Valley YMCA & CCCYMCA Vote To Merge

This evening the governing boards of the Valley YMCA and the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA meeting jointly at United Illuminating in Shelton, Connecticut voted to merge the two Associations. Leaders of the two YMCAs signed a merger agreement and certificate of merger, such documents to be filed with the YMCA of the USA and The Secretary of The State of the State of Connecticut.

The boards’ actions culminated a year-long strategic alliance discussion process which started on December 19, 2007.

Congratulations to the governing boards and management of the two YMCAs on this historic occasion. Special appreciation to the members of the Joint Strategic Alliance Task Force, who performed their role with thought, confidentiality and common purpose:

Central Connecticut Coast YMCA
Bob Fiscus, Co-Chair, Dee Chiota, Chris Gallo, Mike Leone, Don Hutchinson, Dan Neaton, and Preston Tisdale
Phil Dwyer, President, Central Connecticut Coast YMCA

Valley YMCA
Dennis Gleason, Co-Chair, Jim Czajkowski, Martha Dulla, Dick Feher, Mark Kirschbaum, and Sue Malloy
Suzanne Reilly, Executive Director, Valley YMCA

Gratitude is also offered to funding partners whose generous grants facilitated the merger process:

Valley United Way
New Haven United Way
Community Foundation of Greater New Haven
Valley Community Foundation

Appreciation is extended to professional consultants who provided invaluable support over the past year:

Steve Erickson of Whittsley and Hadley (financial review)
Joe Staley of Staley Robeson (community leader interviews)

Buffeted by a worsening economy, while facing increased demand for YMCA services, the Valley YMCA and the CCCYMCA are working together to achieve the long-term strategic benefits of uniting into a more sustainable and successful operation, increasing the capacity for the merged organization to reach more members and serve them better.