To the editor:
As summer turns into fall and we look to the end of this season, the Hopewell Valley YMCA wants to thank those who kicked off the season at our “Spring into Summer” fundraiser.
The hard work of our event committee co-chairs, Suzette Belder-Carr and Brogann Sanderson Bowden, made this one of the Y’s most successful events ever. I am grateful to them and our committee members Annemarie Hofacker, Adriene Presti, Lisa Forrester, our CEO Doug Pszczolkowski, and the Y’s other staff and volunteers for helping us honor Phil “the Cream King” Volpe with the Larry Rothwell Social Responsibility Award.
Thanks to our corporate sponsors, benefactor donors, attendees and scholarship purchasers, our YMCA was able to honor Phil at the event with a 15 foot illuminated ice cream cone that the community “lit” by making donations throughout the night. With everyone’s help, we met our fundraising goal, literally adding a “cherry on top” of our giant ice cream cone, allowing the Y to continue and expand its charitable mission. Each donation helps the YMCA provide: financial assistance to local families in need; our free “YAC” teen center in Pennington; Safety Town for children entering kindergarten each year; programs for over 30 special needs athletes (with 13 medal winners the recent 2014 Special Olympics); and athletic, dance, swim and enrichment programming for our more than 1,100 members.
I especially want to thank our marque sponsors Tom and Patti Finn, Pennington Quality Market, Hopewell Valley Community Bank, MercerMe.com, Dahlia Florals, the Harmony Schools, Hill Wallack LLP, Geri and Randy Bull, Freeholder John Cimino, Cream King, Surety Title and Pringle Quinn Anzano, P.C., as well as the amazing support the Y receives from Christine’s Hope for Kids. Special thanks to Assemblywoman Elizabeth Muoio and Freeholder Sam Frisby for joining us and organizing honorary resolutions from our County and State representatives in Trenton.
I am proud that so many in Hopewell choose in invest in our YMCA, and I am excited to report back on the continuing results of that investment. Stay tuned!
On behalf of our Board of Directors, our staff and the entire Hopewell Valley community, I cannot thank you all enough.
Ryan Kennedy
Hopewell Borough
President – Board of Directors, Hopewell Valley YMCA
