January 6, 2020
Happy 2020!
I don't know about you, but in spite of how many years I've lived (more than a few) and how many calendar pages I've been fortunate to be able to turn, the new calendar year always seems like a bit of a boost of energy. It's also an opportunity to reflect on our lives individually, and our Y work together as one collective force for good.
Although I have to admit I’m particularly awful at looking back, I am incredibly proud of the many, many things we accomplished together this past year. Here is just a tiny fraction of all the good work we have achieved together with our many wonderful partners and volunteers:
- Our excellent and important work in Community Schools was recognized by the awarding of seven new schools, bringing the total number of Community Schools in which we work to 20;
- Our Baltimore City Head Start program earned a five year continuation grant from the federal government due to our strong results there;
- Thanks to the work of so many across the organization, we made huge progress on evolving our youth development strategy, focused on providing better alignment, integration, consistency, and outcomes, and at the same time, made significant strides to reshape our healthy living strategy, as Maryland’s health care environment and the needs of our community continue to evolve;
- Thanks to the generous support of many donors, significant improvements were made to our Druid Hill and Weinberg Ys. Additionally, great progress was made on raising the money to build a new Y in southwest Baltimore, on the site of the old Cardinal Gibbons high school;
- We were also able to make extensive improvements to the Greater Annapolis Y in Arnold and began work on what will ultimately be major improvements to the Parkville Y;
- Our membership levels reached new highs this past year as a result of the wonderful work so many are doing to create an exceptional Y membership experience focused on our core audience (families, youth, seniors and health seekers). All this work enables greater use of our Y family centers as true community hubs of well-being and connectedness;
- Our commitment to social responsibility was deepened and broadly recognized as we played host to the Y-USA global conference on Diversity & Inclusion; and
- We considerably expanded our role as a facilitator of volunteerism and enabled nearly 16,000 people to have a healthy start to their Thanksgiving morning while raising a record breaking $900,000 for the Y Open Doors Financial Aid Fund, helping to assure that more children and families can fully participate in Y community life and all it has to offer.
Amazingly, this is only a tiny fraction of what we achieved together last year and doesn’t even begin to fully characterize the true impact of our work: providing a greater sense of well-being for individuals, families and communities around the region.
Thank you so much to all of the Y's associates, volunteers and partners for the important roles all of you have played in making our community a better, stronger and more connected place for all.
Now, take a bow and take a breath because as much as we’ve achieved together, we’re only getting started!
Here’s to a fruitful and fulfilling 2020.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland