YMCA of Long Island Fills 500 Backpacks

Long Island, N.Y. (September 25, 2015) – The YMCA of Long Island (YMCALI) recently partnered with AvalonBay Communities as part of the “Fill My Backpack” campaign, developed as a resource to collect school supplies for preschool students on Long Island. Back-to-school items and monetary donations were collected at YMCALI branches located in Glen Cove, NY; Huntington, NY; Bay Shore, NY; Patchogue, NY; Brookhaven, NY; and East Hampton, NY. As a result, a total of 500 backpacks filled with desperately needed supplies for the new school year.

“We understand back-to-school supplies are costly, and there are families in our communities who simply cannot afford the extra expenses,” said Anne Brigis, President and CEO of the YMCA of Long Island. “We created the ‘Fill My Backpack’ campaign as a resource for our kind neighbors to donate supplies and limit the financial burden from families who simply cannot afford them. With the help of Long Islanders, preschool students across several communities are now prepared with the tools they need to begin the new school year.”

Over 30 AvalonBay Communities staff members attended a backpack-stuffing event hosted on September 11, 2015 at the Huntington YMCA, at which volunteers organized the donations and filled and distributed the backpacks. Each backpack consisted of essential items for the young preschoolers and the campaign also raised additional funds that will be used to purchase books for the YMCA preschool libraries.

“It was a rewarding experience partnering with the YMCA of Long Island,” said Christopher Capece, AvalonBay’s senior development director and a member of Long Island’s YMCA Board of Directors. “We were very pleased with the turnout of donations and hope we can continue to see this campaign grow each year.”

About YMCA of Long Island:

The YMCA is a leader in providing programs that strengthen the mind, body and spirit connection. Long Islanders of all ages and fitness levels learn to live their healthiest lives inside the YMCA’s state-of-the-art facilities in Brookhaven, East Hampton, Glen Cove, Bay Shore, Huntington and Patchogue. The YMCA of Long Island is a cause-driven nonprofit organization that works to strengthen communities through programs that focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. For information and locations, visit www.ymcali.org, or call 855-296-2254.

About AvalonBay Communities, Inc.:

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. is in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing high-quality apartment communities, which are located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California regions of the country. For more information on AvalonBay Communities, visit www.avalonbay.com.

Photo 1: (L-R) Christopher Capece, Senior Development Director at AvalonBay Communities and Anne N. Brigis, President & CEO, YMCALI during the Fill My Backpack campaign. The YMCALI recently partnered with AvalonBay Communities as part of the “Fill My Backpack” campaign, developed as a resource to collect school supplies for preschool students on Long Island.

Photo 2: (L-R) Anne N. Brigis, President & CEO,YMCALI, Christopher Capece, Senior Development Director, AvalonBay Communities and Eileen Knauer, Senior Vice President & COO, YMCALI join more than 30 members of their organizations to fill over 500 backpacks with essential school supplies for preschool students on Long Island.

Photo 3: AvalonBay and YMCALI staff hard at work sorting donated supplies and filling backpacks for students during the Fill My Backpack campaign. The YMCALI recently partnered with AvalonBay Communities as part of the “Fill My Backpack” campaign, developed as a resource to collect school supplies for preschool students on Long Island.

Photo 4: Some of the 500 Backpacks successfully filled with donated school supplies and ready to be distributed to LI students. The YMCALI recently partnered with AvalonBay Communities as part of the “Fill My Backpack” campaign, developed as a resource to collect school supplies for preschool students on Long Island.

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