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ISSUE III VOLUME III QUARTER THREE

Building A Better Future CALIFORNIA STATE ALLIANCE OF YMCAS QUARTERLY MAGAZINE ADVOCACY CORNER

LOCAL YMCA NEWS

BALLMER GROUP CASE STUDY

Meta settlement funds youth protections and well-being programs.

Updates and success stories from YMCAs across the state

YMCAs expand opportunities for low-income youth across Los Angeles

FALL 2026

Cover photo COVER PHOTO PROVIDED BY provided by YMCA of Greater Whittier SOUTHEAST VENTURA COUNTY YMCA

Quarterly Magazine Volume II Issue III

Table of Contents

Published by: California State Alliance of YMCAs

Staff Dan Crocker | Director of Association Resources dan@ymcasofca.org Elizabeth Ernster | Director of Communications and Development, elizabeth@ymcasofca.org

01 NOTE FROM THE CHAIR PARTNERSHIP: CASE 02 STATEWIDE STUDY How YMCAs and Ballmer Group expanded out-of-school time programming for youth in Los Angeles

Megan Pierce | Communications and Engagement Manager, megan@ymcasofca.org Christina Marcellus | Director of Public Policy christina@capitoladvisors.org

04 LOCAL YMCA STORIES

Inspiring stories of community impact, growth, and resilience from YMCAs across California

Board of Directors Vince Iuculano, Chair YMCA of the Foothills Curt Skotnicki, Incoming Chair YMCA of Greater Whittier Matthew Henry, Secretary Sonoma County Family YMCA Margo Byrne, Treasurer Channel Islands YMCA Ronnie Stone, Public Policy Chair Southeast Ventura County YMCA

Celebrating Jesse Pazdernik as he steps into leadership at the Anaheim Family YMCA

Alfredo Velasco, Member at Large YMCA of Greater Long Beach Audrie Echnoz, Member at Large Corona-Norco Family YMCA Amy Grames, Member at Large Central Coast YMCA

www.ymcasofca.org @CaliforniaStateAllianceofYMCAs

LEADING WITH PURPOSE

ADVOCACY CORNER

STATEWIDE DATAWALK A look at YMCA impact across California through our impact dashboard

A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR With a Grateful Heart, I say "Thank You" Over the past two years I have had the incredible honor to serve as your Chairman of the State Alliance during some of the most challenging, yet successful times for our Y's and our state. I was proud of our collective approach in response to the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades Fires, and our ongoing support in recovery for those communities. Our engagement with California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, through the Listos Program which supports communities on disaster preparedness, shows their belief in our mission to serve all people. I got to witness first-hand the development of an incredible partnership with the Ballmer Foundation, which has endowed over $20 million dollars to the seven YMCA associations that serve countless communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. These funds help support access for youth and families to childcare, summer camp, resident camp, youth sports and a host of wildfire recovery programs at no cost to them. This past April, our collective impact was on full display during our inaugural California Alliance of YMCAs Advocacy Days in Sacramento. Over two days, YMCA leaders from throughout the state came together to engage with elected officials, state agency leaders, and nonprofit partners to share our mission and advocate for policies that support the Y mission. This past summer, Y's from across our state reported record numbers of youth and families engaged in summer camp programming. In July, the YMCA of the Foothills was one of eight hand selected associations by Y USA, ESPN and Disney Jr for their "Take Back Sports" grant initiative. What an incredible honor for our Alliance. Over my two years as chairman, the one thing that continually rung true is the YMCA remains one of California's most trusted and effective community-based organizations. Across our great state, the California State Alliance of YMCAs stands as a unified force committed to strengthening the foundations of community. When we support each other, when we collaborate, when we move together, the outcome is pure magic for each life that we touch! As my time as chairman ends this November, I wanted to communicate my firm belief that the California State Alliance of YMCAs reflects the best of who we are and the work that we do. I wanted to thank our officers and directors of the board for their support and guidance over the past two years; I loved my time serving next to each of you. Thank you to our alliance member associations for all that you do each day to enrich the lives of all people spiritually, emotionally, socially, and physically. Your leadership is seen and valued more than you know. Finally, thank you to our wonderful Alliance Staff Leadership Team: Kris Lev-Twombly, Dan Crocker, Christina Marcellus, Elizabeth Ernster, and Megan Pierce. You are the engine that makes our Alliance move forward – thank you for all that you do. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to serve you in this role, and I know our brightest days are still ahead. Onward and Upward!

