LongIsland.com

Bethpage Awards Grants to YMCA of LI & American Red Cross of Greater New York

Written by Lynn Bishop  |  11. August 2011

Four fortunate children last week began their second session of camp at the YMCA of Long Island, thanks to the help of Bethpage Federal Credit Union, which as part of its Heart of Bethpage charitable giving program, helped fund the Y's Scholarship Assistance Program, which helps LI families experiencing financial difficulties, enjoy Y programs and services. For so many disadvantaged children, attending a YMCA of Long Island summer camp and learning how to swim, is a dream come true. This summer, Bethpage decided to help support programs designed to assist these families. The YMCA of Long Island Scholarship Assistance Program helps deserving children attend Y summer camps where last year, 1,140 disadvantaged children attended at a no or reduced fee, said Linda Armyn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Government Affairs, Bethpage Federal Credit Union. We are thrilled to be able to lend our support. The children began their second camp session at the Glen Cove, Great South Bay (Bay Shore), Patchogue and Huntington YMCA Campsites where they are enjoying a myriad of programs including aquatics, arts & crafts, horseback riding, soccer and more. The YMCA of Long Island runs the largest YMCA summer day camp program in the country and no one is ever denied Y programs or membership because of their inability to pay, said Anne Brigis, Executive Vice President and COO, YMCA of Long Island. We are so thankful to Bethpage for helping four fortunate children experience a summer like no other! Earlier in the summer, Bethpage supported the YMCA of Long Island's Splash Week at the Great South Bay Y, where Bayshore and surrounding area residents received free swimming lessons for a week. Bethpage also recently partnered with the American Red Cross by awarding a grant that enabled 30 students from the Elmont Union Free School District the opportunity to learn how to swim through the Project END - End Needless Drowning program. Elmont students and their families attended a Project END swim graduation ceremony this past June at Senator Tully Park in New Hyde Park to help celebrate the students' immense accomplishments and raise awareness about the importance of learning how to swim. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children. Robert J. Nori, Director of Philanthropy, American Red Cross of Greater New York commented, Last summer, over 200 children needlessly lost their lives to drowning - horrible accidents that could have been prevented, and are being prevented, thanks to vital support from partners like Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Project END - End Needless Drowning is a program that brings swim lessons to Long Island children who otherwise could not afford them. Bethpage was founded on the premise of people helping people and we are fully committed to supporting our local community in every way we can. For children, attending a summer camp - becoming a camper - is a lifelong experience that they will cherish forever. And of course, with summer comes the importance of learning how to swim, whether one attends camp or not. We are thankful to be able to support Long Island families on such a personal level, in a way that makes a difference,continued Armyn. Bethpage Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, existing solely to serve its members and has experienced rapid growth in recent years to become a strong alternative to banks. Bethpage was approved for the largest federal community charter in the U.S. in 2003 and now is Long Island's largest credit union and leading community financial institution with over 180,000 members, 24 branches and 60 shared service center locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. As a financial cooperative, Bethpage offers better rates, lower fees and a full menu of personal and commercial financial services. Bethpage maintains branch locations in Bay Shore, Bay Shore King Kullen, Bethpage, Central Islip, Commack, Elmont, Farmingdale, Freeport, Glen Cove, Hempstead, Huntington, Islandia King Kullen, Levittown, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Melville, Mineola, North Babylon, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Seaford, Smithtown, Roosevelt and Westbury with over 350 surcharge-free ATMs in King Kullen, 7-Eleven, Walgreen's and Costco locations throughout Long Island. For more information, call 1-800-628-7070 or visit www.lovebethpage.com. For more information about YMCA of Long Island summer camp go to www.ymcali.org. To learn more about the American Red Cross Project END - End Needless Drowning program, visit www.nyredcross.org.

Copyright © 1996-2024 LongIsland.com & Long Island Media, Inc. All rights reserved.