The Valley of the Sun YMCA is a non-profit organization that has faithfully served the needs of our communities for more than a century. As a non-profit, the Y depends on donations and membership dues to fund the multitude of programs they offer. However, the current health crisis has placed an additional load on the Y to provide the services that our community desperately relies on them for. Most notably, emergency child care for our first responders and health care workers on the front lines fighting this health crisis, as well as our essential workers, like our grocery store employees who go to work every day to keep stores open and provide us with the ability to purchase food and necessary items. The Y has also expanded its meal programs for children to ensure that they receive as many as three meals per day, reaching youth whose families may be impacted economically by the loss of a job or income at this time. The Y continues to make learning a top priority for our youth, as well, and is working to accommodate the individual online learning needs for each child in their care. And they do it all the while providing financial assistance for families who need it to make these programs accessible to the masses.
They are not only caring for our youth, but our senior population, as well – making sure that their senior members at home, some scared and afraid, are not isolated and have a lifeline to someone at the Y to know that they still have support and a community behind them. The Y also continues to do what it’s always done; operating transitional housing residences for those in need, and providing job placement assistance for youth and adults as we navigate a new normal in a tumultuous economic climate.
The ability of the Valley of the Sun YMCA to remain a positive resource for our community during this time largely depends on the generous support of individuals like you. With your help, the Y will emerge from this crisis more resilient than ever before – and so will our community.