26 OCTOBER 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
YMCA of Greater Monmouth County
livering more than
80,000 essential
items like diapers, formula and wipes to families in need.
As impacts of the pandemic grew, the Y partnered with the Visiting
Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Centers to provide
-
nity-based, satellite vaccination site in New Jersey in partnership with the
converted and provided more than 15,000 vaccinations.
Together, staff and volunteers served more than 2,200 hours of volunteer
time throughout the pandemic.
By summer 2021, camp resumed with stringent protocols and limited
assistance and subsidies for children who desperately needed to connect
with friends after months of quarantine.
The centers reopened with guidance from the CDC, state and local
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door options and required masking.
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ible childcare and academic support on remote learning days, serving 166
county families.
Importantly, they also expanded mental health services.
YMCA President and CEO Laurie Goganzer said, “We knew that this unprecedented
event would compound stress factors for people who were already
struggling to make ends meet. The added pressure of social isolation, health
and safety fears, concerns about job loss, and food insecurity would have a big
what we could to become a critical safety net and support system.”
The Y credits all those who continued their memberships, knowing their
dues were put to vital use, as well as their donors, volunteers, the strategic decisions
of the board members and their staff who give their all every single day.
The YMCA of Greater Monmouth County’s numerous programs, services
and locations can be explored at YMCANJ.org.
As always, The Journal stands behind all the small businesses of Monmouth
County, and we encourage you to preserve your neighborhoods by
patronizing your local small businesses. You’ll get great personal service and
follow-up care from neighbors you know.
THE ROAD BACK
New Jersey is on its way, back to the life we love and back to business.
The small businesses of Monmouth County play an important role
the quality of daily life. In our communities are some of the most
talented, dedicated and determined experts who have worked hard to
keep their businesses surviving during the lockdown. Each faced unique
challenges and developed their own pivoting mechanisms to continue to
business and discover how they navigated their way through the pandemic
and how they are coming back.
BY LORI DRAZ
Monmouth County unites 36,000 people of all ages, incomes and
backgrounds through life-changing programs and services in Red
Bank, Middletown, Freehold, Old Bridge, Millstone, Wall, Eatontown
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ter-school programs and social services, it is a big organization that
was forced to close its doors on March 16, 2020. Staff members’ hands
were full, notifying members of suspended services and still looking
for ways to help the community.
Upon realizing that there was a great need for childcare for the
overworked employees on the frontlines, the YMCA of Greater Monmouth
County began utilizing the facilities for emergency childcare
licensing, safety protocols, staff, volunteer nurses from partnering
school districts, and welcomed children of essential workers to the
Freehold Family YMCA, with more than 770 hours of support provided.
Additionally, the Y’s Counseling & Social Services team never
stopped serving the critical needs of children and families with therapeutic
counseling and mental health support. For safety, all services
shifted to a Telehealth model of virtual support, ensuring no break in
the care of individuals. In total, there were 107,000 counseling and
social services interactions during the pandemic.
They also knew that physical health and social isolation would become
a challenge for members, especially the vulnerable senior populations.
The staff started wellness check phone calls and launched Y
Live streaming classes for members and for a time, open to all.
Food security had also become a top priority, since there were
many directly impacted vulnerable children and families who counted
on school programs for meals. Many food pantries were forced to
close for safety as well. At the same time, the American Red Cross was
experiencing critical blood shortages. So within two weeks of closing,
the Y reopened locations to host blood drives, drop-and-go food col-
and other pantries. In total through the pandemic, fresh produce and
more than 35,000 meals were served to at-risk communities. They
turned their Bayshore Family Success Center into a baby pantry, de
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