Joe Torre and Annabel Monaghan
Baseball Legend Torre and All-Star Team
of Special Guests at Rye Y Fundraiser
Joe Torre, Special Assistant to the commissioner of Major League Baseball and former manager of the New York Yankees, will headline the Rye YMCA’s virtual benefit on Friday, September 25.
Torre, who led the Yankees to four world series championships after his own illustrious career on the field, will be joined by Marc Santia, an Emmy-winning reporter for NBC 4 New York. Eamonn Coghlan, a three-time Olympian and former world champion in track and field and the founder of the Rye Derby, will join the event from his home in Ireland. Author and Rye Record columnist Annabel Monaghan will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for this all-star event.
“Not Your Regular Zoom Call” will bring the community together for a fun, fast-paced 45 minutes to raise much-needed funds for the organization’s Y Cares Financial Assistance Program. Y Cares provides camp scholarships and membership, childcare, and program subsidies to hundreds of families and individuals every year.
“We’re thrilled with the event line-up,” remarked Rye Y Executive Director Gregg Howells. “The past six months have been among the most challenging in the Rye Y’s 106-year history. Our budget was devastated by the steep decline in program and membership revenue after the pandemic-related closure in March. We’re projecting a loss of over $1.5 million by the end of 2020, which makes it difficult to keep programs and services accessible to families and individuals who are also struggling economically.”
In 2019 alone, the Y awarded over $435,000 in financial assistance to those who needed a helping hand. One grateful mother wrote to the Y about her daughter’s childcare experience. “Without your support, I would have to take her with me to work and she would not be able to take part in all the wonderful activities the Rye YMCA has to offer.”
Y Cares also funds free community programs including LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, a small group physical activity program for cancer survivors; Safety Around Water, a drowning prevention initiative for young children; and free pool time, lifeguards, and meeting space for the Rye Association for the Handicapped.
After the Rye Y closed on March 14, the organization began offering online classes and activities, starting with Facebook Live and YouTube videos and later adding Zoom group exercise classes led by some of the Y’s most popular instructors. Since then, the Y has gradually reopened as New York State moved from one phase to the next. A summer childcare program launched in late June filled a critical need as parents started to return to work. Small group gymnastics and sports clinics in the Y’s spacious gym and outdoors gave kids a safe way to build skills and get out of the house. The two pools opened in July and are now available for lap swim, water exercise classes, and swim lessons. And, in a long-awaited development, the Fitness Center reopened on September 2.
“We’ve never wavered from our commitment to our members and our community,” Howells noted. “But during this unprecedented time, we’re asking those who have been fortunate during the pandemic to support our Y so we can support others.”
<The Rye Y’s virtual benefit will be held on Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. To RSVP and receive the Zoom login link, contact Laura Kelleher at laurakelleher@ryeymca.org.>