Impact

Your Support for FIYB Impacts Youth

As the board members of the Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB), we steward your gifts, channeling your generous private support to the Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB). It is our responsibility to you as our donors and to the community to assist the IYB mission through allocations of designated gifts to specific programs, and gifts for the “areas of greatest need”.

The FIYB board is pleased to announce that it allocated more than $100,000 over the past year to the IYB.  FIYB has had a positive impact on the community for 15 years providing a means for private individuals, families and organizations to make charitable gifts to support the IYB programs, facilities and initiatives.

Another visible example was when the IYB celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. We made a $75,000 grant to the IYB on behalf of all FIYB supporters.  In addition to funding improved furnishings at the IYB building and program equipment, resources were directed toward vans for transporting program participants. FIYB board members posed this fall with a newly leased van and met with IYB Director Gregg Houck.

Gregg updated us on what FIYB allocations this year so far have made possible: 

  • Collaborative memberships with local health and fitness partners for programming with Recreation Support Services (RSS) participants.

  • New utility sink and storage cabinets for the Stewart Park Day Camp as part of the Large Pavilion Addition project (with Friends of Stewart Park).

  • Snaplock dance flooring, piping, and draping to create a portable stage area for Expressive Arts performances, presentations, and other program uses.

  • $10,000 in youth scholarships for participation in local recreation programming.

  • Repairs to the accessible dock to support adaptive boating for the Stewart Park Day Camp.

  • New tents and camping equipment for the Outings program.

  • Supplies for the Afterschool Nutrition Program.

  • New roller skates for Cass Park Rink.

  • Support for critical staff training and development.

  • Rental vehicles for program transportation as the department phased out old vehicles and began leasing.

Thank you very much for your contributions that are having a tremendous amount of impact!

With gratitude,

Jeff Love, Mary Grainger, Allen Green, Eric Nichols, Peter Tsung

We are writing to ask you, and all of our supporters, to make financial gifts that help us realize this mission:

The Ithaca Youth Bureau offers participants from all backgrounds, walks of life, identities, abilities and lived experiences a broad range of recreation and youth development services, supports, and opportunities to enable them to thrive.

Can we count on you to unite with the IYB and FIYB to be best able to ensure that our community’s children and youth have access to safe and healthy recreational and youth development opportunities?

Through the generosity of community members, Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau provided funding in 2024 for the following IYB program needs:

• Replaced three Cass Park soccer goals

• Provided new tents for the Outings Program's camping trips

• Increased resources for scholarships to families for their children to attend Cass and Stewart Park Day Camps

• Secured an additional Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) for the Recreation Division for use at Stewart Park Day Camp and to have on hand at youth sports programs

• Supported the Paul Schreurs Memorial Program's cultural enrichment trip to New York City

Thank you for your past, present and future support that makes a difference in our community!

PS There are numerous ways you can unite with FIYB to show your support for the IYB! Gifts can be made online or by check.  In addition, FIYB can accept gifts of stocks and securities, and planned gifts. Contact us at friendsiyb@gmail.com for further details.  

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Impact of Gifts to Friends

Gifts to FIYB make a real difference to youth and families

Your support of FIYB helps to ensure that our community’s children and youth have access to safe and healthy recreational and youth development opportunities.

Gifts made in the past year were allocated to the Ithaca Youth Bureau according to preferred designations and the IYB program needs, including for:

  • The College Discovery Program (CDP) took the 10th grade cohort to the Adirondacks for a 4-day trip visiting Ausable Chasm, Howe Caverns, SUNY Cobleskill, and the Iroquois Indian Museum.

  • Recreation Support Services (RSS) purchased snow boots and snow pants so that participants could be outside for most of the winter. They also took a trip to Greek Peak for snow tubing and to a Syracuse Mets game in June, and purchased art supplies and a tablet for virtual programs.

  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BB/BS) bought board games, sleds, scooters, snowshoes, art and science kits, and balls for use by BB/BS matches all year long.

  • Paul Schreurs Memorial Program (PSMP) staff and participants traveled to Baltimore and Washington D.C. this summer. They also updated staff technology to virtually support students.

  • Recreation is updating outdoor play equipment for the 2022 summer Cass Park pool season and purchasing swim lesson teaching tools. In 2021 summer day camp families who are eligible for free or reduced lunch received more scholarship support (from 30% to 40% for reduced lunch and 60% to 70% for families who receive free lunch).

  • Outings is getting more warm winter boots, jackets, hats, and gloves for use by program participants for outdoor adventure winter programming.

  • New Expressive Arts Programs are being launched with gifts in memory of program founder Ruth Davis.

  • The Cass Park Arena Enclosure Campaign continues until anticipated construction begins.