News and Announcements

YMCA of USA Statement on Yesterday’s Events at the U.S. Capitol

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“The Y has a long, proud history of encouraging participation in our nation’s democracy. The storming of the U.S. Capitol yesterday – a mob action spurred by divisive rhetoric, disinformation and bad faith – was an affront to this important work and our core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. I condemn it in the strongest terms possible, and I hope those who incited violence and broke the law are held accountable and that peace prevails. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives or were injured and their loved ones.

“I take some comfort that the election certification rioters hoped to disrupt continued and was completed. I am grateful for the resolve of the elected officials and civil servants who discharged their duties undeterred and honored our nation’s democratic values in support of the Constitution. Our democracy held, but yesterday was a stark reminder that it is fragile, and preserving it requires people of courage, character and good faith. People of all ages, races, genders, backgrounds and political perspectives. People who believe in the promise of this nation and are willing to work purposefully to fulfill it.

“A thriving democracy takes all of us. We cannot allow the anti-democratic sentiment that fueled yesterday’s events – so much of it grounded in hate and tribalism – to gain strength. We must work toward common ground characterized by equity, decency and truth.

“Bringing people together is what the Y does best. We will continue to do our part to help people from all walks of life find common ground and promote civil society. And we will continue to invest in young changemakers and look to them for leadership. One of the great joys of my job is spending time with young people from across the country who participate in the Y’s Youth and Government program, which teaches them to value good-spirited debate, servant leadership and the power of public policy to improve lives. The program’s motto – “Democracy must be learned by each generation” – is particularly relevant right now. Young people are the primary source of my hope for the future, and time spent with our Youth and Government participants always confirms the wisdom of my optimism.

“Today is a new day. The Y looks forward to partnering with the new Administration and the new Congress in the weeks and months ahead to advance funding and policies that support our work to strengthen communities. Because at its best, our democracy is capable of this and much more.”

 

KEVIN WASHINGTON
President and CEO
YMCA OF THE USA

MLK Day Brave Space Community Dialogue

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Edited to add: To listen to the audio of this event, click HERE. The singing at the end of the audio is by the Philippine Madrigal Singers performing the prayer of St. Francis.

To view the short video “History in the Making: The YMCA and Civil Rights” click HERE.

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We invite you to the first 2021 Brave Space Community Dialogue on the eve of MLK Day, Sunday, January 17, from 7-8pm.

We will reflect on the day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to speak in Montclair in 1966. Individuals who were there on that historic day will share their remembrances.

We will also dialogue on the present and its impact on the future of our community.

The discussion will be led by YMCA of Montclair’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair Dr. Laura Quiros, Ph.D., LMSW.

We thank YMCA of Montclair Board Member Dr. Shirley A. R. Lewis for her assistance with this program.

The event is free, and all are welcome—register by clicking HERE.

 

Message Regarding Membership Fee Restoration

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Dear Valued Member,

In two weeks, we will say goodbye to 2020. It is an understatement to say that this year has been challenging. I am hopeful that better days lie ahead in 2021. The news that multiple pharmaceutical companies have developed vaccines with high efficacy rates gives us a reason for optimism.

Here at the YMCA of Montclair, we have worked hard to be there for our members in new and different ways, from blood drives to food drives to remote learning support. Recently, we have launched a YMCA of Montclair On-Demand fitness library to be accessed at home and look forward to offering group swim classes in January. We are HERE FOR YOU.

Since July, the Y has offered a phased re-open for our members. In September, we opened our doors at 25% capacity and offered limited capacity classes, gym equipment use, and lap swim. We’ve implemented a registration system and app to help our members access our Y while adhering to rigorous COVID practices and protocols.

Our members who have returned are confident in our safety measures and happy to be back on their journey to a healthier self in an environment that puts safety first.

For these many months, a majority of our members have been on hold. We want to continue to be HERE FOR YOU. As we enter 2021, it is now time for our Y to address membership overall.

