The final piece of the Tyrone YMCA financial problem puzzle was put into place yesterday as Executive Director Amy Hampton mailed a $40,318.02 check to the Internal Revenue Service.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re by no means out of the woods yet,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cBut we\u2019re well on our way. This was an important step in bringing this YMCA to where we want it to be.\u201d
\nThe trouble began last July when Hampton learned through the organization\u2019s then accountant revealed the Y failed to pay its share of local, state and federal income taxes. The reasons for the non-payment, which totaled more than $60,000, are still unknown, but regardless, YMCA officials have begun to pull themselves out of the hole.
\nThe funds came by means of a low-interest loan secured through a local banking establishment. This loan was consolidated with two existing loans and will be paid back over the next 15 years.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that we can have it paid off well before then,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cMaybe in five years or so.\u201d
\nWith the payment, Hampton noted that all monies owed to the state are now re-paid.
\nThe YMCA also received positive news yesterday in the form of a letter from the state Department of Revenue. That letter, over the signature of District Administrator John Gressler, stated the commonwealth has agreed to abate $11,563.50 owed to the state.
\n\u201cWe were very happy to receive this letter,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cNow, we\u2019re showing a big zero in the amount we owe the state. It\u2019s two positives in one week. We\u2019re now officially complete with all the local and state money that we owe.\u201d
\nThe only thing left to pay now is local taxes, which amounts to between $6,000 and $8,000.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re confident that through local and private donations, we have enough to take care of this also,\u201d said Hampton.
\nHampton said the re-paying of such a large debt so quickly should show the YMCA members and the community how dedicated the current board of directors and YMCA employees are to the organization.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve shown time and time again that we\u2019re going to make this YMCA the center of this community and it really needs to be,\u201d said Hampton.
\nAlso, provisions have been made to make sure these kinds of mistakes will not happen again.
\n\u201cThe board has taken a very pro-active role to assure there will not be a repeat of this incident,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cWe\u2019ve updated our Constitution and by-laws and put together a good system of checks and balances so we\u2019ll be on top of issues like this at all times.\u201d
\nHampton also said she hopes the community now realizes the money that will be raised during the upcoming annual fund drive will be used for operational costs of the organization and not be used to correct errors made by past officials.
\nThis year\u2019s drive, which is set to begin in February, will be somewhat different from drives in years past \u2013 drives that didn\u2019t reach the organization\u2019s goals.
\n\u201cWe thought we would do a little something different this year,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cOur goal of $30,000 is the same as last year, but the approach is going to change.\u201d
\nAccording to Hampton, about 40 volunteers have assembled and placed themselves into groups of five. Each of these volunteers are planning to speak, face-to-face, with five other people, regarding what the YMCA is and how important it is to the community.
\n\u201cLast year, we didn\u2019t meet our goal,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cWe used mailings and phone calls to work the drive, but we think the idea this year will be to go and physically speak to the people and let them really know what we\u2019re about and what we\u2019re trying to do. People will see how committed we are to this organization and the only way we can show that is to be there in person.\u201d
\nCurrently, there are more than 700 members who enjoy the YMCA\u2019s facility and programming schedule, and if things go as planned, more members will be joining in coming weeks.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re definitely going to make a push for more members in January and February,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cWe\u2019re offering new members the opportunity to get 25 percent off a one-year membership.\u201d
\nAccording to Hampton, the goal is just to get people through the door. She believes those who tour the facility would see the value of a membership and be inclined to join. Tours are free and those who think they may be interested in a membership, can apply for a two-week trial pass that will allow them to use YMCA facilities and involve themselves in programs for two weeks, all free of charge.
\n\u201cWe have tons of programs that are ongoing now and expect to begin seven new programs in the spring and summer,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cA big misconception is that the YMCA is a \u2018kid\u2019s place,\u2019 but that\u2019s just not the case. Many adults use the facilities right along side the younger people who come here.\u201d
\nHampton also said the YMCA and its staff are always looking into ways to improve the facility. She said comments, suggestions and ideas are always being explored.
\n\u201cOur philosophy is just give it a try,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cEvery idea is just an idea until life is breathed into it. That\u2019s what everyone here is prepared to do.\u201d
\nAnyone seeking more information is encouraged to contact the YMCA at 684-2740.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The final piece of the Tyrone YMCA financial problem puzzle was put into place yesterday as Executive Director Amy Hampton mailed a $40,318.02 check to the Internal Revenue Service. \u201cWe\u2019re by no means out of the woods yet,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cBut we\u2019re well on our way. This was an important step in bringing this YMCA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}