Steve Fortier

‘I led a decades-long effort to give the building away’

‘I led a decades-long effort to give the building away’

Meeting Waters YMCA tried for years and worked in good faith to find a worthy steward of 66 Atkinson St. It was not to be, and that shouldn’t reflect poorly on the organization.

As the building at 66 Atkinson St. in Bellows Falls, which the press often refers to as “the former YMCA,” is being demolished, I want to offer some background information that has not been part of the conversation because no media outlets have contacted Meeting Waters YMCA (MWYMCA) in their reporting.

Alongside several iterations of MWYMCA's board of directors, I led a decades-long effort to give the building away to an organization or initiative that would allow for it to continue to be a benefit to the community.

Read More

Breaking barriers

By developing connections between young and old, a simple idea can yield a powerful result

One of many blessings in my life is that I have been able to visit lots of incredible places through my important work. Of all of these, the place for which I have the fondest memories is Dillingham, Alaska, the hub of the communities in the Bristol Bay region,

Read More

It's all about a healthier Vermont

Why an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is good public policy

In 2011, my organization, the Healthy Communities Coalition, was recognized as one of four “model success stories” in healthy communities work nationwide. So we speak with experience and credibility in (as our slogan says) “making the healthy choice the easy choice.” In testifying in favor of the House bill,

Read More

More

Not all afterschool programs are government-subsidized

RE: “After hours” [Aug. 8]: I would just like to clarify that Meeting Waters YMCA's many state-licensed school age child care programs do not receive federal funding. It is imperative that readers understand that your region's largest provider of state-licensed school-age child care depends on local support as part of its sustainable revenue mix. These programs include Y-ASPIRE at Brattleboro's Academy, Green Street and Oak Grove schools, Guilford Central School, Dummerston School, Rockingham Central and Saxtons River School; Kindergarten ASPIRE...

Read More

Meeting Waters YMCA recognizes, supports dads

More than a century ago, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd aspired to create a holiday to honor fathers. The daughter of a single father and Civil War veteran was inspired by a Mother's Day sermon and wondered why there was no holiday for fathers. After securing support from ministers in Spokane, Wash., her idea came to fruition with the first Father's Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. On Sunday, June 17, Meeting Waters YMCA joins the nation...

Read More