Worcester, MA — May 12, 2026 — The YMCA of Central Massachusetts celebrated leadership, service and community impact during its 162nd Annual Meeting held on April 29, 2026, recognizing outgoing leaders, welcoming new members to its Board of Directors and honoring Kimberly Anderson with the George I. Alden Award.

The event brought together YMCA staff, volunteers, members and community partners to reflect on the Y’s continued commitment to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

“We are grateful for the dedicated leaders who help advance the Y’s mission every day,” said David Connell, President and CEO of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts. “Our board members and volunteers play a vital role in ensuring that everyone in our community has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.”

New Board Members

The YMCA officially welcomed the following individuals to its Board of Directors:

• Carrie Farrell, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at The Hanover Insurance Group
• Sean M. Harris, Director of Community Engagement at Quinsigamond Community College
• Oksana Y. Lukasheva, Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance at The Hanover Insurance Group
• Benjamin Shipp, North County Board of Governors Board Chair, Assistant Vice President Member Service Center at All One Credit Union

These leaders will help guide the organization’s strategic vision and community impact efforts throughout their term of service.

Award Recognition

During the meeting, the YMCA presented the George I. Alden Award to Kimberly Anderson of Shrewsbury, SVP and CFO of Milford Federal Bank in recognition of her outstanding commitment to the YMCA and the community.

Kimberly has provided visionary financial leadership and steadfast volunteer service to the YMCA of Central Massachusetts, helping guide the organization through some of its most significant and complex moments for more than a decade.

“Kim embodies the very best of volunteer leadership,” said John W. “Bill” Braley III, Chair of the Board of Directors. “She brings integrity, compassion and steady guidance to every conversation, and our YMCA is stronger because of her service.”

The Annual Meeting also highlighted the YMCA’s impact over the past year, presented scholarships to two local teens with the Nance Ware Scholarship, honored Webster Five Cents Savings Bank with the Strengthening Foundations of Community Award, and presented Erika Burrows, CEO of the Center of Hope in Southbridge with the George Vasil Community Service Award honoring her work for the community of Southbridge.

The YMCA remains committed to creating welcoming spaces where all people can connect, belong and thrive.

About the YMCA 

Driven by its founding mission, the YMCA of Central Massachusetts has served the community by empowering young people, improving health and well-being, and inspiring action in and across 70 communities in Central Massachusetts. The Y nurtures the potential of every child and teen, improves the nation’s health and well-being and provides opportunities to give back and support neighbors. or more information, visit www.ymcaofcm.org.

Mission In Motion is an Association-Wide, Fundraising Cycle-A-Thon Event to benefit LIVESTRONG® AT THE YMCA; a FREE 12 week health and well-being program for cancer survivors and their families. See your Wellness Director to register!

EVENT INFO:
• Teams of up to 5 people
• 4 hours of cycling between team members
• Raise a minimum of $500 per team
• Team name displayed on bike
• FREE Child Watch Available

LEARN MORE 

Wednesday, April 29, 2026
(5:00 – 7:00 PM)

Vue at Worcester Plaza
446 Main Street,
Worcester, MA 01608

RSVP to Carol Lucke at clucke@ymcaofcm.org

Do you have old documents piling up and want to dispose of them safely? Join Webster Five and the YMCA of Central Massachusetts for a Shred and Recycle Day! We’re working with Pellegrino Trucking to provide you with secure document destruction and disposal. Bring those old bank statements and check shredding off of your to-do list. Paper shredding is FREE. 

Need to get rid of old electronics, appliances, or bikes? The YMCA is proud to partner with Green Day Recycling. Check this list for accepted items and their cost to you: 2026 SHRED AND RECYCLE DAY PLUS FOOD DRIVE FLYER 

ALL TOWNS WELCOME! RAIN OR SHINE
HARD DRIVES DESTROYED, CASH PREFERRED, CHECKS (Over $30)

Recycling Questions? Contact: GreenDayRecyclingMA@Gmail.com 

NEW THIS YEAR!
Food donations are being encouraged for El Bueno Samaritano Food Program.
Please donate shelf stable, non-perishable food and canned goods.

Items most helpful for the food drive:

• Cereal
• Rice
• Cooking oil
• Beans (canned or dry)
• Soups
• Cookies/snacks
• Bottled water
• Pasta
• Tomato products (canned tomatoes, tomato sauce)
• Grocery gift cards

2026 SHRED AND RECYCLE DAY PLUS FOOD DRIVE FLYER 

WORCESTER – If it weren’t for the matching yellow “LIVESTRONG at the YMCA” T-shirts, they’d look likeany other workout group.

But the dozen or so adults rotating through their exercise circuit, complete with pushups and stints on the rowing machines, all have one thing in common: cancer.

Members of the group are participants in LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, a 12-week conditioning program designed to help cancer survivors or those undergoing treatment maintain and regain their strength. Through year-round fundraising efforts the program pays for a free three-month membership to the YMCA, in this case the Greendale Family Branch.

At the helm of the group is Barry Brigham, a decades-long veteran of the YMCA who has headed the Greendale program for six years.

Most of the people at the workout class on Thursday, April 16, had been there far longer than three months, choosing to pay for YMCA memberships and stay in the program.

Part of a club
As Scott Siemen, who is undergoing treatment after his cancer reappeared in January, put it, “It’s not a club you want to be a part of, but it’s a club you’re happy to be a part of.”

While all participants begin the program with varying levels of fitness, and modifications are always given to people facing specific physical limitations, Thursday’s class was no cakewalk.
Completing planks and squats and pushing the weighted sleigh across the gym floor, members sweated through the hourlong circuit.