For those members who have already activated your membership, no action is required. And, as a special thank you for re-activating in 2020, we are locking in your membership rate until 2023. Thank you for staying with us!

For those members who remain on hold, we will return to our standard membership draft on January 15, 2021. Please carefully review your options below:

  • If you are ready for your membership to be reactivated, no action is required. In fact, we are so excited to have you back that we will also lock in your membership rate until 2023.
  • If you are not ready to return to the Y but want to continue your membership on hold, our customary hold policy will apply and you will be charged $10 a month for up to six months. Please contact membership to confirm your hold status by email membership@montclairymca.org or call 973-744-3400 no later than January 8. Thank you for staying with us and we look forward to seeing you soon.
  • If you do not plan on returning to our Y you must contact membership no later than January 8 to opt-out. Email us at membership@montclairymca.org or call 973-744-3400. We will miss you and hope to see you again.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Our cardio, circuit, and weight rooms, spin bikes, group exercise classes, personal training, and, of course, our pools are HERE FOR YOU.

Thank you for staying with our Y during this difficult year. Our community remains stronger together. I look forward to seeing you back at the Y in 2021!

Sincerely,

Buddy Evans
President and CEO

A Message Regarding Safety Practices at the Y

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Dear Members, 
As I am sure you are aware, we are now in the 2nd wave of the pandemic. New Jersey is recording its highest case counts since March. This at a time when many are experiencing pandemic fatigue, and some are letting their guards down. 
However, the YMCA of Montclair continues to put safety first and abide by protocols set by the Montclair Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control. 
WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO PUT SAFETY FIRST 
  • Our Park Street YMCA’s air ventilation has received important upgrades including the installation of two airPHX systems; the HVAC system has been thoroughly cleaned and HEPA filters replaced with MERV 13 filters, and a REME-HALO RGF Air Purification System unit has been installed onto our HVAC system that services the Aquatics areas.  
  • Continuous rigorous cleaning practices to sanitize rooms, pool areas, gym equipment, and touched surfaces by trained staff. 
  • Once a day we close our Park Street Facility for deep cleaning, including using an electro-static sprayer on our equipment.
  • Implemented our MotionVibe reservation system to ensure capacity regulations and, if necessary, contact tracing. 
  • Required mandatory mask-wearing, temperature check, and health screening per the State of NJ for all who enter our buildings. 
  • Mandated capacities in all member spaces, and created signage to help members maintain physical distancing. 
  • Equipment has been moved to create maximum distancing between members.
Many times, the phrase “we are all in this together” has been used during this pandemic. It’s up to all of us to take the following measures so that the YMCA of Montclair can stay open and be here for all our members.
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM EACH OTHER 
  • Masks must be worn properly at all times covering your mouth and nose. Masks must be worn in locker rooms, pool areas prior to swimming, and while moving through the hallways. 
  • Social distance. Keep 6 feet apart.  
  • Wash your hands; use the hand sanitizer provided throughout the building. 
  • Help us protect each other and our staff by refraining from congregating. We understand that many members come to the Y for community, and we will return to socializing as soon as it’s safe.
Please know that we care deeply for the health and safety of our members and our staff, and we must abide by these rules to protect all. During this time, the Y has a mandatory mask-wearing policy. Thank you in advance for abiding by this and all of our COVID-related policies.
Although we are heading into the difficult winter months, we know that there is an end to this. Vaccines will be distributed. Better therapies exist now than in March. We can do this together. As a community that values the wellbeing of loved ones, our friends, our neighbors, and those we don’t know, we can do this. For A Better Us. 
Stay safe and be well, 
Buddy Evans 
President and CEO  

Sensory Room Installation at the Park Street YMCA

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A pre-pandemic project gets restarted! Eagle Scout candidate Samuel Lagasse’s Sensory Room project is back on track. A Sensory Room can help an individual with sensory issues learn to regulate negative reactions to external stimuli by developing coping skills for these experiences.

