B U S I N E S S • R E A L E S T A T E • H O M E I M P R O V E M E N T business >BUSINESS IN THE NEWS >XXXXXXXX >XXXXXX The most important thing to know about Samuel Field Y is that it’s “the Everybody Place.” The Y, which in addition to its fl agship site in Little Neck, also comprises the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills and the Bay Terrace Pool and Tennis Center, is a community center that focuses on providing services to empower people, from babies to the elderly. “We are a mission-driven organization whose primary focus is to stabilize, enhance and preserve the quality of individual, family and communal life for the residents of Queens,” said Jeri Mendelsohn, CEO and executive vice president of the Samuel Field Y. “We do that through providing an amazing and incredible array of diverse, high-quality, accessible and meaningful social services, educational and social/ recreational (continued on page 37) programs.” For almost 60 years, the Y, a benefi ciary agency of UJA-Federation of New York, has remained committed to offering a wide variety of programs, which along with the membership numbers, have only continued to grow. The Y organizes education, sporting, outdoor and special needs programs, as well as day and residential camps, a senior center and various other services. Currently, the Y’s overall programs serve about 35,000 kids and adults, and with 33 different sites throughout the borough, one of the most diverse counties in the nation. Each of the programs has a high level of accessibility. “In other organizations there are neighborhood, language or fi nancial barriers,” Mendelsohn said. “But we are very accessible.” THE Y FOR CHILDREN For children, the Samuel Field Y offers high quality after school programs at each community center as well as in 15 elementary and middle schools in Queens. These programs include sports and learning activities to help students stay physically fi t and educationally stimulated. The Y also manages full scale Beacon community centers in middle schools, which are open year round. But the learning experiences don’t stop there. The Samuel Field Y, Bay Terrace Center and Central Queens Y have a myriad of early childhood programs that are designed to help young children play and explore. There are nursery schools in which kids can learn about science, vocabulary, literature, technology and math. The Y also offers Universal Pre-K, where young children can engage in a rich, supportive learning environment and grow intellectually and socially, fully prepared for entry to kindergarten and beyond. There are sports activities for children in many of the sites, and the Y in Little Neck has an indoor playground for toddlers. There are gym mats, slides, a balance beam and obstacle courses with tunnels and hoops, all provided to foster the children’s physical growth. The Y designs memorable summer experiences for children ages 2-16 through a variety of day camps and a sleepaway camp. Day Camps Samuel Field Y: ‘The Everybody Place’ Jeri Mendelsohn, LCSW Executive Vice President & CEO
QC03132014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above