Last week, elementary school students enrolled in the Ridgewood YMCA and Maspeth Town Hall after-school programs celebrated Thanksgiving together with their families and YMCA staff at P.S. 305 Learners and Leaders.
On Friday, Nov. 17, children from both after-school programs joined a YMCA Zumba instructor for a dance session before being served dinner from a buffet of food prepared by the families and staff members.
Many parents cooked homemade dishes for the celebration, while other brought in food from local stores and restaurants. Staff from the nearby YMCA program at Grover Cleveland High School came to support the feast by serving the food to students and families.
“Both programs were able to come together in the true spirit of the first Thanksgiving feast,” said Alexandra Reyes, Youth and Family Director at the Ridgewood YMCA. “All of the food at the event was delicious, but of course the best thing served at the event was the smiles on the participants’ faces.”
The Thanksgiving event was organized by the Ridgewood YMCA, with assistance from Deborah Villanueva, the parent coordinator at P.S. 305.
The Ridgewood YMCA after-school program at P.S. 305 Learners and Leaders provides families with a safe place for their children to stay after school. The program is free, and is fully funded by a New York State Advantage Grant/OCSF. In the program students are able to complete their homework as well as participate in educational activities to complement what they learned in school day, with an added focus on social and emotional learning.
For more information on the Ridgewood YMCA after-school program, contact Lucy Parks, Communications Assistant, at 540-810-5531, or La-Vena Francis, Executive Director, at 212-912-2190, or visit ymcanyc.org/ridgewood.
