The Tyrone YMCA Board of Directors received an unpleasant surprise in July when it was noted that years of local, state and federal taxes were not paid by the organization\u2019s accountant.
\nAs a result, the YMCA owed a hefty sum of money, and it asked the community for help.
\nAccording to Amy Hampton, executive director of the YMCA, the situation was brought to light in July when YMCA accountant John Ramsey met with Hampton to welcome her as the new executive director.
\nShe learned that while the withholding tax for the approximate 40 employees was paid, the additional share owed by the organization was never paid. This amounted to nine quarters worth of taxes equaling nearly $45,400 in federal liabilities and about $15,000 in state liabilities. Throw in the interest and penalty amounts and this debt reached well above $60,000.
\nAfter learning of the situation, Hampton said she checked the 2000 report and spoke with the bookkeeper.
\n\u201cI was told that there was a decision made not to pay the full amount since the Y did not have the money,\u201d said Hampton.
\nShe said she was not aware who made that decision.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure if it was mismanagement or outright deceit,\u201d she said. \u201cSomewhere along the way, someone had the idea that just because you are a non-profit, then you don\u2019t have to operate like a business. I don\u2019t know what decisions were made and by whom, but I know that poor decisions were made.\u201d
\nSo soon after the board learned of the debt, they began brainstorming for ideas that would pull the community-centered organization back into the black.
\nAfter a series of public meetings, pleas to the community and attending municipal meetings, the board received its first donation with a $1,000 check from community resident Dan Meckes.
\n\u201cI am not a rich man, but I am rich in memories of what the Tyrone YMCA did for me and this town and it\u2019s time I give back,\u201d said Meckes, when the check was presented in August. \u201cI want to provide this seed money in the hope it will attract the attention and contribution of the entire community.
\n\u201cI hope this small contribution, compared to what some in the town could give, will ignite an awareness so that others will pick up the banner and follow my meager example.\u201d
\nAnd follow they did.
\nSoon, other checks began rolling into the organization. Past board members began contacting state and local officials to see if they could help out. Fundraising campaigns also swallowed a good number of volunteer hours.
\n\u201cTo date, we\u2019ve raised close to $35,000 through fundraising and from private donations,\u201d said Hampton. \u201cAnd it all started with Dan Meckes\u2019 check. We\u2019ve been receiving donations pretty much since that time and they have ranged anywhere between $14 and $5,000.\u201d
\nSo where does this leave the YMCA?
\nAccording to Hampton, about $20,000 short.
\n\u201cNow that\u2019s a rough estimate,\u201d she said. \u201cBut, it\u2019s close.\u201d
\nAccording to Hampton, the YMCA, its board of directors and its volunteers continue to propose ideas for ways to continue having money roll in, most of which will be used to alleviate the debt.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful,\u201d she said. \u201cThe community has definitely shown they\u2019re willing to support what we\u2019ve been doing. We\u2019re obviously moving in the right direction. The support has been wonderful.
\n\u201cI think the community realizes that the YMCA is a vital part of the community and they\u2019re showing they want it to be around. We\u2019re definitely going to do our part to make sure the doors stay open and continue to operate in a positive manner.\u201d
\nAnyone who wished to make a donation or volunteer their time, is asked to contact 684-2740.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Tyrone YMCA Board of Directors received an unpleasant surprise in July when it was noted that years of local, state and federal taxes were not paid by the organization\u2019s accountant. As a result, the YMCA owed a hefty sum of money, and it asked the community for help. According to Amy Hampton, executive director […]<\/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-47583","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\/47583","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=47583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}