March 27, 2020
Dear YMCA Community,

First and foremost, please know that the West Suburban YMCA is thinking of you, your families, and our community-at-large. We hope you are all staying safe, healthy, and managing as well as you can under the current circumstances. I write with an update from my last communication of March 22, 2020 concerning our response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
STAY WITH US
Opt in to Become a Sustaining Member
“I will never take my Y membership for granted again. I am standing by you all.”
 
Like the member quote above, the most important way you can support our Y during this difficult time is by maintaining your membership as a sustaining member. We are asking all members to stay with us if you have the means to do so.

The Y is more than a building and being part of the Y means more than participating in a program; the Y is a movement of people united in our efforts to support the community. By maintaining your membership dues during the Y’s closure, you’ll be donating to our Y Sustainability Fund, helping us to deliver the critical services outlined below and to be prepared to respond to increased community need when we reopen. Any membership fees paid during the closure will be recognized as a tax-deductible donation. 

We’re asking all our members to determine how they would like to proceed with their membership at this time. Please click the button below and complete the form:
Thank you to the hundreds of members who have already agreed to stay with us and pay their dues to enable us to continue to serve them and the community.

We ask that even if you have already indicated that you plan to sustain your membership during the closure, you complete the form to confirm your intentions.

“Thank you for all you are doing. The YMCA is such an important organization to Newton, and I love the way you serve everyone in the community. And yes, for as long as possible, I'll keep paying my dues.” 
HOW THE CLOSURE EFFECTS OUR STAFF
Our staffing levels have been adjusted and reduced significantly. We do not take these decisions lightly. Effective March 29, 2020, the West Suburban YMCA was forced to furlough a large percentage of employees, including all part-time staff and some full-time staff. This has been the hardest thing we have had to do, and we are doing all that we possibly can to take care of our dedicated staff.

  • All employees who were scheduled to work from Sunday, March 15 through Saturday, March 28 will be fully compensated, despite the Y’s closure on March 14.

  • Furloughed employees are eligible to collect unemployment. As we are self-insured relative to unemployment, we are funding our employees’ benefits. Further, those impacted by the furlough are still considered employees of the West Suburban YMCA and can be brought back on our payroll as work becomes available. 

  • Furloughed employees who are currently enrolled in our medical, dental, and vision benefit plans will keep those benefits through at least June 30, 2020, with the West Suburban YMCA paying 100% of their premium. We are committed to our employees’ wellbeing. 

  • All staff, both part-time and full-time, are eligible to utilize our Employee Assistance Program at no cost.
CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY
The West Suburban YMCA staff continues to serve Newton’s most pressing needs, even while working remotely. We are continuing to find ways to fulfill our mission despite our physical building being closed.

  • This week the Y finished the first phase of our effort to make wellness check calls to over 1,500 of our members and participants who may be at risk during the current public health crisis. The calls aim to assess the needs of local seniors, low income families, and other vulnerable groups, such as cancer survivors in our LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, and direct them to the resources they need. Please be aware that we intend to call each and every member over the coming days and weeks.

  • During this time, we are ensuring the 26 residents of Newton Corner Place, our Single Room Occupancy housing unit, are receiving assistance including food and essential household supplies.

  • Our Y is joining the Newton Food Pantry by mobilizing our staff and vehicles to support the delivery of food to those in need weekly throughout the Newton community. 
PROGRAMMING & VIRTUAL OPERATIONS
For those of you who are enrolled in our Early Spring Session, we miss you and we are excited to reunite everyone and finish the session once we reopen. 

Despite our limited staffing, we are still hard at work providing programming for you virtually. Recorded and live-streamed videos of exercise classes, sports drills, story time, crafts, and science experiments are among the creative content the Y is delivering remotely.

Our Virtual YMCA is expanding and being updated daily, and we invite you to connect with us in this new way.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We are looking forward to the day we reopen our doors and welcome you back to the Y. In the meantime, we continue to move forward while strengthening our community and hope you will join us.

Yours in Health,
Jack Fucci
President and CEO
WEST SUBURBAN YMCA
Connect With Us
WEST SUBURBAN YMCA | 276 Church Street, Newton, MA 02458 
 617-244-6050 | www.wsymca.org

Serving the communities of Newton, Watertown, Weston, Wellesley and Belmont