From the Director's Desk...Welcoming 2023!

As 2022 slips away, I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who connected with us in some way this year. This issue of Happenings will give you a glimpse of the many programs and opportunities we offered youth and families over the year. I am proud of our staff and programs, and the role they play in making lives better.  

In 2023, the Youth Bureau turns 75 and Cass Park Pool turns 50! We can’t wait to celebrate with you. We are excitedly planning for 2023 and look forward to creating new memories, meeting challenges, developing friendships, experiencing accomplishments, and welcoming new learning. 
I hope you all stay warm this season as you welcome in the New Year! 

~ Liz Klohmann, IYB Director  

2022 Highlights
College Discovery Program

• ​​We enrolled 23 new students in its sixth cohort this year representing all eight Ithaca elementary schools.
• Among our high school participants, a record number signed up to study various trades at the Career and Tech Center at BOCES including animal science, welding, automotive technology, exercise science, culinary arts, and cosmetology. They are learning valuable skills and will graduate with some college credits!
• This group also learned about careers last semester by touring Ithaca college programs including programs for physician assistants, physical and occupational therapy and local businesses including TCAT offices, Communique Marketing, Coltivare, and the Henry Miller Inn. It's been a busy year of career exploration! And more than half of the CDP high-school students had their first summer job this year via YES or WorkForce NY.

The Recreation Department

• Wow, 2022 was a busy year! We said goodbye to long-term staff member Janet Olsen and welcomed two new recreation specialists: Anthony Maggio and Blake Cute. This year, our team focused on making sure our programs are welcoming and inclusive to all participants and their families. 
• In 2022, we ran approximately 80 sessions of expressive arts programing serving more than 440 participants – more than any one of the large sports programs! Our offerings included dance, fine arts, pottery, and theater.   
• In addition, we brought almost all of our regular sports and other general recreation programming back – including baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, Tae kwon do, and more. And are happy to announce that the elementary basketball program will return in January of 2023!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ithaca and Tompkins County

• BBBS of Ithaca and Tompkins County made 23 new matches this year! We also hosted a variety of activities for our matches including biking, creek exploration, ice-skating, pumpkin carving and more!
•  Additionally BBBS hosted an Adventure Week during the summer, primarily for kids still waiting to be matched. We went to Taughannock Falls, Green Lakes State Park, the Cornell Equestrian Center, and many other fun places.

Paul Schreurs Memorial Program

• Our program welcomes 25 new students this year! Our homework clubs meet four days a week after school in the high and middle schools.
• This year, we participated in a community service project with a local artist Yen Ospina to create a mural for the Women’s Community Building new kids' room.
• In the summer, we visited local colleges and business including DK Horse Farm, Coltivare, Vias Cookies, and Journey Fitness. Nineteen of our students traveled to Boston where they experienced whale watching, learned about the lobster industry, visited the aquarium and science museum, and went to the beach – some for the first time!

The Outings Program

• Outings After School Programs served more than 290 participants this year. This includes participants in Adventure Programs, Pathfinders, Trailblazers, and Explorers. Ninety-six percent of our participants tried a new skill this year, including tree climbing, rock climbing, canoeing, biking, knots, shelter building, outdoor survival skills and camping, to name a few. 
• We also coordinated trips to the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes National Forest for camping, hiking, outdoor rock climbing, team building, fishing, and games. And we brought back our annual canoe trip in conjunction with the Lehman Alternative Community School. Seventeen students and three adults practiced for six weeks in local waterways and then spent five days backcountry canoeing Pine Creek in Pennsylvania.   

Ithaca Bike Rental

• Ithaca Bike Rental served more than 995 riders from across the world in 2022. Of those riders 506 were visitors to Ithaca, 269 were residents of Ithaca and surrounding communities, and 143 were youth and adults involved in Youth Bureau programs. 
• We employed local teens, providing them with an opportunity to be involved in an entrepreneurial venture. And we worked with local organizations to bring unique bike experiences to groups who might not have the opportunity otherwise including GIAC Senior and Youth Programs, Bike Walk Tompkins, Finger Lakes Touring and Youth Bureau programs. In addition, a Tompkins County Outdoor grant helped replace and upgrade bikes. 

Recreation Support Services

• Recreation Support Services (RSS) offers recreation and leisure opportunities for youth and adults with developmental disabilities. In 2022, we supported ten youth in summer day camps, coordinating trips to parks, hikes and local attractions, and took kids to cooking and horseback riding classes. We also provided an in-school nature program based on science and movement. 
• Our RSS Adult program offered an array of programs designed to provide adults with disabilities new leisure experiences, opportunities to socialize, and build skills. We brought back our Buddy Workout program at The Gym in Ithaca, which provides physical exercise and a sense of community. 

Youth Employment Service

• The Youth Employment Service placed 182 teens in subsidized jobs this year. They worked a combined total of 18,679 hours and earned over $246,000. In our survey, 87% of these teens improved their work readiness skills and 96% felt supported by YES during their job experience. YES also supported 25 teens in gaining private employment in the community this year.  
• In addition, Ithaca Youth Council Ambassadors are once again meeting to tackle projects important to teens. The current cohort is 20 students representing most of the secondary schools in Tompkins County.