Day of Play!

Boy what an exciting day the Fall P.S. 187 Day Of Play Gagalicious was at The Y. It may have been wet and grey out, but we were surely dry and all smiles. The P.S. 187 Day of Play gave counselors of Camp Twelve Trails the opportunity to come together for the first time since last summer. It was a great opportunity to reunite with all of our “WOW” Y families and their favorite counselors. It was great seeing all of those familiar faces and sharing yet another day together, creating lasting memories and inviting families to join us as Trail Blazers on the path to the brand new Camp Twelve Trails where campers and counselors alike will have the opportunity to play, grow, create, discover and explore. 

This year's Day of Play was of epic proportions, with not just one but two gaga pits! Camp Twelve Trails staff members were on hand to facilitate the games and we had many gaga gladiators enter the octagon. No matter how many times kids got out, they kept coming back from more. Our staff even got in the mix and but they were no match for the speedy skills and hard hitting power of the kids. There were many champions on this day and we even had some games where parents braved the gaga octagon, but the winner on this day was gaga: the sport that the kids just couldn't get enough of. 

In addition to gaga, Camp Twelve Trails' resident basketball expert and former NBA star Felipe Lopez was on hand running basketball clinics. Kids and parents alike worked on their dribbling skills, court movement, layups and jump shots, all in an effort to become better at the game, or simply to get a little more exercise. Nonetheless, having Felipe there this year was a super addition to the program. There was also a Yoga clinic for those looking for some peace of mind.    

Thank you to all of our parents who made this year's event so successful. We can't wait to see you this summer at Camp Twelve Trails, and next year at Day of Play!

CSS Rubgy Team Off To A Good Start

Mott Haven Education Campus- Bronx, NY On a sunny and humid day in the Bronx, our Y's SONYC Columbia Secondary School Pride Middle School boys and girls rugby teams competed and took away some hardware. Running their new lead, jet-lead and jockey offense, they scorched numerous defenses en route to a banner day!

The boys team competed in the Plate Final and took home the Championship Trophy, which will join the others in the trophy case. Every single player from starters to impact subs came into the game, contributed everything they have in order to come away with the championship.

Our girls played extremely well all day long and were put into the semifinals match before bowing out to another well deserving team. Our lady lions went toe to toe with every team they faced and have a lot of positives to build upon going forward. 

Man/Women  of the Match Awards:

Boys: Brenton Collins & Gus Muamba 

Girls: Samantha McGann & Sunshine Robinson

Donizetti Gonzalez, director of Y's SONYC program at Columbia Secondary School 

"My Experience" by Daniel Romero

My Experience

by Daniel Romero

   My name is Daniel A. Romero and my experience in the Y teen leadership program has been amazing ever since the beginning. The program is supposed to be a group of young teenagers, like myself, who try to help solve worldwide problems, or simply help places that are in need. From helping hospitals to entertaining residents at a nursing home, I have never felt this good. It is a shame that we are only able to do this once a week.

   Our program teacher Lidia Martinez (Teen Leadership specialist) is an amazing person to work with and was so nice to me on the first day we met. I remember I didn't want to go when it all started, but after the first day I was very interested in what we had talked about that had to do with some problems around the world. 

   After a couple of classes we held a blood drive at the Y so that we can donate the blood to the hospitals who had a shortage of blood. They had a shortage because many blood donors didn't go to the hospital since Hurricane Irene had hit Manhattan. This is an example of what we do. 

   Throughout the class these past 2 years there were so many topics we discussed and what we can do to help like war, racism, women rights, LGBT rights, and police brutality. We all know that we can't stop these types of things, but we can sure try. The people I work with are the best and we always work to figure out what to do with any social problem. I hope this program continues going on for a while. I would also like to thank Lidia and Abraham (after school teen program director) because those two are one of kind.

-Daniel Romero, Y Teen Leadership Program

How baseball helped Nepal

We had a mother-load of fun this Sunday at the Dyckman Fields on May 10 for the Hudson Cliffs Baseball League.  Despite the holiday, we maintained strong attendance. Special thanks to all of our mom's who made it out to the diamond!

But let's rewind to May 3rd, and the first ever HCBL charity bake sale.  Leo and Reuben, a couple kind-hearted young baseballers, took it upon themselves to organize the event to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal. Thanks to them, and all of the HCBL's help and generosity, we raised a whopping $623 for the Nepal Earthquake Fund

, a project of GlobalGiving.org

. Great work!

Leo and Reuben displayed impressive qualities that we try to instill in all of our little players both on and off the field.  

 

Sincerely,

Jon Zeftel

After School Program Director and Youth Sports Director
The YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

Sweetness For A Brighter Day

Our Teen Leadership/Community Service group spent time this past week learning more about the senior population. According to a recent study, the teens learned that 43% of seniors reported feeling lonely on a regular basis. Based on this information, the teen group thought of a way to make the life of some local senior citizens a little brighter and sweeter with a very special project.

