MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING

Dear YMCA of the East Bay Community,

As we move further past the COVID-19 pandemic after nearly three years that has impacted everyone in so many ways, the existing disparities were magnified, disproportionately affecting those black and brown communities that were already marginalized. The YMCA of the East Bay is inspired, committed, and hopeful for the year ahead to ensure we continue our mission to empower youth, advance health, and strengthen communities.

During the pandemic, we’ve worked together with our volunteers to support our most vulnerable families and neighborhoods to serve our community by distributing food, organizing blood drives, pivoting our Y’s as early ballot drop-off locations, accessible voting stations, and providing digital learning hubs for the students who didn’t have the technology and resource to access their distance learning. The challenges brought by the impact of COVID-19 showcased the significant resilience of our association and community. They highlighted the critical ways our organization and staff can respond in times of crisis. We are so grateful for how our Board of Directors, Branch Advisory Board, corporate partners, government partners, donors, Y-members, staff, and volunteers stepped up to the challenges to serve our community and are committed to our mission for years to come.

This report highlights the impact in our three areas of focus - Early Childhood Impact, Youth Development, and Healthy Community. Despite all of the challenges, we’ve been able to add a new Early Learning Center in Cherryland by completing construction that will now serve up to 100 children in an area where childcare is critically important to help low-income families. Funding from Kaiser Permanente has allowed us to implement a trauma-informed system that provides staff and parents training and education on trauma-informed approaches and strategies. Funding also increased mental health providers’ capacity to meet children’s needs and offered site-based support systems at some of our Early Learning Centers. In Youth Development, with your help, we’ve raised more than $140,000 to provide scholarships to low-income families to send their children to summer day camp or overnight camp at Camp Loma Mar. As part of our Healthy Community, we provided nearly $400,000 in financial assistance to families unable to pay for branch memberships.

This year, we will build on our existing programs and services, expand our Early Learning Center footprint in the East Bay, and use our voice to continue to advocate at the federal, state, and county levels to ensure resources are allocated where the need is greatest. We will also work to advance efforts to recruit and retain quality early childcare educators, promote more robust connections between schools to expand learning to mitigate learning loss, slowly bring back in-person health programming to reduce chronic diseases, and offer sports programming for youth and adults.

We could not do what we do every single day to serve our community if it were not for the support, advocacy, volunteerism, and philanthropic gifts to the YMCA of the East Bay. Each of you plays an important role, and we’re grateful. We appreciate your commitment to our mission to ensure everyone reaches their full potential.

Forever Grateful,

Fran Gallati President and CEO

Nailah Thompson, DO Chair, Board of Directors

Early Childhood Impact

Youth Development