J.M. McDonald Foundation Grant awarded to Teen Center
Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center awarded $5,000
Silver Bay – Silver Bay YMCA is pleased to announce having been chosen as a recipient of the J.M. McDonald Foundation Grant for $5,000 for the Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center.
The J.M. McDonald Foundation was started by a philanthropist in 1952, James M. McDonald Sr., who helped build the JCPenney department store chain and the J.M. McDonald department store chain.
The J.M. McDonald Foundation awards grants in education, humanities, health, and a variety of social and human services primarily in Upstate New York, where the J.M. McDonald Foundation started and operated for over 48 years.
Silver Bay YMCA VP of Development and Government Relations Walt Lender stated, “The effective and critical Teen Center program proves to be a compelling cause for grant makers, and we are thrilled to be a first-time recipient of this grant!”
Over the 2023 – 2024 school year the Teen Center served 127 local youths.
“Teens who regularly come to the Teen Center make substantial progress in their social/emotional development as well as gaining specific life skills. By providing a safe and fun space under compassionate staff supervision, our program helps youth in our community access more opportunities and we see teens start to make better choices when it comes to their health, education, and futures,” Silver Bay YMCA Youth and Teen Coordinator Kathleen Leonard explained.
The Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center Program has rebounded since its closure due to the pandemic.
Leonard added, “We have done so much to rebuild since reopening after the pandemic and the program is thriving. Our next goal is to increase community awareness and engagement to get more teens participating and continuing to attend the Teen Center to an older age.”
To stay up to date about the latest happenings at the Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center make sure to follow their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram at Silver Bay YMCA Teen Center – Ticonderoga.
About Silver Bay YMCA: Silver Bay YMCA, founded in 1902, is in Silver Bay, NY, just minutes south of Hague. Its 700-acre campus along one mile of Lake George shoreline offers a breadth of programs for all ages. Silver Bay YMCA is consistently ranked one of the top ten family reunion sites in the country and is on the National Register of Historic Places with the U.S. Department of the Interior. As a mission-based charity, Silver Bay YMCA offers outreach programs in addition to its core activities as a premier conference and family retreat center. Learn more about Silver Bay at www.silverbay.org.
Our MISSION: To foster relationships, strengthen communities and nurture spirit, mind, and body for all.
Our IMPACT: Because of Silver Bay YMCA, connections between people and family are stronger. People are more connected, respectful, and caring. They have the confidence to develop to their full potential and to positively impact the communities in which they work and live. As a result, communities are more dynamic, inclusive and diverse. As stewards of Lake George, we inspire people to be stewards of the environment while they are visiting our magnificent campus and in their home communities.