A Letter to our Community

Throughout its history since 1886, the Summit Area YMCA has been a beacon of hope and strength for the seven communities we serve. In 2022, we continued to provide high-quality, safe, and fun programs and services for all. Like most organizations after 2021,we were not exactly sure what a “COVID rebound” would look like for us, but we did find out that our members were ready to getback to the socialization, bonding, and healthy living that only our Y could provide. Our memberships grew significantly whilechildcare programs, summer camps and teen programs all saw massive jumps in participation. We did our best to be ready for youand we thank you for showing incredible trust and confidence in us.

Our outreach also continued to expand. Our food insecurity programming doubled its’ efforts and expanded to also providing household and personal essentials for our neighbors in need. We partnered with large and small non-profits to double and triple our impact on the community. A perfect example of this is work with Empowering Kids Organization. A newly formed organization for Latino families in Summit, it has a core goal to ensure elementary students receive proper summer academics and recreational opportunities. We hosted this group all summer; fed them breakfast and lunch and provided free swimming lessons as well. Yet, because of the incredible generosity of all our donors in 2022, not one of these families paid for this enrichment experience. We look forward to continuing, and growing, partnerships like this in the future.

With some more stability in the future, we also completed our 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan. These exercises have always been critical to our organization as we look to set a road map that can be used to guide us to growth, service and ultimately, fulfillment of our mission. No doubt, you will all start to see parts of this plan in action over the next few years, especially with an emphasis on mental health, youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

At the Summit Area YMCA, we have core values that our staff and volunteers are expected to follow not only with each other but in everything we do for the Y. These have long been Honesty, Caring, Responsibility and Respect. Last year our leadership staff team decided to add a 5th value. Equity. Simply put, level the playing field where needed. We feel this is a critical value to live by and perform for ALL in our communities that we so proudly serve.
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Finally, as we write this, a long 10-year conversation about upgrading our Summit YMCA building is now a reality. We are excited to present a building that will be more modern, allow more programming and enhance your fitness experience to a world-class level. More importantly, this project will allow us to grow and expand all the exciting impact that you see in this letter and throughout this Annual Report. We could not do any of this without you, and we are eternally grateful!
Paul Kieltyka
President & CEO
Summit Area YMCA
Maria Brugg
Board Chair, Board of Trustees
Summit Area YMCA
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Pictured left to right, Maria Brugg 2022 Board of Trustees Chair and Paul Kieltyka, President & CEO of the Summit Area YMCA

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SUMMIT AREA YMCA
BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA | SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY POOL | SUMMIT YMCA | THE LEARNING CIRCLE YMCA
In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values, and is made stronger by, its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring and respect — are integral to everyday operations.
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Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 19,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.
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