This year the Merrimack Valley YMCA hosted the Second Annual Innovate for Impact Virtual Mini-Grant Awards Night. Over the past several weeks, a series of workshops were offered to staff members, who were invited to submit their proposals and make a pitch around a new program idea or enhancement of a current program. In all, the judges listened to eight pitches and a total of five programs were awarded mini-grants, totaling $10,000 to help get their program ideas launched.
Daniel Burke was awarded $1,000 for his Summer Splash Swim program. It will bring lessons to Camp Otter on Saturdays this summer. With this funding, participants will be able to pay the member rate for lessons, even if they are not members of the Y. This will teach important lessons in an outdoor environment, where kids can learn, build confidence, and have fun.
Aaron Kenneally created a high school summer basketball league, which will be run by teenagers for teenagers. The program was awarded $1,500. The target audience would be high schoolers who do not play basketball, since this group has fewer opportunities to play. This program addresses the physical and social-emotional health of a population who have been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jessica Siu believes that strong dental hygiene improves a person’s well-being, confidence, and ability to speak, taste, touch, and express emotion, while poor dental hygiene can be harmful to one’s overall health. Y I Smile was granted $2,000 to promote the awareness of proper dental care through a series of two-hour free programs at the Andover/ North Andover YMCA, Lawrence YMCA, and Methuen YMCA. Participants would have access to local dentists for advice and screenings and fun activities that promote preventative care. Each participant would leave with a goodie bag and be entered into a raffle to win an electric toothbrush.
The Merrimack Valley YMCA’s Preschool Childcare Programs give our youngest members a strong foundation to be successful in elementary school. The Thrive at the Y program was created by Katie Martin, Jen Flagg, and Erica Little and has been awarded $2,500. This program will update our preschool curriculum at the Andover/North Andover YMCA so that it is more current and connected to the public schools, while adding more STEM, diversity, inclusion and equity, and literacy to the curriculum. This investment will support preschoolers for their entire lifetime.
The COVID-19 Global Pandemic has left many individuals with special needs unemployed because of lack of transportation, jobs, and more. Dale Haavind-Berman’s program was granted $3,000 and proposes that the YMCA expand supported opportunities for people with disabilities that would include volunteer and employment opportunities as well as partnerships, additional job training, and socialization. It would help an underserved population gain more access to equitable resources to stay healthy, enriched, and connected.
All of the Innovate for Impact participants attended trainings throughout the process and all grew as a result of the experience. We look forward to seeing these new programs implemented. Stay tuned for updates and congratulations to all participants!