“People don’t come here to do kumbaya, they come here to exercise,” said Warren Ferguson, a 71-year-oldsurvivor of prostate cancer.

Program members say the workouts help stave off the fatigue that the disease and many of the typical treatments can cause.

Improved sleep

“Before cancer I could survive on five or six hours of sleep,” said Ferguson, who worked as a physician at UMass Memorial Medical Center. “Afterwards, if I didn’t get a solid eight hours the day was shot.”

Ferguson said the program, which he’s participated in for several years, has helped him regain much of his former strength.

For Judy Jeon-Chapman, 67, a former bodybuilder and breast cancer survivor, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA got her back into the gym after cancer treatment dealt a blow to her confidence.

“I was afraid I was going to hurt myself,” Jeon-Chapman said, adding that she’s now discovered a whole new area of the gym and workout routine after joining the group.

Beyond the benefit of exercise, which studies say can significantly increase a cancer patient’s chance of survival, participants say the program is a place they feel understood.

Ferguson recalled a moment after he first joined the program when he overheard a participant talking about theirunease going into surveillance testing to check if their cancer had returned.

He said: “In that moment I realized it was normal to feel anxious and worried about it. Of course you know that, but there’s a part of you that says, ‘Cut it out’ or that wants to protect your family.”

In the program, participants say they don’t have to shy away from the realities of their diagnoses and treatments, which can make sometimes make people without cancer uncomfortable.

“They’re not scared by the “C word,” Jeon-Chapman said of cancer.

“[Cancer] is not something you want to talk about with just anybody.”

‘Like a scary movie’

Many participants shared a common sense of shock and disbelief after their diagnosis, followed by fear. Telling their stories in turn, they nodded knowingly at one another, hopping in with their own anecdotes about the ways their lives changed after cancer.

“The first time you hear it it’s like a scary movie,” said 70-year-old Steve Miller.

Family members told Jeon-Chapman that it was “great news” that she had a type of cancer with a high survival rate.

“They didn’t understand that it’s my peace of mind that’s gone because you don’t think it’ll happen to you especially when you’re healthy,” she said.

While talking openly about their histories and anxieties is helpful, the support participants provide each other is often unspoken, they said.

“It’s wonderful to hear peoples’ stories but you don’t have to talk about it. There’s common ground there even if you’re just rowing next to someone,” said Colleen McGuiness, a survivor of appendix cancer.

“LIVESTRONG takes the loneliness out of cancer,” said Ferguson.

Mission in Motion, a cycling event, is the next fundraising event for LIVESTRONG at the YMCA.

Learn more about LIVESTRONG at the Y

Learn More

The YMCA of Central Massachusetts is joining Ys across the country for Five Days of Action®, a weeklong campaign running April 13-17, 2026, designed to raise awareness and inspire action to protect children from abuse, with a special focus this year on digital safety for kids.

Throughout the week, our YMCA will share resources, host family activities, and provide education to help parents and caregivers navigate the ever-changing digital world. The YMCA believes that every adult has a role to play in protecting children, online and off.

In 2026, the Y has partnered with Praesidium, National Center for Exploited and Missing Children (NCMEC), Lauren’s Kids, and National Children’s Alliance to offer additional resources for parents and caregivers.

The Five Days of Action campaign encourages adults to learn how to recognize red flags, start open conversations with children, access digital safety resources, and take the official pledge to protect kids at fivedaysofaction.org.

March 3rd isn’t just about raising funds; it’s about raising each other up. Every dollar donated helps make sure people in Central Massachusetts have access to the programs that turn strangers into teammates, neighbors into friends, and goals into shared victories.

This isn’t just about giving, it’s about belonging. It’s about showing up for each other and making sure everyone has a place to grow, thrive, and connect. No gift is too small. Every dollar helps build a stronger, more connected community.

When you make a gift on the Day of Giving your donation stays local. Funds raised will support Child Care and Camp, Safety Around Water, and Teen Programs, helping more people in Central Massachusetts find their place at the Y.

Plus, Cornerstone Bank is matching every gift made during the Day of Giving. That means your gift has double the impact! To join in, DONATE HERE or stop by your local YMCA of Central Massachusetts branch location. Because there’s no place like this place, and no better time to give.

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the YMCA in America, and the YMCA of Central Massachusetts is joining YMCAs across the country in celebrating this historic milestone. Founded in 1850, the YMCA has been a cornerstone of community service, dedicated to strengthening spirit, mind, and body for all.

The YMCA’s story in America is one of hope, service, and innovation. What began by meeting the needs of young men during London’s Industrial Revolution grew into a movement that has shaped communities across the nation. From inventing basketball and Father’s Day to pioneering ESL classes and group swim lessons, the Y has consistently responded to local needs, creating solutions that foster relationships and belonging.

Through every generation, the Y has been a place where people come together—where connections are made, friendships are formed, and individuals find a sense of belonging. Today, that mission is more important than ever. Across the country and right here in Central Massachusetts, we continue to see the effects of loneliness and isolation across all age groups. This is truly a defining issue of our time, and the Y is uniquely positioned to help build connections between people—something we have done from the beginning.

For more information and to join the celebration, visit 175.ymca.org

About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and wellbeing, ignite youth empowerment, and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide.

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We are deeply grateful to Chef Orlando for generously volunteering his time and talents, and to his amazing sous chef Amie, who stood right by his side to cook and serve meals with so much care. Their dedication helped make today’s launch truly special.

We had a wonderful turnout, and the energy in the room reminded us just how powerful food can be in bringing people together. We’re excited for all the nutritious meals, shared moments, and new skills that will grow from this kitchen. Here’s to community, learning, and the many good things yet to come!