The Gateway Family YMCA Joins Welcoming America in Celebrating New Americans During Welcoming Week

Union, NJ, September 11, 2020 --(PR.com)-- This Welcoming Week, September 12-20, The Gateway Family YMCA will join Welcoming America and other YMCAs and organizations nationwide to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity. Each year, Welcoming Week brings together immigrants and U.S.-born residents to promote cross-cultural understanding and raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone. Each year, The Gateway Family YMCA has celebrated Welcoming Week with its community. To ensure the safety and participation of all, the Y’s 2020 Welcoming Week event will be virtual.

“It is critically important to celebrate Welcoming Week in 2020, as our country faces the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread civil unrest caused by systemic racism,” said Krystal R. Canady, CEO, The Gateway Family YMCA. “At the Y, we seek to build bridges and heal communities, and we invite all neighbors to use Welcoming Week as an opportunity to connect, find common ground and celebrate our shared values and contributions.”

During Welcoming Week, The Gateway Family YMCA will host live virtual programs for community access, with registration required at www.tgfymca.org There will also be activities, engagement and events posted throughout the week on the Y’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/GatewayFamilyY

“Each year, we celebrate #WelcomingWeek to bring together neighbors, immigrants and the greater community in the spirit of unity. This year’s celebration may look different, the Y still remains forever welcoming and for all,” stated Melynda A. Mileski, EVP/COO. “Once a community participant registers for Welcoming Week access, they will be contacted by our staff to provide the programs most appropriate for their needs, all free during Welcoming Week.”

“This Welcoming Week, we are opening our doors to the community in a virtual way, with community access to our live online programs for chronic disease management, group exercise and youth wellness,” stated Colleen A. Clayton, Chief Membership & Development Officer. “The opportunity to bring neighbors together virtually is even more important in 2020. We have found that our virtual programs have provided that social opportunity that our members we missing in their daily lives.”

In addition to community access for Welcoming Week, The Gateway Family YMCA, Shaping Eastern Union County and Shaping Elizabeth will host a Virtual Playstreets for children ages 5-12 during Get Fit Kids on Tuesday, September 25th, 4:00-4:45pm. Register for Welcoming Week at www.tgfymca.org

The Gateway Family YMCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, health and community service organization of caring staff and volunteers dedicated to strengthening the foundations of community and stands For Youth Development, For Healthy Living and For Social Responsibility. The Y impacts the community by providing quality services to people of all ages, races, faiths or incomes. The Y is a powerful association of men, women and children of all ages and from all walks of life joined together by a shared passion: to strengthen the foundations of community.

For more information on Welcoming Week at The Gateway Family YMCA, visit www.tgfymca.org/events. For more information about The Gateway Family YMCA, visit www.tgfymca.org or contact 908-355-9622.