Posted on: Tuesday, August 16th, 2022

Annual Campaign Event held September 15

We held our annual Campaign Breakfast on September 15th at the Gillette Stadium Putnam Club in Foxborough.

Eric Kevorkian, chair of our Board of Directors provided welcoming remarks and noted, “This annual gathering of caring, compassionate members of our community never fails to inspire me, and never fails to remind me of why I’m involved and why what the Y does is so important.”

Our YMCA is more than a place; it is a cause that is committed to strengthening communities. This annual fundraising campaign, known as Reach Out, ensures we continue to address diverse, emerging, and critical human needs across the 15 communities we serve.

Special guest speakers included YMCA friend Norm Bossio and YMCA member Nadine Bullock. Norm shared, “For over 50 years, the Hockomock Area YMCA has had a vision. You’re here today to help with that vision.” During his remarks, Bossio credits his YMCA experiences in his youth for making a difference in his life and making it his mission to continue to help and inspire others.

Board of Director Mary Clermont, our Y’s immediate past chair, commented, “The Hockomock Y is our home and it’s our community. Charity starts here today. People need help and together, we can impact the lives of so many in our community.”

Y member Nadine Bullock addressed the crowd and sharing her own family’s personal YMCA story saying, “The YMCA does a lot of good for a lot of people. I am one of those people as well.” The Bullock family received a scholarship for their children to attend summer camp sharing, “My children needed to have fun in a place with understanding, helpful people. They needed to be doing fun things for the sake of childhood itself and to experience joy and laughter. Thank you to all the people who have made camp possible for our family and to each of you for considering a scholarship donation.”

Our Board of Directors issued a $50,000 challenge to event attendees, matching all leadership gifts of $500 or more. Vice Chair of the Y’s Board of Directors Farzin Karim shared her own personal story, “I benefited because someone just like one of you in this room, made a donation to the Y and allowed me to experience camp for a couple of weeks at a local YMCA. And in that experience at the Y, it changed my life. You have an opportunity to change someone’s life this morning and make a difference.”

Our goal is to raise $1.4 million for this year’s campaign. The Breakfast event raised $203,000, bringing the total raised to-date to $1.2 million for this year’s campaign. To make a gift or learn how you can volunteer, visit www.hockymca.org/give

Jim Downs, our CEO thanked attendees for being at this event, believing in and supporting the Y’s mission saying, “Thank you for your trust in our Hockomock Area YMCA. For the last 5 decades, you’ve trusted us to be here when kids and families needed us most and be that critical community safety net. Our Hockomock Area YMCA is something you can always count on.”

The Y provides a safety net for thousands of individuals and families facing challenges. The Y encourages members, volunteers, neighbors and friends in the community to join them in making a gift and raising funds to provide confidential scholarship assistance and program subsidies for those facing challenges. The essence of Reach Out and a cornerstone of the Y’s mission is that nobody is turned away because of inability to pay.