YMCA of Greenville Foundation announces 2023 grant recipients

YMCA of Greenville Foundation, the independent nonprofit corporation operating for the benefit of the YMCA of Greenville, announced the recipients of its 2023 grant cycle. The Foundation’s endowment fund helps sustain the YMCA of Greenville’s commitment to healthy living, youth development and social responsibility by financially supplementing the Y’s projects, programs, and services.

“The financial support the YMCA of Greenville Foundation receives impacts lives long after the gift is made,” says MaryEllis Petrosian, executive director, YMCA of Greenville Foundation. “Supporting such meaningful programs and projects of the YMCA of Greenville makes a huge difference in the community of people we serve.”

The projects that will be implemented due to the 2023 grants include:

• Caine Halter Family YMCA hired a new member engagement specialist (MES) that will focus on recruiting adults 65 years of age and older. Data has shown that Caine Halter Family YMCA has witnessed a decrease in the number of active older adults using the facility since March 2020, the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The MES will provide the opportunity to focus on reactivating, recruiting, and retaining members through innovative and engaging programs; enhance the YMCA’s mission of putting Christian principles into action through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body; and enrich more lives and more older adults to further strengthen the community.
• Eastside Family YMCA hired a new full-time assistant aquatics director to increase support of the growing Aquatics department. The assistant aquatics director will provide oversight of day-to-day operations, lifeguard staffing, lifeguard certification courses, swim lessons and swim academy. They will assist the Aquatics Director in developing, maintaining, and providing high quality and high value aquatics programs to members and participants.
• RECESS is expanding to the Eastside Family YMCA. RECESS (Recreation, Exercise, Community, Education, Social, Service) provides valuable and enriching experiences for adults with diverse abilities without compromising on quality or affordability. These elements serve as a guide for program curriculum and place heavy emphasis on delivering experiences that promote engagement with peers, wellness and recreational activities, social responsibility and development of independent living, vocational and self-advocacy skills. RECESS represents the YMCA’s belief that everyone has potential and that a diverse community helps make everyone stronger. With the expansion to Eastside, 72 families will be served.
• Prisma Health Family YMCA hired a new part-time camper success specialist. As the community grows, summer camp, one of the most impactful youth development programs that the YMCA offers, has also grown. The YMCA has also experienced a significant increase in campers that have special needs, diverse abilities or simply need additional support to be successful at camp. The camper success specialist will specialize in behavior management and specials needs to support the growing needs of summer camp participants.
• Prisma Health Family YMCA will be implementing a Y Kids Triathlon, a fun-filled kids’ event that will include swimming, biking, and running events. The program will provide triathlon trainings, to help kids be active and healthy, while also building confidence and having fun. The event will serve a minimum of 125 participants and engage 50+ staff and volunteers to support the event.
• Teen Services and Youth in Government hired a full-time teen service program director to provide the jumpstart necessary to bring teen programming participation back to pre-pandemic levels. They will work directly with SC Youth in Government schools across the state as well as lead conferences and trainings throughout the year.
• YMCA Judson Community Center received direct support for 163 youth in its afterschool, preschool and summer day camp programs. Every family served through this branch qualifies for financial assistance, and funding from grants and donations are necessary to keep the Judson YMCA programs sustainable.
• YMCA Camp Greenville will be improving eight pack-out locations for evening outdoor experiences that include cooking dinner and staying overnight. Renovations will include picnic tables, lumber for benches, water coolers and LED outdoor lanterns. Enhancing these locations will improve both camper safety and experience.

To learn more about the YMCA of Greenville Foundation and the projects, programs, and services it supports, visit https://www.ymcagreenville.org/foundation.

About the YMCA of Greenville Foundation

Established in 1973, the YMCA of Greenville Foundation, Inc. is a separate nonprofit corporation operating for the benefit of the YMCA of Greenville. Year after year and generation after generation, our leaders guide our organization with an eye to our four core values: caring, honestly, respect and responsibility. While the needs of a community will change, these pillars of character taught at the YMCA will endure to provide impactful solutions. The YMCA of Greenville Foundation helps sustain the YMCA of Greenville’s commitment to healthy living, youth development and social responsibility by supplementing the Y’s projects, programs, and services.