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- EIN 05-0258916
- info@newportymca.org
- 401-847-9200
- 792 Valley Road Middletown RI 02842 USA
- www.newportymca.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Children & Youth, Disabilities, Human Services, Sports
Mission: Founded in 1883, YMCAs collectively make up the largest nonprofit community service organization in America. YMCAs are at the heart of community life in neighborhoods and towns across the nation. They work to meet the health and social service needs of 16.9 million men, women and children. Ys help people develop values and behavior that are consistent with Christian principles. Ys are for people of all faiths, races, abilities, ages and incomes. No one is turned away for inability to pay. YMCAs' strength is in the people they bring together. In the average Y, a volunteer board sets policy for its executive, who manages the operation with full-time and part-time staff and volunteer leaders. Ys meet local community needs through organized activities called programs. In its own way, every Y nurtures the healthy development of children and teens; strengthens families; and makes its community a healthier, safer, better place to live. YMCA programs are tools for building the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Longtime leaders in community-based health and fitness and aquatics, Ys teach kids to swim, offer exercise classes for people with disabilities and lead adult aerobics. They also offer hundreds of other programs in response to community needs, including camping, child care (the Y movement is the nation's largest not-for-profit provider), teen clubs, environmental programs, substance abuse prevention, youth sports, family nights, job training, international exchange and many more. Organization: Each YMCA is a charitable nonprofit, qualifying under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Tax Code. Each is independent. YMCAs are required by the national constitution to pay annual dues, to refrain from discrimination and to support the YMCA mission. All other decisions are local choices, including programs offered, staffing and style of operation. The national office, called the YMCA of the USA, is in Chicago, with Field offices in California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota and Texas. It is staffed by 241 employees. Its purpose is to serve member associations. International: YMCAs are at work in more than 120 countries around the world, serving more than 30 million people. Some 230 local US Ys maintain more than 370 relationships with Ys in other countries, operate international programs and contribute to YMCA work worldwide through the YMCA World Service campaign. Like other national YMCA movements, the YMCA of the USA is a member of the World Alliance of YMCAs, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. History: The YMCA was founded in London, England, in 1844 by George Williams and about a dozen friends who lived and worked as clerks in a draperya forerunner of dry-goods and department stores. Their goal was to help young men like themselves find God. The first members were evangelical Protestants who prayed and studied the Bible as an alternative to vice. The Y movement has always been nonsectarian and today accepts those of all faiths at all levels of the organization, despite its unchanging name, the Young Men's Christian Association. The first U.S. YMCA started in Boston in 1851, the work of Thomas Sullivan, a retired sea captain who was a lay missionary. Ys spread fast and soon were serving boys and older men as well as young men. Although 5,145 women worked in YMCA military canteens in World War I, it wasn't until after World War II that women and girls were admitted to full membership and participation in the US YMCAs. Today half of all YMCA members and program members are female, and half are under age 18.
Programs: 2. Recreation - wellness, teen programs and summer camp helping people of all ages and abilities develop health in spirit, mind and body is at the core of the ymca movement. Our programs are designed to help people create realistic goals for self-improvement and emphasize disease prevention through regular exercise, proper nutrition, stress management, and health education. Sports programs for youth, families and adults promote teamwork, interaction, and development of social and physical skills. Our arthritis program is an aquatics program that keeps seniors active and flexible; our youth aquatics program helps to develop physical skills in toddlers; our family swim program gives adults and children shared time in the pool to appreciate one another and promote intergenerational relationships. Our services are offered at affordable fees for the community at large, with reasonable accommodations for those with special needs, and with financial assistance available for those who cannot afford the full fee. In light of the rising obesity rates in this country, our ymca conducts ongoing programs aimed specifically at the youth obesity issue. We also engage in a variety of events and community activities designed to help the "at risk population" develop habits and relationships that lead to more active lifestyles. Our ymca has always worked with the already active population and will continue to do so, but on a parallel track we are working with health-seekers who are those children, youth, teens, adults, and families who have had difficulty making healthy lifestyle choices. We plan to work with them helping them to set reasonable goals around nutrition and exercise while at the same time providing a supportive environment. Ymca youth and teen programs give kids good role models to help them develop self-esteem and good values, including cooperation, respect, good citizenship, and a strong work ethic. Many programs are provided at no cost, financial assistance is available for fee-based programs, so a young person's economic circumstances are not a barrier to participation. The ymca camping program provides a lasting experience of personal enrichment. Day camps offer adventure and learning activities that provide challenge and promote spiritual awareness, mental development, physical well-being, social growth, and self-respect. Camping helps youth become aware of their physical and mental capabilities, to recognize the value of cooperation, and to gain confidence. During 2013 summer day camp season we averaged 217 campers per day, which over the course of the summer translated in to 2280 camper weeks attended by 584 different campers. Fully 30 percent of all campers received some level of financial assistance. Camp scholarships totaled $46,940 in 2013. Outdoor leadership center the outdoor leadership center uses its ropes course to facilitate group activities, which enable youth, as well as adults, to build trust, build confidence, overcome fears or challenges, strengthen bonds and have a fun and exciting experience. The group will learn, grow and bond in ways that are not possible in everyday situations. They will learn to work together to achieve common goals under