The Y's Wien House is a 99-unit residential facility for low income seniors. In an effort to help  the residents of the Wien House to cope with loneliness, the Teen Leadership/Community Service group decided to spend an evening baking cookies for them. Each cookie was place in a bag with special notes with positive messages like “ You Are Very Special”, " Be Happy", and "You're So Sweet."

-Abraham Palma, Teen Program Director

Friendly Competition

On Thursday January 8^th, the Y had our first inter-agency SONYC basketball game between our Y Teen Program basketball team and Harbor Heights Middle School basketball team.  This was designed to bring both teams together in friendly competition.

The Harbor Heights Middle School team is part of the DYCD Nike League. The students were required to try out in order to be on the team, and will train to play against other DYCD Nike League teams across the city starting March 1st. On the other hand, the Y Teen basketball team is strictly recreational, made up of local teens that come every week to develop their skills under the guidance of Y staff and coaches.

 The most important thing that impressed me was the respect and the sportsmanship before and after the game. It was a close game, but at the end our Y Teen team won the game by three points.

This was a good experience for our Y teens that have not had the opportunity to play against any other team beside ourselves, especially a competitive team. We hope to continue hosting opportunities of this kind to help our youth increase their self-esteem and to elevate the spirit of the game.

-Abraham Palma, Y Teen Program Director

Hidden Talents

It's not often that an organization can boast having an international Jewish singing star in their midst, but having 2 is unheard of!

Both Ari Lewis (Marketing Director) and Mordy Prus (social work intern) are current members of the Jewish A Cappella group The Maccabeats. Ari works full time at the Y, and Mordy splits his time between the Y and rabbinical school at Yeshiva University. Mordy works in the Y Nursery classrooms to help children with special needs to be part of the inclusive program. He also works with a Holocaust survivor providing support and care at the Y. Both Ari and Mordy work as much as they can as Maccabeats on nights and weekends due to their full-time work and school obligations.

A Capella, Latin for "the choir", is a form of music without instruments. This type of music lends itself to more creativity and expression through the human voice. Music without instruments has been a part of Jewish culture for centuries. For example, many synagogues use a "chazan" to lead services with beautiful tunes and melodies. Some synagogues today even use full choirs, a custom which started as early as the 16th century. A full choir at services dates back to the time of the Jewish holy temple. 

Ari and Mordy are both part of the original Maccabeats group founded in 2008 at Yeshiva University. A Cappella has been a staple of collegiate life for almost 100 years, with groups of boys and girls singing for their fellow students in archways and theaters all over campus. Groups of Jewish students jumped on the bandwagon and started forming groups of their own, which led to the creation of the Maccabeats.

The Maccabeats are unique as they are an all-male group. This is due to the religious restriction of Jewish males not being able to sing alongside females. It forces the group to get creative in producing a well-rounded sound. 

In 2010, The Maccabeats released a Chanukah video titled "Candlelight", a parody of the pop-hit "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. After receiving a million views in the first few days, the video quickly received national attention with radio play and TV interviews. This year, the video has just passed 10 million views. 

Since then, Ari and Mordy have been touring the country and the world with the group. The group has been to 39 states, and countries including England, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Canada, and more. Ari and Mordy both agree that juggling family, work, and Maccabeats can be tough at times, but agree that their love for music and support from their family make it all worth it. 

Ari (bottom center) and Mordy (top right) perform in the Maccabeats video "Miracle"

A history of Chanukkah at the Y

A big thank you to Avigail Oren for taking on this project. Avigail poured through records of meeting minutes to put this story together. We are delighted with what she shared with us. Click the link below to read this incredible story.

Happy Hanukkah!

http://www.avigailoren.com/blog/2014/12/16/chanukah-at-the-ym-ywha-of-washington-heights-inwood

Congratulations Jon!

JCC Association’s Merrin Center for Teen Engagement has selected 15 professionals working with teens in affiliated JCCs and camps in North America to participate in the acclaimed Merrin Teen Professional Fellows Program. Our very own Jon Zeftel is one of the people selected.

"I'm so honored to have been selected as a Merrin fellow" said Jon. "I've heard so much about the program from my supervisor, Alan Scher, who is a past participant. To have been selected fulfills a goal I've had since starting at the Y. I'm really looking forward to meeting other JCC professionals from around the country, sharing some best practices in the field of teen and youth engagement, and -- of course -- going to Israel next October!"

The program will feature five seminars held over 14 months, with the first gathering in New York City in January, 2015. This selective professional development program focuses on developing their leadership and management skills, learning how to serve teens more effectively, planning their career paths in the JCC Movement, and deepening their Jewish knowledge. One of the seminars is held in Israel. 

