SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
As an organization dedicated to serving and strengthening our community, we inspire members and community members each day to make a difference in the lives of others with small and large acts of kindness. Your support has helped others who are less fortunate to access opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.
DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
At the Summit Area YMCA, we are here for the community and have been since our founding in 1886. As a nonprofit, we are committed to enhancing the lives of individuals and families in our community. With the generous donations of members, donors, and partners in the community from funds raised during our Annual Campaign and special events, the Summit Area YMCA is able to offer financial assistance to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, income, or background has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.
Families with low or moderate household income or those who are experiencing financial hardship are encouraged to apply. Financial assistance can be used for membership, child care, summer camp and/or enrichment and sports programs where additional fees apply, such as soccer and swimming lessons.
At the Summit Area YMCA, we are here for the community and have been since our founding in 1886. As a nonprofit, we are committed to enhancing the lives of individuals and families in our community. With the generous donations of members, donors, and partners in the community from funds raised during our Annual Campaign and special events, the Summit Area YMCA is able to offer financial assistance to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, income, or background has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.
Families with low or moderate household income or those who are experiencing financial hardship are encouraged to apply. Financial assistance can be used for membership, child care, summer camp and/or enrichment and sports programs where additional fees apply, such as soccer and swimming lessons.
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“Coming from Brazil I was not sure how childcare worked here especially for a working single mother, however the way the YMCA has helped explained and provided me financial aid has been an amazing, easy and comfortable journey. TLC has allowed my son to start attending school at an early age and has created a foundation for him to truly love learning. The staff shows that they genuinely care and love their students by providing a nurturing , warming, and creative classroom that sparks the children’s eyes as soon as they enter. I am truly thankful for my experience with TLC and cannot thank the YMCA for providing these services to help working families!"
- Giselle S., The Learning Circle YMCA |
FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
In addition to providing access to fee-based Y programs and memberships, the Summit Area YMCA also offers a number of meaningful, free community programs and volunteer opportunities to give back and help our neighbors.
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CELEBRATING OUR VOLUNTEERS
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The Summit Area YMCA held its Annual Celebration on May 30, 2019 to honor key community partners who continually dedicate their time and resources in partnering with the Y to make lives better in the community each and every day. The Corporate Partnership Award was presented to Capital Group, the Strategic Partnership Award presented to the Summit Area Public Foundation, and the Shuart Reed Memorial Award presented to the Other Fellow First Foundation.
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Corporate Partnership Award
Capital Group The Corporate Partnership Award honors an outstanding business for their partnership in fulfilling the Y's mission to ensure everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. |
Strategic Partnership Award
Summit Area Public Foundation The Y collaborates with like-minded organizations to provide practical and affordable answers to large-scale community issues. |
Shuart Reed Memorial Award
Other Fellow First Foundation The Shuart Reed Memorial Award is awarded in grateful memory of Shuart Reed, General Secretary of the Summit Area YMCA, 1935-1943. It is given to those who exemplify his commitment to the betterment of our community. It was awarded for the first time in 1951 to John B. Sayre and has been awarded almost annually to many distinguished members of the greater Summit community. |
SERVING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
Togetherhood® Program
The Summit Area YMCA is committed to supporting the communities we serve through the Togetherhood™ Program. The Y has established a Social Responsibility Service Committee to identify community needs and lead projects that help our members give back and support their neighbors. This volunteer initiative is focused on supporting our communities through Senior Outreach, Cultural Engagement and other Special Projects that make our community vibrant and exciting.
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354individuals volunteered in Togetherhood® related events and projects such as Senior Spa Days, Family Dinner Project, Holiday Cookie Walk, Senior Cinco de Mayo, Senior Housing Project Toiletries Collection, Rise Against Hungry Meal Packaging Event, Winter Accessories Drive for the Homeless, and partnering with Summit Helping its People. |
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"When I moved from Manhattan, I was looking for more than a gym—I was also looking for community involvement. I found both at the Y. The Y really helped me get involved in the Summit community. I love the group exercise classes, but also love Togetherhood®, the Y’s member-led volunteer initiative. They help facilitate volunteers’ ideas and meet the needs of the community. Specifically, I absolutely love the Togetherhood®’s Senior Spa Day monthly event. I have been doing this event for 2 years and seeing the joy and happiness that it brings to the seniors is priceless. Without the Y, I would not have had the opportunity to help others in such a meaningful way."
