For more information contact:
Madison Area YMCA Marketing & Communications 
Email: smcevoy@madisonymca.org

For Immediate Release

The YMCA and the Community Make a Difference in the Lives of Children from Union Beach

(Madison, NJ) August 4, 2017 – In the days and weeks after Hurricane Sandy, the Borough of Madison partnered with Union Beach providing relief and support for their residents left homeless by the Storm.

This partnership was expanded a few months later when the Madison Area YMCA and Peg Codey, a Madison resident, came together to support to Union Beach residents recovering from the devastation through a program that would give children a break from their temporary housing by providing the experience of resident camp.

A partnership was formed with Frost Valley, Camp Speers and Fairview Lakes camps, and through their financial assistance programs as well as donations made by Madison Area YMCA members and other local donors, opportunities were provided for the children of Union Beach to attend summer camps. For some campers, it was their first chance to take a hot shower after the hurricane hit. The generous donations also supplied camp gear for the children.

With the program in its fifth year at Camp Speers, Camper Jesse Ryan’s recent postcard of thanks shows the lasting effect camp has had on the children who have attended the camp. This is another great example of the difference the YMCA movement can make in someone’s life:

“Thank you very much for supporting me to come to camp for the past 5 years. I appreciate it more than words can explain. At this camp, I met people from all over the world and each year I come back, I have a great time with new life-long friends. I enjoy every minute at camp and my favorite activities are rugby and sailing. Someday, I hope to become a counselor and help run the place I love. So, thank you very much for the opportunity to keep coming to camp.”

As a cause-driven charitable organization, the Madison Area YMCA is dedicated to nurturing the potential of every child and teen, and improving the community’s health and well-being and giving back by providing support to our neighbors. 

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