The Valley Shore YMCA is most honored to receive a grant in the amount of $100,000 from the Westbrook Foundation to help support its upcoming Capital Campaign project. Stated Chris Pallatto, the YMCA’s Executive Director, “We are so grateful of The Westbrook Foundation’s tremendous commitment to support the future of our YMCA and surrounding community. A gift of this magnitude is a wonderful example of how the shared vision of our community’s future can bring organizations together for the greater good. This catalyzing gift will create excitement and awareness towards our project and galvanize our community towards our project’s ultimate goal; a comprehensive, state-of-the-art, newly transformed campus that brings our community together through programs and services for every age and ability.”

The Westbrook Foundation is a local charitable foundation dedicated to improving the lives of those in Westbrook, Connecticut. Their purpose is to receive and administer funds and other property to help meet the medical and educational, social, welfare, cultural, recreational, and civic needs of the citizens of the town. The Foundation has been a supporter of the Valley Shore YMCA for over 15 years, helping to fund various programs and partnering in their commitment to serve the thousands of Westbrook residents who rely on the Y for their services.

With approximately 700 visitors every day, the Valley Shore Y has accumulated over a million visitors since its facility construction in 1975. First incorporated in April 1917 at the home of community leader Edward Hazen, the Y’s 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2017, making now the perfect time to undergo a substantial Capital Campaign project which will better allow them to improve the quality of life for everyone on the shoreline. Their mission is to transform their current facility into an all-inclusive destination for the whole community, of all ages and abilities, with programs and services that will transform lives.

Specifically, the Valley Shore YMCA renovation will address the following:

1. Core Infrastructure - replace failed infrastructure, safeguard a lasting foundation for years to come

2. Safety and Access - ensure full and seamless ADA compliance throughout the building

3. Health and Wellness - new state-of-the-art wellness center with sufficient space for activities of various types for all age groups and physical abilities.

4. Family and Community Connectedness - create secure and welcoming areas throughout the facility for the unique needs of families, including family locker rooms and a renovated children's playspace.

The Valley Shore YMCA is located on Spencer Plains Road in Westbrook, and serves thousands of members and program participants in 12 shoreline towns. They bring together young and old, men and women, and people of all faiths, backgrounds, and incomes. A community leader for 100 years, the Y strives to make the Connecticut shoreline and lower Connecticut River Valley a thriving place to live. They create opportunities for transformational success and work to make their corner of the world a better place.

The Valley Shore Y will announce their community campaign goal as their major gifts campaign wraps up, and respectfully asks the community to begin thinking how everyone can help in making the shared vision of a thriving community a reality. For more information about the Valley Shore YMCA’s Capital Campaign, please contact them at (860) 399-9622.