— Dorota, Summit YMCA Togetherhood® Volunteer |
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6,671 Volunteer Hours
795 Volunteers
Whether it was through helping to teach youngsters in sports, planning events, guiding our organization in policy making and more, volunteers are the foundation of the Summit Area YMCA and are the embodiment of our mission and cause.
DEDICATED TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Special Events and Cultural Festivals
As a community oriented nonprofit organization dedicated to diversity and inclusion, the Summit Area YMCA partners with the community to host a number of cultural and special events including the Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lunar New Year Festival, Special Needs Prom, Holi Color Festival, Pride Picnic, Welcoming Week, and the Diwali Festival of Lights. These special events not only help to heighten awareness and celebrate diversity in our communities, but also brings together and unifies people of all ages regardless of color, gender, race, ethnicity, belief and more.
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"Lunar New Year was an incredible experience. Between the excellent performances, the many exhibits and activities for kids, and the huge turnout from residents as well as from neighboring towns, I could not have been more proud to be part of the collaboration between the Berkeley Heights Diversity Council and the Summit Area YMCA. This was Berkeley Heights at its best - a warm, welcoming community that celebrates its strengths."
— Stephen Yellin, Berkeley Heights Diversity Council Member 
760+guests attended and participated in various cultural festivals and special events hosted by the Summit Area YMCA and local community partners. |
Special Needs Programming
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The Special Needs Programs at the Summit Area YMCA are thoughtfully designed for children with diverse abilities like communication, social, behavioral and learning differences to thrive in a safe, friendly and supportive environment. Our mission is to encourage, help, build and strengthen healthy physical activity, confidence, social skills and more. Programs include Sundays in Motion, Fridays in Motion, Special Needs Prom, Adaptive Swim, Adaptive Basketball, Adaptive Yoga and more. participants can enjoy a variety of activities that promote health, wellness, creative enrichment, socialization and more.
170+families and teens participated in our Special Needs programming including Special Needs Prom Night, Fridays in Motion, Sundays in Motion, Special Needs Summer Camp, Adaptive Swim, Adaptive Sports, Special Needs Yoga and more. |
"When Michael was younger, there were so many special needs programs for little kids. By the time he turned 10, most of those programs ended and it became almost impossible to find something for him. Then, we began doing the Adaptive Yoga at the Berkeley Heights YMCA and attending the Fridays in Motion events that they do in collaboration with St. Bart’s. He looks forward to seeing his friends and always gets excited for the next thing happening at the Y. When he’s participating in these programs, I’m not always with him and so he learns to become more independent. He can experience the real world in a safe setting, surrounded by Y staff that really care about the kids a lot. It feels like a family. I love the Y because they care.”
- Alisa, Berkeley Heights YMCA |
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“Nick and Drew really enjoy swimming and playing at the Summit YMCA in the Sundays in Motion program. it gives them the freedom to play with their peers that is supportive and comfortable for our family.”
- Traci G., Sundays in Motion program participant parent 
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Pen Pal Program with YMCA of PERU
The YMCA’s international ties run deep within our organization and hold true to the original mission of caring and inclusiveness. Today, our South American population is one of our fastest growing population in the Summit Area. For this reason, our staff began a mutual collaboration with the YMCA in Peru that was very similar to our Y in the Summit Area. In 2019, The Learning Circle YMCA (TLC) began a special Penpal program with the YMCA of Peru where students at TLC share activities, letters and culture with their friends in Peru. This program promotes global learning in our youth and broadens their horizons as they learn, grow and thrive in the Summit Area YMCA childcare program. |
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