Lagasse and his team began creating a Sensory Room at our Geyer Family YMCA last fall. The team consisted of fellow scouts Denzell Loblack and Max Ferrante and Scoutmasters Carl Joslyn and David Lagasse. Last fall and winter, the scouts worked on concept, design and built their first piece, a double squeezer.

The project is now located in the Meeting Room at the Park Street YMCA. The team is back at work, installing the materials created in the fall and setting up the room with shelving and padding to turn a hard fireplace into a cozy crawlspace. Next up will be the addition of building blocks, walking pads, and some posters to finish the room and supplement some of the material that belonged to the previous location.

Take a peek at how the Sensory Room is coming along.

YMCA Of Montclair Receives $20,000 from Sovos Brand/Rao’s Homemade for Playground Construction at Geyer Family YMCA 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

YMCA Of Montclair Receives $20,000 from Sovos Brand/Rao’s Homemade for Playground Construction at Geyer Family YMCA 

Montclair, NJ — Put on hold this summer due to the pandemic was the YMCA of Montclair’s plans to break ground for a new playground behind the Geyer Family YMCA.  However, the dream of the playground was kept alive by staff, volunteers, and donors who believed in the importance of creating an imaginative and accessible public playground. 

The YMCA of Montclair has received generous donations from Investors Foundation, the Provident Bank Foundation, as well as several individual donors for the playground. Today, Sovos Brands/Rao’s Homemade joins this effort by generously providing the Y a contribution of $20,000 for playground construction. 

“Demonstrating support for our community is extremely important to us always, but especially during this time,” said Risa Cretella, Executive Vice President, Group General Manager at Sovos Brands/Rao’s Homemade. “We are thrilled to be part of making this playground possible and giving children a safe place to have fun and make friends.”   

“We would like to extend our deepest thanks to Sovos Brands/Rao’s Homemade,” said Buddy Evans, President & CEO of the YMCA of Montclair. “Having a place where local children of diverse abilities can engage in free play and healthy physical activity fills a real community need.”    

The playground was designed in collaboration with Professor Gary Fredriksen and student interns at Montclair State University’s Department of Art and Design. The playground was imagined as an accessible Rainbow themed playground that would include a Play Tower with an ADA staircase, slide, a greenhouse and florist play space, sand and water play, a tiered mountain riding road, an urban garden, and more. 

The Y plans to restart construction as soon as possible. The YMCA of Montclair is fundraising to reach their goal of $200,000 to build the playground.  If you are interested in donating, please contact Anneke Demarest, Chief Development Officer at ademarest@montclairymca.org.   

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ABOUT YMCA OF MONTCLAIR 

The YMCA of Montclair welcomes all. We are a nonprofit that strengthens individuals, families, and community by developing spirit, mind, and body. We focus on healthy living, social responsibility, and youth development. Serving Bloomfield, Bloomingdale, Clifton, Cedar Grove, Glen Ridge, Haskell, Montclair, Verona, and West Milford. For more information, please visit montclairymca.org. 

ABOUT SOVOS BRANDS
Sovos Brands is a food company with a mission to acquire and build one-of-a-kind brands that bring today’s consumers delicious food for joyful living. Sovos Brands invests in brands that have exciting growth potential, combining industry expertise with fresh thinking to bring its products into more homes across America.  

The brands in its portfolio include Rao’s, a line of premium pasta sauces, soups, frozen entrées and dry pasta; noosa, a producer of thick, velvety whole milk yoghurt; and Michael Angelo’s, a leading producer of authentic frozen Italian entrées. 

SOVOS™, RAO’S®, RAO’S HOMEMADE®, NOOSA® and MICHAEL ANGELO’S® are trademarks of Sovos Brands. 

Find out more about Sovos Brands at www.sovosbrands.com, Rao’s Homemade at www.raos.com, noosa at www.noosayoghurt.com, and Michael Angelo’s at www.michaelangelos.com.