volunteers, child care graduate and summer camp kids

BUILDING COMMUNITY. TOGETHER.

HERE WE INVEST IN OUR KIDS, OUR HEALTH, AND OUR NEIGHBORS. TOGETHER.
From our earliest days in 1894, the Sewickley Valley YMCA has been a builder of community. Our founders started with the notion that we are stronger when we join together, grow together and support our neighbors. Today, we continue to deliver on the promise of our founders by ensuring that all are welcomed into our Y to grow and thrive regardless of their financial circumstances. People of all ages and backgrounds turn to Y as a trusted partner that walks alongside them as they face personal and economic challenges. Whether they need affordable, quality child care, support for aging parents, an opportunity to build friendships or a place to get well, the Y is ready to welcome them into our community.  Learn how your support provides critical funding enabling the Y to make an immediate impact and live out our mission of building community and ensuring everyone belongs here.

WHERE CHILDREN GROW UP WITH SMALLER OBSTACLES AND BIGGER DREAMS.
Child Care & Educational Development offers wrap-around Child Care for 305 children as young as six weeks through fifth grade. In our program, teachers help to meet each child’s needs by providing developmentally appropriate lessons and igniting a passion for learning that lasts a lifetime. As the only state-licensed child care provider in our service area that offers reduced tuition fees, all families, regardless of their financial circumstances, have access to affordable, high-quality child care. Donor support allows the Y to provide a safety net for families so that tuition fees do not exceed their weekly paycheck. This critical support helps break the cycle of poverty and empowers parents to stay on track to achieve their career and personal goals.

WHERE SUMMER IS FULL OF LEARNING IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE: FUN!
Summer Day Camp offers kids a chance to unplug, make new friends, and discover new interests. Parents have trusted our camp for generations because our caring staff fosters personal growth, inclusion and loads of fun! Many families patch together care for their children after school using family and neighbors, but once summer arrives, parents need all-day support. Camp provides engaging options for parents so their kids are learning and growing all summer long. Financial assistance makes our camp a place for all children, and it is imperative to the families and children we serve to continue to offer these services. This year, the Sewickley Valley YMCA awarded $136,428 in financial assistance, helping to welcome 185 children who otherwise would not have been able to attend. The unprecedented level of aid exceeds the highest amount awarded for day camp at Sewickley Valley YMCA by over $40,000.

WHERE TEENS DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE AND MATTER TO ONE ANOTHER.
The OASIS Teen Center welcomes all teens and pre-teens to join the free after-school program. The OASIS offers a relaxed environment to do homework, hang out with friends and utilize the Y four days a week during the school year. Serving 35-50 kids daily and offering more than a hangout, teens find belonging, help with homework, crisis intervention, and consistent, caring staff providing social support services and referrals. Dedicated staff and mentors have supported teens experiencing food insecurity, unstable home life, mental health and behavioral challenges, and trauma. Our teens come from various backgrounds, but once in the OASIS, they find common ground and friendship.

WHERE LEARNING TO SWIM BUILDS SAFETY AND CONFIDENCE IN THE WATER.
Swim lessons at the Y are taught by nationally certified instructors, using a problem-solving, guided-discovery teaching approach in a positive, caring environment. Kids feel a sense of achievement from mastering skills they can enjoy for the rest of their lives and parents know their children are developing skills to keep them safe around water. Last year, 1,321 participants as young as six months to age 13, participated in swim lessons. Approximately 1 in 5 participants received financial assistance, helping to ensure that swim lessons and water safety are not a luxury and are accessible to all.
In addition to our traditional swim lessons, the Sewickley Valley YMCA offers adaptive swim lessons and water safety at a reduced rate for children with Autism, sensory, physical and intellectual disabilities. All children are attracted to water due to its sensory stimuli and are often unable to understand its dangers. Swim instructors helped 29 participants gain confidence while working to meet each swimmer at their ability as they work toward mastering swimming and water safety skills in 2021.

WHERE ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR ALL AGES AND ABILITIES.
Membership for all supports the most vulnerable in our community by providing programs and services regardless of their financial circumstances. Prospective and current members can apply for financial assistance, which helps reduce membership fees and program costs. The need-based aid is awarded on a sliding fee scale based on low-income guidelines to ensure everyone receives equal consideration. In 2021, the Y provided $197,404 in financial assistance supporting membership fees and programs, ensuring 843 children and their families had access to essential programs like swim lessons, youth sports, preschool recreation, and all of the benefits of the Y through facility memberships. The benefits of the Y extend beyond the notion of belonging and offer families a safe place to go and make friends, build confidence and reconnect with others. In addition to our programs’ physical and social benefits, the Y offers stability during the uncertainties of life. Nearly 75 percent of low-income children and families coming to the Y received at least 60 percent off the membership and program fees.

WHERE MEMBERS FACING CHRONIC ILLNESSES GAIN SELF-CONFIDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE.
Chronic disease prevention classes offer a life-changing fitness and mobility program for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. The evidence-based fitness program empowers those living with Parkinson’s by optimizing their physical function and helping to delay the progression of symptoms, restore an improved quality of life and retain independence.

WHERE THE ELDERLY ARE PROVIDED FREE TRANSPORTATION TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT ADDITIONAL LOCAL RESOURCES.
Faith in Action provides free transportation to medical treatments and doctor appointments for the elderly and medically fragile. More than just a ride service, Faith in Action helps the elderly access essential medical care and reduces isolation and loneliness. Volunteers drivers provided 494 trips in 2021, assisting the elderly to remain healthy and independent with care and compassion. Currently, 70% of the 312 program participants have little or no family support nearby, making this mission-critical offering essential for individuals to live independently with dignity.
Beyond Faith in Action’s transportation services, staff helps the elderly navigate a new digital environment. Y staff also provide referrals to additional social services, home and needs assessments, and wellness calls and help families navigate and address safety concerns when remaining independent may no longer be possible. While Allegheny County is rich in resources, it can be overwhelming to understand the offerings for the elderly. Faith in Action serves as a connector for our elderly, providing one-on-one attention with care and compassion.

WHERE BARRIERS TO ACCESSING HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS FOODS ARE REMOVED.
The Quaker Valley Food Relief program provided over 44,000 pounds of food to families in 2021 and continues to deliver boxes filled with fresh dairy, fruit, vegetables, meat and staples to approximately 75 homes in the Quaker Valley School District each month. This program gives families needed food and provides volunteers with a meaningful way to give back.
Free Mini Food Pantries located at the Laughlin Memorial Library in Ambridge, Pathway Church in Crescent, Fair Oaks Fire Department, Henle Park in Leetsdale, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sewickley and Sewickley Community Center, regularly stocked with non-perishable food and personal care products for anyone in need, no questions asked. The zero-barrier access point to food and personal care products helps fill the gaps between paychecks. In 2021, the Sewickley Valley YMCA volunteers restocked 6,087 pounds of food.