[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E798-E799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWARK YMWCA ON 120 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2001

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues here in the United 
States House of Representatives to join me in honoring an institution 
which is close to my heart and which has inspired countless young men 
and women over its 120 years of service, the YMWCA of Newark and 
Vicinity.
  As friends and supporters of the Newark Y gather for the 120th 
anniversary celebration, we reflect on the unique history of the 
organization as it has worked to serve fellow citizens, young and old, 
men and women, families and singles, of all races and religions. The 
Newark Y was the first major Y in the nation to have an African 
American Executive Director, Mr. Robert Wilson. In the early 1950s, 
when both the YMCA and the YWCA were conducting a capital campaign to 
raise funds for a new building, it was decided that the two would 
merge, creating the YMWCA. The Newark Y has been in the forefront of 
international programs, with the diligent global work of people like 
Woody and Connie English putting Newark on the map.
  As a school teacher in the 1950s, I encouraged students on the 
athletic team I was coaching at the then Southside High School, called 
Malcolm X. Shabazz High School today, to join in the storefront Y at 52 
Jones Street. That first group formed the Omega Phi Epsilon High School 
Club, and within a few years we had over 40 clubs. The TransCity Teen 
Program was recognized as the most active in the country. Our efforts 
at the Y resulted in thousands of youngsters being mentored and placed 
in colleges throughout the northeast and the rest of the nation. 
Volunteers would drive them to college and help them settle in to their 
freshman dormitories. Participating in regional, national and 
international programs in Europe, South America and Africa, many of the 
Y youngsters of yesterday have become outstanding leaders of today in 
all fields: education, law, government, medicine, and the corporate 
world. The YMWCA is committed to developing the spirit, mind and body 
of the individual; to creating a sense of common social purpose in the 
community; and to promoting basic, wholesome values for living. The 
YMWCA demonstrates those commitments through programs and services 
which offer opportunities to develop youth leadership skills,

[[Page E799]]

strengthen family life, adopt healthy lifestyles, build international 
understanding, make friends, go to camp, learn to swim, obtain new 
skills, volunteer in the community, and play basketball and other 
sports. Despite the ever-changing nature of the world, the need for 
these kinds of programs and services remains as great as it was when 
the YMWCA was founded in 1881.
  As the proud former national President of the YMCAs of the USA, I am 
pleased to recognize the Y for its many contributions to the quality of 
life in Newark and surrounding communities and urge support for the Y 
so that it may continue to serve us for years to come.

                          ____________________