The Raritan Valley YMCA; the YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy (MEWSA); and the Raritan Bay Area YMCA recently honored three volunteers from their respective communities.
The youth were recognized for their service and commitment to the community as they all make significant volunteering contributions to programs and people at their local YMCA during the 16th annual New Jersey YMCA State Alliance Celebration, held at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe on Oct. 20.
Raritan Valley’s Jonathan Wu has provided the Y with dedicated and enthusiastic service in volunteering his time to teach instructional swim classes each week, according to information provided by the Ys. He is a sophomore at East Brunswick High School, swims for the East Brunswick Sandpipers and plays basketball in addition to his studies.
Many children learn to swim with the and are supported in programs through grants from the PSEG Foundation, Rutgers Community Health Foundation, the USA Swimming Foundation and Northfield Bank.
Prachi Patel, a volunteer with MEWSA, founded a YMCA teen service club called Junior Invision that provides teen leadership development and initiates community service projects.
Kenneth Carrillo of the Raritan Bay Area plays a role in helping the Perth Amboy community as part of the Y Leader’s Club.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of any nonprofit organization. We are thankful to our board and program volunteers whom have contributed so much time,” said Gina Stravic, CEO of the Raritan Valley YMCA. “We are able to do greater things for the community and expand our reach with our volunteers.”
For information on volunteering at the Y, visit www.njymca.org for a listing of Ys and their contact information.
