Here for Community

“It helps them build their confidence and social skills, and it’s also a place of comfort because some of the kids come here for activities outside of school.”

“This is the third year we have been part of Jeremy’s Giving Tree. The tree takes a little pressure off being able to provide the type of Christmas that our children deserve, but we are unable to always afford.”

“The days when I don’t come, I feel like my day hasn’t gone right. I can’t imagine our community without this Y.”

“I wanted to get better and move on from it all. The YMCA helped me from a physical and mental standpoint.”

“Everyone here has become part of our family. The YMCA has been very supportive.”

This coming year marks our Y’s 75th anniversary and I’m most excited about our upcoming building project and the opportunities it will provide to our community.

“This is my family’s third year receiving gifts from Jeremy’s Tree. We started when my son was in day care at the Y.”

“We joined the Y not long after our son was born in 2005. We started my son in swim classes when he was very young, and then the Y turned into a place for our whole family.”

“The past almost two years have made me realize that although money is important, if you’re not out there helping someone, you are missing out.”

“I knew I needed to keep healthy both mentally and physically. My doctors tell me that if I didn’t come to the Y to exercise, I’d be a lot worse off.”

“I think it’s really important to keep physically fit. It’s important for your weight, for your emotional health and for your mental health.”  

“I’d tell others who have had a cancer diagnosis, it’s very easy to assume your new self is a weak person, but you can get strong.”

“I am so much stronger now. I lost a ton of weight, too. I’ve been learning how to lift weights and do them properly and it’s been such difference.”

“Over the past year, as a member of the YMCA Board of Directors, I got to see up close the work being done to ensure the YMCA would continue to be there in whatever ways possible to help the community.”

“We moved from Maryland to Fanwood in 1970. Our dad had worked for the Y in the Middle East when he was younger, and after he came here in his late 20s, worked for a Y in Indiana while he went to college.”

“We originally started with the YMCA’s Special Olympics program, the swimming team. Kevin was part of the team that trained here and then would compete at the state level.”

“A doctor had suggested working out in the water to help ease the symptoms of my MS.”

Sophia recalls: “Our Y story started a long time ago. Ari was born with Down Syndrome and I had a hard time even finding people to babysit for him. We had taken mommy and me swim lessons and when he got a little older, I wanted to continue with the swim lessons. Anywhere I went, the first response was always, ‘we don’t have a special program here.’

“We moved to New Jersey in July 2017 and started taking swim classes in Spring 2018. Thanks to financial aid, my son has been able to take swim lessons here. As a mom, it’s very important that my children know how to swim – that they have the skills they need to save themselves or others.”

“I had a chance meeting with Donna (Peart). The Plainfield Public Schools hosted a wellness event and the Y had a booth. I was borderline pre-diabetes and my doctor was concerned.”

“I was diagnosed with MS on June 9, 2012. It changed my life completely. I no longer work, I can’t drive, my vision is horrible and my balance is bad. I was going to a Kessler (Rehabilitation Center) for a clinical trial and they told me about the Y’s Multiple Sclerosis Water Exercise Program.”

“My neighbor Donna (Peart) works at the Y and told me about the LIVESTRONG® program for cancer survivors. I started right after my last radiation treatment that August. I tried it, was able to get through the first two hours and I said ‘I can do this.’ I never missed a day the whole 12 weeks.”