YMCA: Celebrating 50 Years of Chamber Membership
By Danielle Wiseman, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
For over 75 years, the Young Men’s Christian Association, better known to all as the YMCA, or the Y, has supported and elevated Staten Islanders. The YMCA maintains an important presence throughout the borough, creating a dedicated space for community members to come together and collaborate. The Y is a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities by empowering young people, improving the health and well-being of people of all ages, and inspiring action in and across communities. The YMCA’s programs are focused on three primary areas of impact: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
The YMCA opened its first branch in Staten Island in 1947. Following the success of a summer day camp and four Hi-Y clubs the previous year, the YMCA of Greater New York recognized the need for an official YMCA branch in Staten Island. After several years of renting a small space in St. George, the YMCA of Greater New York purchased a property in West Brighton in 1953, which served as a temporary headquarters until the center could be renovated. The Broadway YMCA, Staten Island’s first permanent YMCA branch, officially opened in 1957.
While a sweeping success, demand for the site and its programming outstripped the Broadway location’s capabilities. As a result, the YMCA of Greater New York decided to expand programming to the south shore of Staten Island in 1974. Following a massive fundraising campaign and unwavering support from the community, the YMCA opened its second branch in Staten Island in 1999: the South Shore YMCA, the first completely new building constructed by the YMCA of Greater New York in over thirty years.
The YMCA is not only a community center, it’s also a hub for collaboration and innovation. The YMCA, between its two branches on Staten Island and various off-site locations, serves more than 30,000 individuals each year. Programs vary from instructional sports in state-of-the-art athletic facilities to arts and education classes, like painting and photography, and encompass all age groups, ensuring that the YMCA has something for everyone. “We have a great relationship with the Staten Island community,” says Meghan Sinback, Executive Director of the Broadway and South Shore YMCAs. “Everyone has a ‘Y’ story.”
In addition to providing a range of recreational and educational programs, the YMCA is also committed to offering behavioral health services to communities. In the 1980s, the YMCA launched a substance use prevention program on Staten Island, which led to the creation of the YMCA Counseling Service center in 1999.
“The ‘founder’ of the YMCA Counseling Service was originally working at the Broadway YMCA when she realized that there were many youth on Staten Island who were being impacted by the substance use epidemic,” says Jacqueline Filis, Executive Director of the Staten Island YMCA Counseling Service. “We started as a prevention program mainly operating out of the Broadway location, offering kids positive alternatives to drug use. From there we grew, and we opened up a location on Vanderbilt Avenue, where we began providing treatment services to individuals and their families struggling with substance use. We then opened another location on Richmond Avenue in 1989, and our staff pioneered a treatment model to serve youth impacted by their loved ones’ substance use. We aim to develop and improve every year that we operate; we know that our clients and communities are constantly evolving, and we must evolve alongside them.”
This year, the YMCA is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce! The YMCA first joined the Chamber in 1973, shortly before their expansion to the south shore, as an effort to become even more involved in the community.
“Our partnerships are very important to us, and that includes the Chamber,” says Filis. “We think it’s important to stay on the pulse of what’s happening in the community, especially our business community. Not being part of the Chamber was never an option.”
Congratulations to the YMCA on 50 years with the Staten Island Chamber; we look forward to many more years working together.
