The following story was reported on behalf of the South Mountain YMCA by Lela Moore, who is a member of the board of managers of the South Mountain YMCA.
The South Mountain YMCA rose in 1970 from the site of a garage and a razed factory between West Parker and Jefferson Avenues in Maplewood to become a renowned local childcare facility and valued community resource that provides local families with before- and aftercare in the public schools, after-school enrichment classes, sports and theater programs, and a full slate of summer camp options.
On Thursday, February 6, supporters, staff, and board members of the South Mountain YMCA gathered in its gymnasium (the former garage) to celebrate 55 years of what Executive Director James Goodger called in his remarks to the crowd “a continuous light” for the communities of South Orange and Maplewood.
James Goodger, the District Executive Director of the South Mountain YMCA, speaks at the facility’s 55th anniversary and annual support campaign kickoff on Thursday, February 6.
The event, called Sneakerball because attendees were encouraged to wear sneakers with their outfits, featured a DJ, drinks and refreshments, a performance by members of the Y’s youth theater program, and speeches from several current and former Y staff and family members, as well as winners of five Staff Legacy Awards. The awards are given to honor longtime employees of the Y.
“At times, the world can feel like such a cruel place, but witnessing this community rallying around the amazing various causes we have across Maplewood & South Orange…delivers a feeling of hope!” Goodger said as he wrapped up his short speech.
The YMCA kicked off its annual support campaign at the event, pledging to raise $355,000, the most of any branch in the Metropolitan Y of the Oranges network and a sign of community devotion to the facility, according to Goodger. To date, the South Mountain Y has raised 44% of its goal.
The Y, Goodger said, will not turn away children or families from any of its programs for lack of ability to pay. “At the heart of everything we do at the Y, is the promise to be here for ALL,” he said. In 2024, Goodger said, the Y gave out over $433,853 in financial scholarships to 346 local families. “It’s only possible with a successful campaign,” he said.
Christel Hyden, the newly appointed chair of the Y’s board of managers this year, began her affiliation with the South Mountain Y when she enrolled her then-toddlers in the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) about 15 years ago. Those toddlers are now teenagers employed by the Y themselves.
“When we chose the Y as a safe space for my 2- and 3-year old kids, I could never have guessed that over 15 years later those same kids would be planning school schedules around their own part-time jobs with the YMCA, or that I’d be board chair with the honor of presenting an award to their preschool teacher, Ms. Chanelle, for her 30 years of service,” Hyden said.
That’s Chanelle Joseph, who has spent those 30 years caring for the children who come through the ECLC, beginning when the ECLC was a trailer in what is now the center’s parking lot. “I really felt the love and how much my service meant to everyone,” Joseph said about receiving her Staff Legacy Award.
Her coworker, Danielle Myers, was honored for 28 years of service. “This is my home away from home, and receiving the Legacy award sealed the deal [that] this is my home away from home. I feel very honored,” Myers said.
Myers’ sentiment was shared by Tommy Donaldson, a 29-year veteran of the Y who is now the director of the center’s school-age child care division, which includes the South Orange-Maplewood School District’s before- and aftercare programming. “The Y is my home away from home where I am surrounded by an incredible team and am inspired every day,” Donaldson said.
The ECLC’s director, Jenn MacAfee, also received a Staff Legacy Award. MacAfee ran into one of her former students from her first year teaching at the Y at the Sneakerball event. “I told him where the bar was,” she laughed.
“”I am deeply honored to receive this legacy award for my 28 years at the Y,” MacAfee said. “It has been a privilege to work alongside incredible colleagues and families, and I truly believe our work has made a lasting impact—providing children with a warm, loving environment where they can grow and thrive.”
Basketball coach Fred Ross was honored for 18 years of service. Ross has sent a generation of South Orange and Maplewood youth basketball players through the ranks. Noreen Connolly, the vice chair of the Y board, praised “Coach Fred” in a fundraising letter recently as “the best coach [my children] have ever had.” Jessica Murphy, a parent of four children who have gone through the ECLC who spoke at the Sneakerball, brought her eldest daughter who now plays basketball at Columbia High School to watch her former coach receive the award.
Hyden praised the Y not only for its work with children, but what it has meant for their caretakers as well. “For me, the Y’s legacy and its future isn’t just about this amazing track record with kids like mine, but what that’s meant for the adults who were able to return to school, care for elders, go on date nights, cope with losses, connect with neighbors, survive a pandemic, start a business, or simply make it through the day-to-day knowing that someone’s out there who’s got your back,” she said.
