YMCA Of Metro North Raises $150,000 At Gala

PEABODY, MA - From YMCA Metro North: The YMCA of Metro North celebrated its second annual “Where in the World” gala on Saturday September 22. Transforming the YMCA in Peabody into an international backdrop, over 250 people dined on cuisine donated from local restaurants, listened to the exotic melody of Caribbean band Kina Zore and was entertained by local auctioneer and radio personality, Chris Culkeen.

“The Y is a charity and as someone who understands this as well as its mission, I was proud to chair this
event”, notes Dave Gravel, President of Peabody based GraVoc. “The more people that attend, the greater the opportunity to share the message of the YMCA and how it serves the community. How many people even realize that the Y provides over $1000000 in financial aid each year?” Gravel and his wife, Cathy, along with multiple GraVoc employees as well YMCA team members wanted to make this experience unique and profoundly impactful.

Jessica Rosario from Lynn shared her impact story about how the Y has supported her journey as a single
parent. Rosario is a 28 year old mother of 4 that endured countless personal challenges yet the Y stood by her with scholarships as well as providing a safe, inviting location for her children. In addition, Merlyn Garcia of Lynn wowed the crowd with a live performance of Michael Jacksons, “Man in the Mirror." The 14 year old Kipp Academy student is a participant in the YMCA music studio in Lynn. Amanda Mena, recently home from her “America’s Got Talent” performance thanked the audience for their support as a contestant on the show. Mena is a 16 year old Lynn resident that discovered her passion for music as a 6 year old in the Lynn YMCA Music Studio.

The event raised almost $150,000 for the YMCA of Metro North Scholarship fund. President and CEO Bruce Macdonald notes “the Y is proud to not turn people away for inability to pay. We have a very simple scholarship process and all of our welcome centers are trained to support this.” He continued to say, “The event clearly demonstrated our core focus areas of Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.”

As part of the theme, one lucky winner wins a chance to travel anywhere in the world for dinner for 2. This trip is donated by GraVoc. Last year’s winner was Lydia Todd from Peabody who traveled to Australia with her husband Bob Sousa. This year’s winner was Michael Lamarre. His travel plans are unsure at this point but he is leaning towards lunch in Rome!

The YMCA of Metro North was formed in 2012 when the Greater Lynn YMCA acquired and merged with the Melrose YMCA. Annually over 30,000 individuals are impacted by the services. This organization is a led by a volunteer board of directors. For more information on the YMCA, visit www.ymcametronorth.org.

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