Community YMCA Afterschool Programs Hosts Lights On Afterschool Events

Yesterday, children, parents, business and community leaders throughout Monmouth County joined in Lights On Afterschool celebrations – part of some 7,000 such events across the nation emphasizing the importance of keeping lights on and doors open at afterschool programs.

The Community YMCA’s Count Basie Achievement Branch, Coastal Monmouth Branch and Northern Monmouth Branch which offer afterschool care are participating in Lights On Afterschool with a variety of activities. In Red Bank, students at the Count Basie Achievement Branch will celebrate on Oct. 21st with a program featuring songs, poems and readings with emphasis on the YMCA’s character values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Yesterday, the students at the Y-Kids locations in the Coastal Monmouth area participated in obstacle courses, coloring contests and read aloud to other students. At the locations of the Northern Monmouth Branch, students had the opportunity to meet firemen, read stories and create a book.

“Great work is accomplished through afterschool programs,” said Stacey Lastella, Vice President of Child Care and Camping Services at The Community YMCA. “These programs help keep kids safe, assist with home work and alleviate parent’s worries about their children in the crucial afterschool hours.”

These and other nationwide events marked the sixth annual Lights On Afterschool Day, organized by the Afterschool Alliance with National Presenting Sponsor the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. Actors Rhea Perlman and Kevin Sorbo are national spokespeople for the event, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is its National Chair again this year. Throughout October, an inflatable Traveling Light Bulb has crisscrossed the country collecting children’s art that is being displayed on a mural on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. today.

“All those involved in our afterschool programs take a great deal of pride in what we are doing here,” said Lastella. “Learning should continue after school gets out and children should know the comforts of a caring environment.”

A forerunner in the area, the YMCA is the nation’s largest provider of child care. The Community YMCA currently serves 685 students in Y-Kids afterschool programs through 10 locations.

Lights On Afterschool is the only national rally for quality afterschool programs. The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to afterschool programs by the year 2010. More information on the Alliance and Lights On Afterschool is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.

The Community YMCA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves the residents of Monmouth County through eight branches offering the following services: Academic Preschool, Before and After School Care, Visual and Performing Arts, Counseling, Health, Fitness and Sports as well as Summer Day Camps. The Community YMCA builds strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports programs designed to keep kids safely and constructively engaged during out-of-school time. The Fund’s contributions allow for the creation and continuance of afterschool programs aimed at the academic, physical, and social development of children throughout the U.S. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund also works to raise awareness of the benefits of afterschool programming, and is committed to ensuring that every child has access to the world of opportunities that awaits them after school.