through the YMCA's extensive youth development and camp offerings. With aligned missions and a shared passion for community, both organizations are confident this partnership will only strengthen access to meaningful outdoor experiences for Oklahoma families. In their statement, the pair of nonprofits said the partnership was made possible through thoughtful collaboration and legal guidance, including instrumental support from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office played a vital role in navigating the transition. "This agreement represents the best of public service and nonprofit cooperation," Drummond said in a news release. "Camp DaKaNi is a treasured space for Oklahoma families, and I'm proud that my office could support efforts to protect it for future generations." The YMCA and Camp DaKaNi said more information about summer camp programs and the future of Camp DaKaNi under YMCA leadership will be available soon. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Camp DaKaNi will continue under the YMCA of Greater OKC

Boys & Girls Club programs threatened by Trump grant freeze serve thousands of families
Boys & Girls Club programs threatened by Trump grant freeze serve thousands of families

Yahoo

time14-07-2025

  • Yahoo

Boys & Girls Club programs threatened by Trump grant freeze serve thousands of families

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — After driving through a downpour to take her son to day camp, Darleen Reyes told camp administrators the rain would have kept her away but her son insisted on going. As she marked her son's name present on a clipboard at the Boys & Girls Club camp, she laughed about braving a flash flood warning to get there. Before kissing his mother goodbye, Aiden Cazares, 8, explained to a reporter, 'I wanted to see my friends and not just sit at home.' Then he ran off to play. Aiden's one of 1.4 million children and teenagers around the country who have been attending after-school and summer programming at a Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA or a public school for free thanks to federal taxpayers. Congress set aside money for the programs to provide academic support, enrichment and child care to mostly low-income families, but President Donald Trump's administration recently froze the funding. The money for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers is among more than $6 billion in federal education grants Trump's Republican administration has withheld, saying it wants to ensure recipients' programs align with the president's priorities. After-school programs for the fall are in jeopardy In Rhode Island, the state stepped in with funding to keep the summer programs running, according to the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence. Other Boys & Girls Clubs supported by the grants have found ways to keep open their summer programs, said Sara Leutzinger, vice president for communications for the Boys & Girls Club of America. But there isn't the same hope for the after-school programming for the fall. Some of the 926 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide that run 21st Century Community Learning summer and after-school programs stand to close if the Trump administration doesn't release the money in the next three to five weeks, Leutzinger said. The YMCA and Save the Children say many of the centers they run are also at risk of shuttering. 'Time is of the essence,' said Christy Gleason, executive director of Save the Children Action Network, which provides after-school programming for 41 schools in rural areas in Washington state and across the South, where school will begin as soon as August. 'It's not too late to make a decision so the kids who really need this still have it.' Schools in Republican-led areas are particularly affected by the freeze in federal education grants. Ninety-one of the 100 school districts that receive the most money from four frozen grant programs are in Republican congressional districts, according to an analysis from New America, a left-leaning think tank. Of those top 100 school districts, half are in four states: California, West Virginia, Florida and Georgia. New America's analysis used funding levels reported in 2022 in 46 states. Republican officials have been among the educators criticizing the grant freeze. 'I deeply believe in fiscal responsibility, which means evaluating the use of funds and seeking out efficiencies, but also means being responsible — releasing funds already approved by Congress and signed by President Trump," said Georgia schools superintendent Richard Woods, an elected Republican. 'In Georgia, we're getting ready to start the school year, so I call on federal funds to be released so we can ensure the success of our students.' The Office of Management and Budget said some grants supported left-wing causes, pointing to services for immigrants in the country illegally or LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. Summer clubs provide instruction for children At the East Providence summer camp, Aiden, a rising third grader, played tag, built structures with magnetic tiles, played a fast-paced game with the other kids to review addition and subtraction, learned about pollination, watched a nature video and ate club-provided chicken nuggets. Veteran teachers from his school corrected him when he spoke without raising his hand and offered common-sense advice when a boy in his group said something inappropriate. 'When someone says something inappropriate, you don't repeat it,' teacher Kayla Creighton told the boys between answering their questions about horseflies and honeybees. Indeed, it's hard to find a more middle-of-the road organization in this country than the Boys & Girls Club. Just last month, a Republican and a Democrat sponsored a resolution in the U.S. House celebrating the 165-year-old organization as a 'beacon of hope and opportunity.' The Defense Department awarded the club $3 million in 1991 to support children left behind when their parents deployed for the Persian Gulf. And ever since, the Boys & Girls Club has created clubs on military installations to support the children of service members. Military families can sign up their kids for free. 'I suspect they will realize that most of those grants are fine and will release them,' said Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank, speaking of the Trump administration's review of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants. But not everyone is so sure. Families see few affordable child care alternatives Aiden's mother has started looking into afternoon child care for September when kids return to school in Rhode Island. 'It costs $220 a week,' Reyes said, her eyes expanding. 'I can't afford that.' The single mother and state worker said she'll probably ask her 14-year-old son to stay home and watch Aiden. That will mean he would have to forgo getting a job when he turns 15 in the fall and couldn't play basketball and football. 'I don't have any other option,' she said. At home, Aiden would likely stay inside on a screen. That would be heartbreaking since he's thrived getting tutoring and 'learning about healthy boundaries' from the Boys & Girls Club program, Reyes said. Fernande Berard learned about the funding freeze and possible closure from a reporter after dropping off her three young boys for summer camp. 'I would be really devastated if this goes away,' said the nurse. 'I honestly don't know what I would do.' Her husband drives an Uber much of the day, and picking up the kids early would eat into his earnings. It's money they need to pay the mortgage and everything else. If her boss approves, she'd likely have to pick up her children from school and take them to the rehabilitation center where she oversees a team of nurses. The children would have to stay until her work day ends. 'It's hard to imagine,' she said. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store