The Merrin Teen Professional Fellows Program was started in 1999, with the support of Seth Merrin and Anne Heyman. Their partnership with JCC Association initiated this exceptional program to give those working with teens the skills to better serve a critical sector of the Jewish community. The program has enhanced the profile of those working with teens in their respective organizations and throughout the JCC Movement, enriched and deepened their Jewish identities, and built a stronger professional network of teen service providers across North America. 

The Merrin Family Foundation has since deepened their commitment to the JCC Movement and Jewish teens by helping to establish the Merrin Center for Teen Engagement. This integrates the resources for teens provided to the field, including the JCC Maccabi programs (JCC Maccabi Games®, JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® and JCC Maccabi Israel®) and camping services.

Campaign for Summer Jobs Lobby Day

"I had the opportunity to join the Campaign for Summer Jobs coalition to lobby for summer jobs last Wednesday, October 22. We met with New York State leaders in Albany to discuss the importance of getting more funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Some of the points mentioned were: the increase of minimum wage and how that affects the number of participants we serve and the numerous participants that apply but are left out because there’s not enough funding. We met with a number of Assemblyman and Assemblywoman Representatives. I had the pleasure of meeting with the Staff Director of Assemblyman Herman D. Farrell, Jr (the assemblyman for our district), he was very happy to see someone from the community. We shared some statistical information with him, showing how the SYEP program needs more funding to continue. I also had the opportunity to share the touching stories of our SYEP participants and how we changed their lives with the program.

Overall it was a really good experience, the staff were all very supportive of the program."

- Karina Munoz, SYEP Director

Medieval Festival 2014

We were so excited to see so many of you at the Fort Tryon Medieval Festival this year. The weather was perfect for the event, and all the creative costumes made it even better. Take a look below for some pictures from the event.

Putting the “camp” in campaign

                Every year, parents inevitably think about summer plans for their children. The questions then become “where will my child go?” and “how will I pay for it?” For Sharonica Williams, the first question was easy to answer. After a successful summer in 2013, her 9 year old son Julian had his heart set on the YM&YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood’s (The Y) Camp Yomawha. As for the second question, Sharonica and Julian came up with a more creative answer.

                “Julian attended camp Yomawha last summer for the first time and he loved it” says Sharonica, and Julian had his heart set on returning for a full summer. He was eager to participate in some of his favorite camp activities like swimming, nature walks, and more. Julian was especially excited for Camp Yomawha’s new 3-day overnight adventure where day campers get a taste of sleep-away camp life. Unfortunately, a full-summer camp program can be out of reach for a single mom working hard to provide for her family even with generous scholarships, but that wasn’t going to stop them from making Julian’s dream come true. “I became determined to make it happen.” Sharonica began to explore new ways to raise the funds for Julian, and her search led her to crowd-funding. “A colleague told me about Indiegogo so we decided to try it.  I created the campaign through the website and Julian and I created ‘perks’ or incentives to encourage people to donate to his summer camp fund.” Sharonica was skeptical, but she knew it couldn’t hurt. Julian got very excited about the project. “I thought it was a great idea because we have tons of friends!” No one could have predicted what happened next.

                Through social promotion among friends alone, Sharonica was able to send Julian to Camp Yomawha for the entire summer. She was even able to purchase Julian a brand new bathing suit and camp necessities like towels and sunblock. “It exceeded my expectations” said Sharonica. “I was humbled and feel so blessed that people came together to help us.” With the help of community-wide donations and a single private donation of $1,000, Sharonica was able to raise over $4,000 for Julian. You can see the progress Julian made on his campaign here:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-send-julian-to-camp-yomawha-for-the-summer/x/7925114

                “Julian is clearly a camper that loves camp” says Adam Benmoise, Camp Director at Camp Yomawha.  “You can see it in his face every morning when he runs for the bus, and throughout the day at activities.  The fact that he took this incredible initiative on his own to make this summer happen for him is absolutely remarkable.  It's an incredible example for other campers and staff as to what one individual is capable of when they care enough about something.” 

"As an institution committed to youth engagement, our goal is annually to provide as much in the way of scholarship as possible to our families” said Alan Scher, Managing Director of Youth and Family Services at the Y. “Thanks to the generosity of our funders, we are able to assist many families who are struggling financially to participate in our programming, but there is always unfortunately a limit. We hope Julian’s inspirational story can provide a template for future philanthropic investment from our incredible community."

Random Acts of Kindness

What goes around truly comes around. 

Rosie (16, Beacon High School) and Sasha (16, Stuyvesant High School) are both members of the Random Acts program, with a mission to "encourage people of all ages to perform their own acts of kindness wherever, and whenever, possible." "I saw a lot of people on Tumblr participating in Random Acts so i decided to join" said Rosie. "It was really fun so this year I convinced Sasha to join with me."