Vince Iuculano, CEO Board Chair, YMCA of the Foothills California State Alliance of YMCAs

STATEWIDE PARTNERSHIP: CASE STUDY

Year Two Case Study: Expanding Opportunities, Deepening Impact

Two years into Ballmer Group's transformative three-year, multi-million investment, eight YMCAs across Los Angeles County have continued to expand equitable access to high-quality out-ofschool-time programming for low-income youth. Building on the strong foundation established in Year One, this collaborative effort has accelerated its impact, resulting in an 88.7% increase in lowincome youth served over the first two years of the grant. This sustained growth demonstrates both the strength of the collaborative YMCA model and the growing demand for accessible, highquality youth programs that meet the evolving needs of communities throughout the region.

This collaborative effort has accelerated its impact, resulting in an 88.7% increase in lowincome youth served over the first two years of the grant.

While continuing to expand access to out-of-school-time opportunities, Year Two also marked a significant expansion of teen programming, reflecting the YMCAs' commitment to creating pathways for leadership and personal growth. Programs such as Youth and Government, Teen Leader Clubs, Model United Nations, and teen wellness initiatives have grown across participating Ys, providing young people with opportunities to build lasting relationships and become engaged members of their communities.

STATEWIDE PARTNERSHIP: CASE STUDY

The impact of this investment extends beyond participation numbers. Across Los Angeles County, YMCAs have reduced financial barriers through scholarships, strengthened transportation solutions, increased staffing capacity, and invested in facilities that will support future growth. Youth are finding safe, supportive environments where they can thrive during the hours they need it most.

As the partnership enters its final year, the momentum continues to build. The success achieved over the first two years demonstrates the power of strategic investment and community-driven programming to create lasting change. Together, Ballmer Group and the participating YMCAs are helping ensure that more youth have access to the experiences they need to lead healthy and successful lives. To learn more, visit: www.ymcasofca.org/impact

LOCAL YMCA: YMCA OF THE FOOTHILLS

MORE WAYS TO PLAY:

TAKE BACK SPORTS INITIATIVE with YMCA of the Foothills Finding a sport you love starts with having the opportunity to play. At YMCA of the Foothills, nearly 500 kids spent the day trying different sports as part of ESPN’s Take Back Sports Initiative. YMCA of the Foothills was one of eight Ys nationwide selected to participate in the grant. Take Back Sports is ESPN’s youth sports initiative focused on increasing access to sports, bringing fun back to play and helping remove barriers that can keep kids from participating. Through a partnership with YMCA of the USA, that work is reaching local Y communities across the country. “The Y helps create a sense of belonging in our community by providing safe, welcoming places where every young person can experience the fun, friendships, and life lessons that come from sports, without worrying about cost or having to be the best athlete on the field,” said Vince Iuculano, CEO of YMCA of the Foothills. At the event, younger participants tried

baton relay races, boxing, gymnastics, flag football, soccer, cornhole, shot put and agility ladders. At La Cañada Elementary School, older youth took part in handball, baseball, boxing, volleyball, flag football, soccer, basketball and shot put. Giving kids the chance to explore more than one sport is central to Take Back Sports and builds on the Y’s longstanding approach to youth sports. Multisport participation gives kids time to discover what interests them, develop new skills and build confidence without the pressure to specialize in one sport early on.

