Achieve Scholarships for YMCA Educational Support

The Achieve Foundation, in partnership with the South Orange-Maplewood School District, the Parenting Center and the South Mountain YMCA, and with the support of the school PTAs and HSAs, is raising funds to ensure equitable access to in-person educational support, child care and enrichment programming at The Y.  You can help make sure scholarships are available to SOMSD families who need these programs the most during distance learning this fall.

The South Mountain Y is offering full and half-day programs that will aid in supervised schoolwork and allow for meaningful social interactions for children. Programming will follow all safety and social distance protocols and will be designed to support students’ school schedules in a safe, active, structured learning environment that will set them up for success both in and out of the classroom.

The  Y has generously agreed to reserve 15% of their available spots for SOMSD families receiving free or reduced lunch or who otherwise qualify, and because the School District is waiving their rental fees, they will be providing up to 90% in scholarships to these families. Achieve is committed to removing any remaining financial barriers by providing additional scholarship funding to K-6 students who need it.  

Thanks to the generosity of the Clawson, Danziger, Daugherty, and Jasey families, who are deeply committed to reducing educational inequities, we were able to launch this campaign with 25% of our $82,500 goal already raised. Please join them, along with the Achieve Foundation, to make sure these under-resourced children have access to the educational support they need.

To further the impact of your donation, we are pleased to announce that The Maplewood Rotary Club and Phillip and Melissa Sheehy are generously offering $10,000 to match ANY gift (up to a total of $10,000). Please take advantage of this generous match and make a gift today! 

Note:  Suggested donation levels on "Donate" page represent 10% scholarship amounts, which will bring a student's total Y scholarship to 100%, based on their financial need. 

* Any funds raised in excess of scholarship needs will be used to address educational equity in the South Orange-Maplewood School District.