Y Monthly Monday Mission Update:
No Place Like This Place
In true Y spirit, 2025 concluded with a bang! Fresh from the success of our largest Y Turkey Trot Charity 5K, December marked the start of a year-long celebration of the Y enriching communities across the United States for the past 175 years!
To last for such a long time, any organization has to continuously evolve to meet the needs of those it serves, and constantly find new and innovative ways to be both relevant and essential in people’s and families’ lives.
A great example of what keeps our Y relevant and essential was highlighted on December 11th, when we had the honor of welcoming Governor Wes Moore and the Governor’s Office of Children to the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Y in Waverly. The occasion was an opportunity for the Governor (a long-time and proud member of the Weinberg Y!) and many others of us to highlight and celebrate the significant impact of an innovative statewide initiative introduced over a year ago called ENOUGH (Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households).
The ENOUGH Initiative is a first-of-its-kind, community-driven effort to reduce childhood poverty and boost economic mobility by investing in neighborhood-based solutions that address the root causes of economic hardship. ENOUGH is a “bottoms-up” model that brings together state agencies, local nonprofits, philanthropies, and community leaders around shared goals and clear outcomes. It recognizes that people who live in a community are best positioned to lead the change there. It puts funding and power directly in the hands of the organizations, like the Y, who are working every day in neighborhoods with children living in poverty. In just one year, the ENOUGH Initiative is already making a measurable difference across Maryland, including:
- Building a network of 558 partner organizations.
- Serving and engaging 12,276 community members.
- Launching 81 evidence-based programs to tackle chronic school absenteeism, housing insecurity, and more.
In our case, given the deep concentration of assets we already have in and around the Greater Waverly neighborhood in Baltimore City (which includes the Weinberg Y, four Y Community Schools, and the Sherman Early Childhood Center), we serve as the “Community Quarterback” that brings together over 20 neighborhood-based entities, including schools, businesses, faith-based and community organizations, and local and state partners, as we address childhood poverty and strengthen economic mobility.
A significant aspect of this work revolves around the use of data to drive decisions, and for those who know me well, you know that is something that I believe in to my core. This work is not just about training community members, partners, and leaders on the root causes of poverty; it’s also about empowering people to understand and interpret community-level data. By leveraging these insights, the Y and its community partners in and around Greater Waverly (pictured below with the Governor) will make informed decisions and develop effective strategies.
As we move into 2026, and with renewed state funding, I am excited that the Y will continue to provide meaningful, on-the-ground support to those in our community who need it most. From offering paid youth apprenticeships to our talented scholars at Mervo High School, to supporting middle school students at Montebello Elementary/Middle and Boys Collegiate Academy with Saturday career exploration and field trips, and so much more, the ENOUGH initiative is poised to create tangible change at the community level and beyond.
And while we are busy doing what we do best across central Maryland, I never take for granted that another 175 (or even five years!) is assured. Here in Central Maryland, and across the country, the Y must and will remain highly relevant and essential in the lives of the thousands and thousands of communities we serve. We will do so understanding that the Y’s “secret sauce” is our unparalleled capacity to build a true sense of belonging and deep connections with people across those communities.
There’s no place like this place.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland