Although the Roxbury YMCA is open all year, it plays a special role during the winter months when exercising and socializing outside are more difficult. This winter, one of the coldest winters Boston has seen since 2018, it’s especially needed.
At 8 a.m., Associate Community Engagement Director Angela Allen and her staff walk through the doors for the first community event of the day: a coffee hour for seniors who want a kick start to their mornings. Allen runs around assisting with check-in and greeting members; Christie Janvier, a front desk agent, directs people.
At around 9 a.m., the members make their way to meditate, do yoga or a attend a line dancing class. This is often when they meet with their coach, Abayomi Munro, the Y’s healthy living director.
As the day goes on, members pop in to drop off children, use the facilities and sometimes just say “hello.” Chatter bounces off of the walls, making each room full and vibrant.
Roxbury has been a center of Black culture for decades, and the Y serves as an important community hub for long standing residents and new.
“We need this central area and to be able to go to a place that is accessible to us. We shouldn’t have to travel outside our area,” Allen said.
The non-profit offers a variety of programs that are designed specifically for and by community members. According to a 2023 report from the Boston Public Health Commission, during the combined years of 2017, 2019, and 2021, 15% of Roxbury adults had diabetes, the highest rate of any Boston neighborhood. Munro says the center offers a program focused on helping those who are pre-diabetic.
For older people who want to move their bodies or have suffered from an illness, Munro also teaches the Livestrong program.
“It focuses more on helping cancer survivors rebuild their strength and their fitness, as well as giving them a sense of community,” he said.
The most rewarding feeling for Munro is “being able to see the change in people.”
“When you see someone who comes in for the first time, and they might be new to the community or they might be a little isolated, just being able to see them kind of [develop] relationships and friends with other members and even sometimes with staff,” he said.
Another popular feature at the branch is its partnership with local schools like Bridge Boston Charter School. During the week, students of all ages use the branch’s facilities because some of their schools lack courts and fields to play on.
Janvier, the front desk agent, did not grow up going to the Y, but she recognized its importance in the community.
“If it were up to me, I’d put one in every neighborhood,” she said.
The pandemic hit organizations everywhere hard. Like schools across the nation, many YMCAs closed their doors for several months. But little by little, directors were able to open their doors again. Now, almost five years after the 2020 lockdowns, the branch is bustling. But it still faces some challenges.
According to Allen, despite constantly buzzing with people and having raised over $74,000 at its 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast earlier this year, the branch struggles with funding. Most of the branch’s funding comes from grants from city and state grants. After that it’s gifts (mostly from corporations) and then a small slice of the budget comes from membership fees.
As one of the first faces seen when walking through the doors, part of Janvier’s role is to sell memberships. If a program that people want to see isn’t offered at the branch, she makes a note of it and reports back to Allen.
Allen said: “I want to make sure everybody that comes through that door, there’s something for them, regardless of if they’re Latino, Asian, or African American. I don’t turn anybody away, which is why we make sure to get donations to keep programs going.”
For more information on all of Boston’s YMCA branches, please visit ymcaboston.org.