Maloney Secures Funding For LIC Y

Photo George Tsourovakas Congressmember Carolyn Maloney chats over lunch with young participants in some of the programs offered at the Long Island City YMCA.

Congressmember Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens/Manhattan) on Monday visited the Long Island City YMCA on Queens Boulevard, for which she secured federal funding in the 2004 Fiscal Year budget. Maloney met with LIC Y Executive Director Michael Keller; Director of Youth and Family Programs Kendall Charter; Greater New York YMCA Senior Vice President Betsy Jacobs, the Vanderbilt YMCA executive director and young women enrolled in the Strong Sisters United program.

Strong Sisters United is underwritten by a $100,000 federal appropriation for the YMCA secured by Maloney, whichwas split evenly between the LIC Y and the Vanderbilt YMCA in midtown Manhattan, which is also located in Maloney’s district.

“I am honored to have been able to help support the Strong Sisters United program at the Long Island City and Vanderbilt YMCAs,” Maloney said. “It offers young women the chance to engage in an educational and recreational program that will help them develop a sense of independence and self-confidence as well as a commitment to community service. Strong Sisters United helps at-risk youth become actively engaged in their neighborhoods, whether through clothing and toy drives or graffiti cleanup and other community beautification efforts. Through these initiatives, the young women in the Strong Sisters United program become vested in their surroundings and develop a sense of pride in themselves and their communities.”

“The goal of our Strong Sisters United program is to ensure that our young women grow up with positive values, high self-esteem, and healthy habits,” Keller said. “There is a need for programming for young girls beyond what is being offered in schools, and we are grateful to Congresswoman Maloney for securing vital funding for this innovative initiative.”

Strong Sisters United is a delinquency prevention initiative intended to help young women between the ages of 12 and 17. It features a mentoring program and curriculum developed in partnership with Girls Inc., and offers a series of workshops and community service projects, including a graffiti cleanup initiative in conjunction with Queens Borough President Helen Marshall's office and toy and clothing drives to benefit homeless and other underprivileged children.

The Long Island City YMCA, first established in 1921, opened its 30,000-square-foot, multi-service family center and first full-service facility on March 1, 1999. In 2002, the LIC Y launched its multi-service Teen Center, opened its indoor basketball gymnasium and added indoor activity and parking space. For more information on the Strong Sisters United Program, call the Long Island City YMCA at 718-392-7932.