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

For Immediate Release 

Welcoming Week at the Madison Area YMCA: September 16-22

(Madison, NJ) September 13, 2019–The Madison Area YMCA invites the community to Welcoming Week from Sept. 16-22. 

The celebration will culminate with a Family International Potluck Dinner on Sat., Sept. 21, from 6-8pm at the Family Center. All are invited. Bring a dish and share it with your neighbors! Register for this free event online or in person at the Family Center.

The Y believes the community is stronger when everyone feels welcome and works together for the common good. Welcoming Week, a national YMCA movement, celebrates communities that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of the country. It's a chance for neighbors, both immigrants and U.S.-born residents, to get to know one another and celebrate what unites the community!

Help the Y celebrate Welcoming Week and get to know its community partners: 

Monday, September 16
9-11am: Museum of Early Trades and Crafts
10am-12pm: American Association of University Women - Madison
3:30-5:30pm: Museum of Early Trades and Crafts

Tuesday, September 17
8-10am: Thursday Morning Club
10am-12pm: Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps
3:30-5:30pm: Madison Public Library

Wednesday, September 18
7-9am: Madison Rotary Club
9-11am: TransOptions
10am-12pm: Tri-Town 55+ Coalition
3:30-5:30pm: Madison-Chatham Kiwanis

Thursday, September 19
9-11am: Madison Public Library
10am-12pm: Senior Center of the Chathams
3:30-5:30pm: Madison Chatham Coalition
5-7pm: Beloved Community Peace Walk (Meet at College of Saint Elizabeth)

Friday, September 20
8-10am: F.M. Kirby Children's Center
10am-12pm: Madison Senior Center
3:30-5:30pm: Madison Health Department

Saturday, September 21
6-8pm: Family International Potluck.
Bring a dish and share with your neighbors! Meet representatives from "Wind of the Spirit" and the "Student Wish List Project." 

The Madison Area YMCA is holding a month-long Welcoming Week collection from Sept. 16-Oct. 16 for International Rescue Committee and One World, One Love. The organizations help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster.

The Y partnered with the Student Wish List Project to collect many other items that the families may need. Please visit  https://www.studentwishlistproject.org/madison-ymca-irc which allows you to buy donations on Amazon and have them shipped directly to IRC's collection center in Chatham. These donations will help refugees in the Elizabeth area survive, recover, and gain control of their future. 

Donate new socks -- A clean, new pair of socks can lift the hearts of those who arrive with nothing of their own. Collection point: the F.M. Kirby Children's Center, 54 East Street, Madison. 

Donate: Underwear and sports bras -- New and unused! All sizes and ages! Collection point: Madison Area YMCA Family Center, 111 Kings Road, Madison. 

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.

For more information, contact Madison Area Engagement Manager, Community Members & Volunteers Gwen Riddick at 973-822-9622 x2235.

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