June 5, 2006 Courier News

By MARY ANN D'URSO, Staff Writer

Addy Bonet looks at the Plainfield Area YMCA and sees a rich tradition of community outreach.

Bonet, the first female president and CEO of the organization, plans to continue her outreach efforts, including the induction of new board members.

Like newfound eyes and ears, Bonet hopes that the board members, and her growing staff, will draw more individual and business support for the Plainfield YMCA, which also serves seven other Central Jersey communities.

"We're trying to do more publicity to get more people from all service areas," said Bonet, referring to both board and YMCA members. "Part of my vision is to expand our program services," she said.

Bonet has worked with the YMCA for more than 20 years, including seven in Chicago, which has the largest YMCA in the world.

A YMCA's mission, Bonet said, is to serve the needs of the community in which it's based.

"Plainfield happens to have a need for affordable housing and emergency shelter," she said.

The Plainfield YMCA is currently at 95 percent occupancy, with 62 available single rooms. The rooms average about $400 a month. It also operates an emergency shelter, an after-school care program and acts as a liaison between the state Division of Youth and Family Services and foster care families. The after-school program involves more than 200 children aged 7 to 14 from seven schools in the area.

"We get over 40 calls a day from DYFS trying to find out if we have space to provide home placements," said Bonet, explaining that the YMCA sends representatives to church groups to recruit foster families. A banner advertising the program also hangs on the front of its Watchung Avenue building. Recently, she said, four families responded as a result of seeing the sign.

Calling the Plainfield YMCA "the best-kept secret in the area," Bonet also described it as "really traditional" in that it provides significant programming for youths and families, including education, wellness and sports programs such as swimming lessons.

The Plainfield YMCA is one of 975 independent YMCAs, which means it has one corporate board and one facility. There are more than 2,643 YMCAs nationwide. Bonet likened her role as working at a small local bank vs. a well-known national bank. In part, that's why she took the job.

"I like being at a Y in the mode of change and turn-around situation," Bonet said.

If she has her druthers, the 200-member organization will grow within two years to between 1,200 and 3,000 members -- much more typical for the area it serves and its 80,000 square-foot building size. Membership averages about $500 per year.

The YMCA is gearing up for its summer day-camp program, which usually has 150 children participating, but could easily handle double that, Bonet said. Once a chairman is recruited, Bonet also expects to kick off a campaign with the goal of raising $60,000 -- much more ambitious than earlier campaigns that sought about $10,000.

"We hope to put more structure into it and recruit new volunteers from the community," Bonet said, adding, "it's a people campaign."

Money raised will be used to provide scholarships to people who cannot afford to pay for YMCA programs or for children to attend the day camp, Bonet said. The organization uses a sliding scale based on need to determine what fee, if any, is required, she said.

Currently, the organization has a $2.5 million operating budget. About half of it comes from fees for services, contributions and grants. The other half is culled from state and county contracts for social services.

Realistically, Bonet said, the facility is an old building that needs work. Recently, one of two boilers was replaced, at a cost of $35,000. She also hopes to renovate the single-room occupancies -- currently occupied by men who share two dorm-style bathrooms with stalls and showers -- so that they are more like efficiency apartments with individual kitchens and bathrooms. The residents, she said, "use the Y as a place to get established, look for work and get on their feet again."

She sees fundraising beginning right in the organization's back yard, with board and staff members giving their own personal gifts and then reaching the community.