LOCAL YMCA: YMCA OF THE FOOTHILLS Meredith Griffin, Director of Strategy and Quality Practices in Sports for YMCA of the USA, shared that a key part of this work is creating more ways for kids to get involved and removing barriers to trying organized sports for the first time. Access can look different in every community. Cost, transportation and where programs are offered can all impact whether a child has the chance to participate. This initiative gives local Ys resources they can adapt to the needs of their communities, helping create more ways for kids to get started and stay involved.

The Y helps create a sense of belonging in our community by providing safe, welcoming places where every young person can experience the fun, friendships, and life lessons that come from sports.”

Courtesy of the YMCA of the Foothills

For YMCA of the Foothills, Take Back Sports was a chance to build on work already happening in the community and welcome more kids into sports. Some children came ready to play a sport they already knew, while others discovered something new. For all of them, the day started with the opportunity to play. To learn more about YMCA of the Foothills, visit: www.ymcafoothills.org

LOCAL YMCA: YMCA OF ORANGE COUNTY

ONE TEAM. ONE GOAL. YMCA of Orange County and St. Jude Connect Through Sports Sometimes, a strong community partnership can start right next door. For the YMCA of Orange County’s Fullerton Family YMCA and neighboring St. Jude Medical Center, sports have created a new way to bring people together. Through an employee soccer league hosted at the Y, St. Jude staff have an opportunity to play, connect with coworkers and build relationships outside of the workplace. The partnership builds on a relationship that began before the pandemic, when St. Jude employees participated in sports programs hosted by the Y. A few years later, St. Jude reached out about bringing those opportunities back, with a focus on community building and creating a healthy outlet for its staff. “They work in a very high-stress situation and they wanted a healthy outlet for themselves to be able to get away from work,” said Jordan, Executive Director of the Fullerton Family YMCA.

LOCAL YMCA: YMCA OF ORANGE COUNTY Together, the organizations brought back an employee soccer league. Approximately six teams participate in a six-week season, with the Fullerton Family YMCA providing the field space and staff and managing registration. Participation is exclusively for St. Jude employees, and the partnership also expanded for a season to include an employee basketball league. As the program continued, the Y began to see another benefit of bringing employees together through sports. St. Jude has staff working across many different departments, and the league has given people who might not normally interact an opportunity to get to know one another. Jordan shared that participants from areas including logistics, merchandising and food service have been able to connect with coworkers outside of their usual work setting. “A lot of the participants said that they were meeting staff members from other departments that they never even knew,” Jordan said. Soccer returned again this year, and the hope is to continue offering at least one sports season for St. Jude employees each year. But the relationship between the two organizations is already extending beyond the field. Fullerton Family YMCA and St. Jude have begun conversations about other ways they could work together, including child care, additional sports and events. For Jordan,

the experience has shown how much opportunity can come from building a relationship with another organization in the community.

That is something he believes other Ys can consider as well. While Fullerton's primary partnership is currently with St. Jude, Jordan sees potential for Ys to build similar relationships with nearby businesses and organizations based on the needs of their own communities. For Fullerton Family YMCA and St. Jude, that relationship has grown one season at a time. What began by bringing an employee sports program back has created new connections across St. Jude and opened conversations about what the two organizations could do together next.

To learn more, visit: www.ymcaoc.org

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS: YMCA OF THE EAST BAY

Staff Spotlight JARED FIELDS, YMCA OF THE EAST BAY This spring, Jared Fields was honored with the Outstanding Advisor award at the 2026 Model United Nations (MUN) Summit, recognizing his work as Youth & Government Program Director at the YMCA of the East Bay. Jared has led the East Bay's delegations for the last four years, a program with deep roots. California YMCA Youth & Government has run since 1948, and its Model United Nations track has brought middle schoolers into statewide civic engagement since 2001, drawing students each year to debate global issues and draft resolutions as UN ambassadors. While the program is built on a foundation of civics and law education, Jared’s own focus lies elsewhere. Those transformations are what stay with him, like the student from his program who went on to be elected California's statewide Secretary of State during her senior year.

"It's really cool to see the kids find a place within these delegation communities where they feel empowered to be themselves. "I've seen kids come in really quiet and shy at first, and a couple of years down the road, they're Youth and Government's biggest champions.” That's the mark Jared has left on Youth & Government at the YMCA of the East Bay, giving kids the room to practice leading, and the confidence to keep doing it long after they exit the program.

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CEO SPOTLIGHT

LEADERSHIP IN FOCUS

JESSE PAZDERNIK A Conversation with the new CEO of the Anaheim Family YMCA

What inspired you to step into your new role, and what does this opportunity mean to you? A few things really stood out about this role. First, the opportunity to create something meaningful. I am excited to develop the strategy, culture, partnerships, programs, and ultimately the future of the Anaheim Family YMCA. With Phase 2 of our community complex being completed next month and moving into phase 3 this is a very important time for the Anaheim Family YMCA to take a huge leap forward. With that, taking on the challenge of bringing an organization to the next level, especially during a period of growth and change. And finally, the people, the staff, board, businesses and community are all so invested and locked in to serve and support. I really stepped into this role because I saw what the Anaheim Family YMCA could become and I wanted to help build it.

How do you hope to build on the YMCA’s legacy? From the get-go I really wanted to make sure I understood the history; the Anaheim Family YMCA has been around for 115 years and it’s important to stay connected to that first and then help take it further. So many of our staff, board members, and donors have been connected to the Anaheim Y for decades and that is really important to me. To expand on the legacy, I’ll have a strong focus on strengthening systems, building these relationships, and creating new ones. Inviting people to be a part of the mission, part of the story that they can be proud of what the Anaheim Family YMCA accomplishes next and develop people who will be able to carry it forward.

CEO SPOTLIGHT What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see facing families today, and how do you see your YMCA helping to address them? One of the biggest challenges families face today is finding safe, affordable places where children can go, belong, and thrive. Parents are balancing work, financial pressures, school schedules and other demands, while children need positive environments where they can be active, build relationships, develop confidence and simply be kids. The Anaheim Family YMCA plays an important role because we provide a safe place for children and families, a place where parents can feel confident that their children are surrounded by caring adults, positive role models and a supportive community. We create those opportunities through swimming, youth sports, camps, afterschool programs, leadership development and other programs that help young people build confidence, character and healthy habits. As we complete phase 2 of the community complex we will provide this at even a greater scale for youth all the way to seniors which will allow for a convenient place for families to come together. We have also begun to implement more programming to fill the gaps where public, private and home schools might not be able to and better share all the ways the Y can be there to strengthen the community. We also recognize that access matters. A safe, enriching program isn't truly accessible if a family can't afford it or a child needs more support. That's why scholarships, food programs and

community partnerships are so important to our work as well. One specific example is our Y Gives Thanks event which will provide over 3,000 meals for families on Thanksgiving morning. Continuing to expand events like will be very important to address family challenges. As is working closely with our partners so that they know the opportunities available to support and the direction we are headed. We want them to have the Y at the top of their mind as an organization that gets things done to positively impact families and community.

When you look ahead, what do you hope the Y will look like, and what impact do you hope it will have on the Anaheim community? One important goal for us as we look into the future will be completing Phase 3 of our Community Complex and become a true community hub with a beautiful new facility, where families gather, children play, seniors connect, businesses engage, and community organizations collaborate. Where there is a strong Y, the community is even stronger and by providing these opportunities we know that we will create stronger youth, healthier families and a better future. To learn more about the Anaheim Family YMCA, visit: www.anaheimymca.org

ADVOCACY CORNER

ADVOCACY CORNER Meta Settlement Brings New Opportunities to Promote Youth Well-Being A recent settlement between Meta and a coalition of states, including California, could change how young people use Instagram and Facebook, and creates a significant opportunity to invest in their lives beyond the screen. The states sued Meta in 2023, alleging that it designed features that encouraged young people to use its platforms excessively, misled families about the risks, and improperly collected data from children under 13. The case went to trial in Oakland in August. Meta agreed to settle while denying wrongdoing. The agreement resolves the states’ claims against the company and establishes new requirements for its platforms. For users under 18, those requirements include a default two-hour daily limit across Instagram and Facebook that only a parent can lift, a block on most overnight use, and fewer notifications during school hours. Teens will no longer see counts of likes and reactions by default, and Meta must strengthen its efforts to identify underage users. The agreement also provides for independent review of Meta’s compliance, and some protections could become stronger if other major platforms adopt comparable measures.

