A Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO

(2024)

For 173 years, the YMCA of Greater Hartford has stayed true to its founding principle “that all may be one,” that we that are a collective movement, and that we are part of something greater. In fact, Belonging To Something Greater has been our driving force, our purpose, and our mission from the very start.

Our 2024 Annual Report is a direct reflection of those collective efforts and a testament to the skills and talents of our board, volunteers, and staff. Our leadership team had crucial conversations over the course of the year that resulted in many hard and wise decisions. That’s why this report highlights how we stand strong and proud. We are substantial, durable, sustainable, and unconditionally welcoming. It’s an especially exciting time to be part of the Y.

Within these pages, you will read about such programs as our Leadership Lab, a collective effort that ties beautifully into the innovation pillar of our strategic plan. Our work in this area has empowered us to build the future of exemplary Y leaders. Another initiative that resulted from newly empowered leadership efforts is bundling, a unique approach to membership. For example, parent/child swim lessons are now included with the Family Plus membership option, and the results of this enhancement have proven to be very successful. There are, and will be, other such changes for even greater member benefits.

As you’ll see as you flip through this report, it’s teamwork and strategic philanthropic relationships with partners such as State Senator Doug McCrory and the LEGO® Group, who have immense confidence in our organization’s future. Both of these partnerships formed over a decade ago, and both have enabled us to meet critical educational and developmental needs for area youth. As we look forward, we know our strategic partnerships will have a collective, positive impact on the communities we serve.

All of this is reflected in the 2024 annual report you are about to read. And, as we always do, we devote plenty of space to sharing impressive highlights from our programs, the accomplishments of our distinguished leadership award winner, and other news that will continue to demonstrate that not only do we have a sturdy foundation beneath us, but also a stable roadmap ahead of us.

Yours in the mission,
Jim Martin, Board Chair
Harold Sparrow, former President & CEO