"It's a mixture of a few silly tasks but also more going around and helping your community and seeing people in need and helping them out" said Sasha. For this particular activity, participants were encouraged to deliver flowers to local senior citizens. When deciding on a venue, Sasha knew just the place.

"I basically grew up here." Sasha has been coming to the Y since nursery school. After graduating, she continued with music lessons, and was a part of our teen program. She also helped serve Sunday lunch at the senior center. Sasha's sister also attended the Y nursery program. "When I saw random Acts was delivering flowers to senior centers, I thought this place would be a good place to do it."

When we see people like Rosie willingly giving back to the Y, we can't help but think we are doing something right. We work hard to instill the values of community and kindness into our youngsters, and Sasha proved just that by giving back to our seniors. The look on the unsuspecting faces of our members receiving flowers during coffee hour proves just how far a small act of kindness can go.

The Center for Adults Living Well @ the Y thanks Sasha and Rosie for their thoughtful gesture, and we hope to see them again soon.



 

I ain't afraid of no ghost bike!

This week, the Uptown Collective  posted a story from a 2009 New York Times article about the mysterious Washington Heights "Ghost Bikes". Do you remember seeing one? Ever wonder what it was? Take a look at this article to find out.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/a-ghost-bike-mystery-in-washington-heights/

The UJA-Federation recognizes one of our own

On 4/24, the UJA-Federation held its annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony. This year, our very own Linda Salmon was recognized among 36 volunteers across the city. We are proud of the work that Linda does each and every day here at the Y.

She teaches an exercise class that includes stretch, balance and strengthening.  She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Center for Adults Living Well.  She helps in the dining room and in general is willing to do whatever is needed and always with a smile. 

To read about all of the honored volunteers from this year's ceremony, click here.

To read an article that describes UJA-Federation’s volunteer recognition efforts and highlights Thursday’s ceremony, click here.

Congratulations Linda!

Linda Salmon (L) with UJA Director of Volunteer Services Alaine Waldshan

Check Out Those Moves!

Gloria Clavijo, runner and long-time practitioner of Iyengar yoga, poses with some of the props she recently donated for classes. Gloria is a popular and engaging volunteer teacher whose posture-based classes are appropriate for all levels. She teaches 10 to 11 a.m. each Wednesday.

Earth Day 2014

Another Earth Day has come and gone. Thank you to everyone who came out, including our members, our friends, and our vendors.

A Teen Story

It is always the season of giving! Below is a letter from one our very own teens Jennifer. Jennifer was so inspired by our programming, she decided to offer to give back to the Y.



Hello Abraham,

My name is Jennifer. I'm a student at City College Academy of the Arts and I participated in last year's SAT Prep program. I'm very thankful to have had that opportunity and without it I couldn't have gotten into some of the great colleges that accepted me this year.

Because of this, I would like to give back to the community through the YM & YWHA by sharing my skills. Last summer I learned how to build websites and make computer programs. I enjoyed it and for a while, I taught my sister how to make websites at home. 

Will there be any technology programs this summer that I can help out with? If not, would it be possible to start a Web Development Club at the YM & YWHA? Please let me know if this is possible so that I can speak to you about what I can offer.

Thank You, 

Jennifer

We asked Jennifer to share her experiences at the Y with us, and here is what she had to say:

1) How did you hear about the Y? When I was looking to register for a class to prepare for my SATs, my guidance counselor told me about the SAT Prep course at the Y.

2) How did you enjoy your experience here? The SAT Prep course helped me improve my SAT score tremendously.

3) Would you recommend this program to friends? I enjoyed the SAT Prep class very much. Being a teen in this neighborhood, there isn't much free programming available to us. The Y is the only place in the community where teens can come and enjoy free activities.

4) Do you have any memorable stories from the program? Talking with my peers and teachers after the SAT Prep class and reviewing the material was beneficial and fun!

The Y's free teen programming is design for people like Jennifer: to give our future leaders the skills and tools to be able to give back to our community.

Our Teen Program Coordinator Abraham pictured above with Jennifer

Challah Braiding with the PJ Library

Our Jewish Program Coordinator Cyndi Rand has recently attended Song Leader Boot Conference in St. Louis, MO designed to enhance her engagement and leadership skills as a Jewish Educator. She came back with renewed energy, tools, connections and passion.

Immediately upon her return, she organized and held a highly successful event “Beauty of Braiding Challah” with twelve local Jewish families in attendance. For twenty four years Cyndi had no successful mentoring of how to braid challah until she located a YouTube video of a bread baker in England who artfully described the easy way of braiding challah. She learned and shared her newly acquired knowledge with the families. Cyndi combined this skill with reading a PJ Library book on Shabbat celebration, celebrating the beauty of Judaism, creating connections and inspiring them to continue being part of the Y family and the greater Jewish community.