challenging circumstances. The success of the program will be evaluated by a series of questionnaires, evaluations and surveys conducted at the beginning of the program, end of the program and throughout the school year from students, teachers, parents and ymca staff. The bonds and friendships that the students form and the leadership skills and conflict resolution skills that the students learn are also indicators of success. "at risk youths" build confidence and self esteem as they learn valuable communications and teamwork skills. These skills are essential for improving decision-making and goal setting. By pushing their limits, participants grow beyond their perceived limitations. These courses have proven positive outcomes for gang intervention, abused children, and adjudicated youth. Students will first undergo a "character education program" conducted at the middle school by ymca personnel. This program is designed for students to come away with a better understanding of the meaning of each pillar of character (trustworthiness; respect; responsibility; fairness; caring and citizenship); an understanding of what it means to accept and demonstrate each pillar of character in different areas of life; and understanding of the negative effect of bullying on students, and the choices to make against it; and the realization of the personal benefits of being a person of good character. Following completion of this one-day program, the students will be assigned a team and scheduled for their full-day team-building program at the outdoor leadership center located at the newport county ymca. This program begins with an introduction, goals for the program and ground rules for the day, along with an hour of "ice breakers" designed for students to get to know one another. Once the goal and intentions have been discussed, the group is then led through some interactive stretches and warm-ups. Before dividing into smaller teams and progressing through the low ropes course challenges, the group is introduced to a safety technique called spotting. Spotting practice gives the participants the skills to look after each other, but also increases trust, refines commmunications and heightens the overall safety awareness. The low ropes course is a series of problem-solving experiences that physically engage teams to develop and execute a plan. The challenges are low to the ground but are more difficult than they might look. Each challenge draws on every team member's contributions - their ideas, their support and their efforts. The low ropes course is structured so that the activities gradually increase in level of difficulty so that the team continually extends its aspirations and its reach. Low ropes challenges include activities such as port hole; committment bridge; swinging log; swing to platform; mohawk walk and spider's web. Upon completion of the low ropes course, the team then progresses onto the high ropes course. The high ropes course consists of a number of separate challenges, varying in height and difficulty. The high ropes course challenges or elements vary from balance beams to cable crossing to complex climbing structures. As participants climb the high challenges they are attached to a safety rope and belayed similarly to rock climbing. The high ropes course is designed to teach team building activities and includes such activities as multi vine; the perch; balance log; vertical play and leap of faith. At the end of the day, students will revisit the goals and evaluate their experiences. The outdoor leadership center program will be offered to the middle schools on a yearly basis. The program has been incorporated into the middle schools' yearly curriculum. The outdoor leadership center emphasizes the core character values of the ymca of honesty, respect, responsibility, and caring. Our programming and offering of the values-driven programs and services to the communities we serve is integral to the mission of the ymca. Special olympics team the newport county special olympics team was formed to address the need for special needs programming on aquidneck island. The newport county team had over 85 participants competing in swimming, softball, bowling, basketball and track & field events at the special olympics state games held in may 2014. In the fall of 2009, we also started a basketball team that competed in the state games held in march 2014, there are 20 athletes participating. We are always looking for new members and volunteers to help support our team and to date the response has been tremendous. This is an incredibly "connected" community with parents and caregivers stepping up and volunteering as coaches and with fundraising. We have also seen significant volunteerism through our general membership, where it's not uncommon to see whole families turn out to assist with special events. We also count our local high schoolers among our volunteer core as well as students from salve regina university. Next up will be bowling as a competitive activity. This activity is made possible though our relationship with the newport naval base, who will provide access to their facilities. Adapted physical activities programming has become its own department. This too is our reaching out to under served constituencies. Megan leonard our apa director has grown the program to where we are now working with over 150 individuals. Individuals many have developmental challenges, physical challenges or intellectual challenges. Much of this programming is grant funded as many of the participants are unable to afford to pay.
membership - the newport county ymca is a powerful association of men, women and children of all ages and from all walks of life joined together by a shared passion to strengthen the foundations of community. With a commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility, the y ensures that every individual has the essentials needed to learn, grow and thrive. We awarded $57,661 in scholarship assistance that ensured no one was denied an opportunity to participate as a ymca member. Our ymca is founded and led by volunteers from our community; volunteers also serve as coaches, program leaders, instructors and more.
3. Child care programs - our ymca provides high quality childcare by providing comprehensive activities for preschool and school age children drawing on diverse members of the community. We provide both full and part time options to serve a wide range of family scheduling needs. Woven into the fabric of the ymca mission is a commitment to strenghthening families. Ymca childcare programs relieve the burden of balancing work and family and make it possible for parents of children in our care to remain gainfully employed, knowing that their children are thriving in a safe, developmentally sound environment. The ymca provides tuition assistance for childcare services. Over $47,900 was awarded to families to afford their fees. We also provide a variety of activities that emphasize parent education and help parents learn more about how to raise healthy, happy children who develop self-esteem and moral and ethical values.