Page 39 - 2024 Westchester County Economic Development Guide

The Business Council of Westchester
Delfino says she appreciates the multifaceted support provided by The Business Council of Westchester. “You cannot do this alone, which is why we have been part of the BCW for many years. Marsha Gordon and Linda Tyler understand my business and they are phenomenal at linking people together,” she says. “For a non-profit, the BCW opens doors. Our board members respect and understand what we do and they do what they can to
help us,” she says. “I met Pat Lynch, the President of OLA Consulting Engineers, through the Business Council. He was phenomenal in helping us navigate our building issues. I had so many people in my corner. The Westchester community works to together. We help each other here.”
Reflecting on the Y’s transformation over the past decade, and the value it provides to Westchester’s working parents, Delfino notes, “ultimately, the YMCA is about building community. We address the core values of honesty, caring, respect and responsibility. We are also teaching children soft skills to grow into successful adults. These are also skills that employers seek.”
In sum, “I am very proud of the work that we do, knowing that childcare is such a need within the region," says Delfino. "This journey has been surprising and so gratifying. I am a person who looks at bad things and have to find one good thing that came out of it. You have to take life as it comes and do the best with what you got.”
Opposite and Above: Shifting away from the classic gym-resident model, the YMCA of Northern Westchester now focuses not only on providing childcare, but teaching children soft skills to grow into successful adults.
Youth Shelter Program of Westchester, Inc.
Incorporated in 1975, the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester (YSOW) is one of its kind throughout New York State. YSOW has two main program structures: residential and community-based. Its 12-bed shelter operates as a homelike alternative to incarceration
for young men awaiting disposition or who have been sentenced on various criminal charges through the local court system. Operating out of a newly renovated building next door, its LEAD Academy serves young people (ages 16- 25) from throughout the community who have come into contact with the legal system.
Feeding Westchester
With a mission to nourish its neighbors, Feeding Westchester envisions a community where all people have access to the food they need today, and the fundamental resources to build a better tomorrow. It works alongside nearly 300 partners and programs, to source and
distribute food and other resources to communities across Westchester, helping to ensure that none of our neighbors are hungry.
Neighbors Link
The Neighbors Link mission is to strengthen the whole community through the healthy integration of immigrants. Our mission is achieved by filling a service gap for new immigrant families, offering education and empowerment programs, involving longer-term residents in volunteer opportunities and creating substantive partnerships
with other local organizations. Our strategies to educate, empower and employ families include a Worker Center, English as a Second Language (ESL) education, legal services and advocacy, workforce development, parent education, early childhood programs and academic support for school-age children of immigrants.
Making An Impact
WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 37
© Courtesy of YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester