YMCA of MV

On March 13, in response to Covid-19 crisis, we temporary closed our doors to protect our community. Doing so was one of the hardest things we have had to do, but we remained as dedicated as ever to provide vital resources to the community during this uncertain time. In order to keep the community active and healthy, we completely changed the way we have operated and began utilizing technology to deliver many of our services virtually to all ages, free of charge and engaging hundreds of participants weekly. This summer, we created Camp Kindness to address the critical need for childcare on the Island. With many summer programs unable to run under state restrictions, Camp Kindness offered a safe, 8-week program for 50 kids, a majority of whom were identified as critically needing to be at camp and required significant financial assistance. Mindful that advancing our mission during these challenging times requires financial support, we collaborated with another island nonprofit, The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, to create the Vineyard’s first pay-what-you-can Summer Drive-In. During a summer of social distancing, the drive-in provided a vital resource by allowing families to feel safely connected. In August we were grateful restrictions allowed us to reopen the Ice Arena to youth hockey and figure skating groups. In October, we began offering Kindness Academy and After School Programs. Kindness Academy is designed to assist parents and the school system with full-day virtual learning support. With many students physically in the classroom only part of the week, and some learning exclusively online, these programs support academic success, healthy movement and social emotional development. We completed the renovation of the admininstrative office into a functional youth program room. One challenge and limitation we faced was a dearth of parents seeking after school care due to fears associated with COVID. We took this as an opportunity to partner with MVYPS who needed a classroom space, and we are now a temporary home for Project Headway Preschool.