Silver Bay YMCA announces new respite program
Silver Bay YMCA launches First Responders Respite Program
First responders are the backbone of emergency services. They’re the first to arrive at the scenes of accidents, natural disasters, and emergency situations. They ensure public safety, respond to danger, treat the injured, and work to maintain the health and safety of all our communities. According to the United States Department of Commerce in 2022, there was an estimated number of 4.6 million people who served as career and volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics.
Silver Bay YMCA acknowledges the dedication, sacrifices, and stresses that come along with being a first responder. To thank and give back to first responders nationwide, Silver Bay is launching a First Responders Respite Program.
“We wanted to create this program as our way of thanking our first responders for all they do for our communities. As our mission states, Silver Bay is for strengthening communities and that’s what our first responders do. We’re so happy to be able to give these folks time away, in a peaceful setting, to reconnect and relax with their families,” Silver Bay YMCA VP of Sales and Marketing Lindsey Butler stated.
The First Responders Respite Program is a program of respite for first responders and their families, allowing them to focus on one another and enjoy time together making memories that will last a lifetime. Eligible participants for this program are active duty or retired (paid or volunteer) firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and EMTs. Partners or immediate family members of a first responder who gave their life in service within the last three years are also eligible to participate in this program.
“Our respite programs serve individuals and families nationwide. Those who are undergoing cancer treatment, have served our country in the military or as first responders, families who have opened their homes to children who don’t have one, and families who are experiencing financial struggle are welcome at Silver Bay. Your donations are what make these programs possible and provide a time of respite and reconnection for families when they need it most,” Shealy Williford, the development assistant at Silver Bay YMCA added.
To learn more about the respite programs offered by Silver Bay YMCA or to apply for a program visit silverbay.org/respite-programs/.
Silver Bay’s respite programs are offered at no or reduced cost to individuals nationwide and are 100% funded by generous donations that largely come from outside the local area. To donate to these programs, visit silverbay.org/donate or call 518-543-8511.
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.