ADVOCACY CORNER

“The settlement can support more than a response to harm: it can help communities build the relationships and opportunities young people need to thrive.”

The agreement also directs substantial payments to states over ten years. California is expected to receive between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion, with the higher amount dependent on conditions in the settlement. California’s funds are generally designated to prevent or address harms to young people associated with social media use. The agreement specifically identifies afterschool and summer programs, sports, outdoor activities, and youth mental health programming among potential uses. State leaders will make key decisions about how the money is spent, but a coalition of community-based organizations is already taking shape to scaffold and inform how to best leverage the settlement funds. Ys have an opportunity to help shape those decisions with partners who share our commitment to youth well-being. Working with youth-serving organizations, families, and others, we can identify where support is most needed and propose programs that offer connection, physical activity, trusted adults, and appropriate referrals to care. Responsible stewardship will mean listening to young people, setting clear goals, and tracking impact. The settlement can support more than a response to harm: it can help communities build the relationships and opportunities young people need to thrive. Christina Marcellus Director of Public Policy Christina Marcellus California State Alliance of YMCAs

Director of Public Policy California State Alliance of YMCAs

STATEWIDE DATA WALK

Impact Snapshot By the numbers, the Y continues to play a vital role in building stronger communities across California. Through meaningful engagement, critical programming, and a growing membership, the Y remains a trusted partner for communities statewide.

849,132

1,949

24,783

Members Engaged Statewide

Community Collaborations Statewide

Volunteers Engaged Statewide

PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT

COMMUNITY REACH

126,682

Summer day campers build character and life-long friendships.

125,960

Older adults found community through their YMCA membership.

55,000+

Statewide Funded Partnerships

California Office of Emergency Services, Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications, and Ballmer Group.

Children engage in swim lessons to promote healthy living and prevent drowning.

590,776

Full- and part-time YMCA employees.

FUNDING PARTNERS

142,410

Students are safe and supported in afterschool care programming.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS

2.3 MILLION Meals served this year to provide critical nourishment to communities across California.

STATEWIDE DATA WALK FINANCIAL OVERVIEW:

Other Revenue: $36.8M (4%)

The California State Alliance of YMCAs made significant contributions to support local Ys across the state.

Membership Revenue: $142.1M (17%)

Over the past year, our impact included:

Annual Charitable Support: $415.5M (51%)

$10,695,137.55 in private foundation grants secured and distributed to YMCAs in California.

$10,174,485 in funding secured for 17 YMCAs in California.

5,000+

Program Revenue: $225.1M (27%)

$831.3M

Operating Revenue

Total investment in programs, services, and mission-driven initiatives across the state to strengthen communities.

$415.5M

Annual Charitable Support

in direct staff hours provided in support of local Y programs and initiatives.

Fueling essential programs, outreach, and financial assistance across California to ensure everyone has access to the Y.

CONNECTED FOR COMMUNITIES The California State Alliance of YMCAs represents the collective strength of YMCAs across California, advocating for policies and fostering partnerships that benefit communities statewide. Our membership and governing board consist of YMCA CEOs and executive leaders, committed to advancing our mission. The Alliance serves as the unified voice of YMCAs in shaping public policy, a platform for achieving lasting community impact, and the central hub for statewide collaboration. Together, we are deeply connected to communities and committed to building a stronger California. Learn more at:

www.ymcasofca.org Learn more 17

Building A Better Future

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