PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: With the goal of strengthening community, the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard serves over 12,000 people annually and nearly 30% of our year-round population. We offer affordable and free programs accessible to all abilities from birth to end of life, and give financial assistance to those in need. We help people build and maintain healthy habits, rehabilitate, and commune in their everyday lives through over 50 unique programs. To have the greatest community impact, we strive to: be operationally sustainable while keeping quality programs affordable to meet the evolving needs of the Island community; be an Island community center serving people of all ages, creating a greater sense of connection to each other and the community; reach out proactively into underserved populations, ensuring inclusion of multiple diverse groups; continue collaborating with other organizations and individuals to best serve our Vineyard community; be a leader on critical issues related to promoting healthy living.

We are addressing the need for high quality safe after school and summer child care, as well as engaging year-round community spaces for youth of all ages. Each year, our youth programs continue to grow but our spaces are at maximum capacity and we are no longer able to add additional licensed spaces to accommodate more children in our programs. Enhanced spaces are necessary to serve the whole child by prioritizing the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of all youth.

Repurposing our indoor spaces will increase access to and enhance the quality of child care and youth activities on the Island. This will add licensed space for After School and Summer Camp programs. This project will help us fulfill our mission by improving the quality of life for youth and families. Our increased and enhanced program space will allow us to meet this same goal for our program participants and demonstrate our dedication to growth and advancement in youth development.