Capital Area YMCA

Youth development:our Ymca is committed to nurturing the potential of every child and teen. We believe that all youth deserve the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. Because of this belief we help Young people cultivate the values, skills and relationships that lead to positive behaviors, better health and educational achievement. Our Ymca programs, such as preschool, day camp, youth sports and after-school offer a range of experiences that enrich cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth. Expenses include subsidies and direct financial assistance that make participation possible for 80% of the Young people we engage. As an organization we prioritize exposing Young people to non-traditional opportunities that will give them experiences for a lifetime of access and growth.healthy living:the y that serves Trenton, ewing and lawrence is a leading voice on health and well-being throughout the region. As an organization we connect families and communities while encouraging good health, and fostering connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. As a result of the y's work, thousands of people, youth and seniors, are receiving the support, guidance and resources they need to achieve greater health in spirit, mind and body. Our organization is standing in the gap working to erase the lines of health disparities that plague poor and urban communities and particular commuities of color. Recognizing that our nation struggles with issues of food insecurity, obesity and chronic disease our organization opened a farmers market in downtown Trenton, while simultaneously implementing a healthy corner store initiative to create greater access to the most impacted community in this Area. Recognizing that many of the school aged children in Trenton community live in poverty, 85% free and reduced lunch, we became the largest sponsors of summer & dinner meals for youth in the city of Trenton to meet the need of the children.social responsibility:our y believes in supporting our society's most vulnerable constituents particularly the youth and our seniors. We have been listening and responding to our communities most critical social needs for many years. Ensuring that more than 300 children had access to a safe enviroment during the summer for camp regardless of their ability to pay. The y ran an after-school program with academic enrichment and exposure to non-traditional sports such as, golf, basketball, karate, tennis and lacrosse. The y has very engaging progragamming for the seniors of Trenton, ewing and lawrence. The sensational senior tap ensemble, ballroom dancing and silver sneakers execercise classes in Trenton and lawrence keep our seniors active and engaged. Additional senior educational workshops and activites to reduce social isolation is a key social responsibilty to our seniors.

Food access program: the food access program serves a large number of children annually in various programs throughout the community. The food access program is a major sponsor of 26 programs in the Trenton Area to ensure children are receiving breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all year long. During the fiscal year the Capital Area Ymca served over 232,000 meals and snacks to children throughout our community.