Bill Text: NY K02222 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Chemung County Youth Bureau's Summer Cohesion Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-20 - adopted [K02222 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K02222-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 2222

BY: M. of A. Friend

        COMMEMORATING  the  50th  Anniversary  of  Chemung
        County Youth Bureau's Summer Cohesion Program

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to  recognize  and
pay  tribute  to  those  organizations which are dedicated to increasing
public awareness of, and appreciation for, the natural resources of  New
York,   recognizing  the  role  all  citizens  have  in  protecting  the
environment and the quality of life in this Empire State; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Chemung County Youth Bureau's Summer
Cohesion Program, to be celebrated at a Family  Fun  Night  at  Eldridge
Park in Elmira, New York, on Thursday, June 27, 2024; and

  WHEREAS, The Summer Cohesion Program serves to better meet the needs
of  children  and  families  within  Chemung  County  with recreational,
educational, and cultural enrichment programming; and

  WHEREAS, In 1972, Hurricane  Agnes  and  the  infamous  flooding  it
brought  about wreaked widespread destruction throughout Chemung County,
emphasizing the critical need for the community to conduct collaborative
program planning for summer youth programs; and

  WHEREAS, The Elmira City  School  District,  along  with  seven  key
partners:    the  United Way, the City of Elmira, the Town of Southport,
ARC, the Jewish Community Center, YMCA, and YWCA, all came  together  to
meet  that  need;  in 1974, the program now known as Summer Cohesion was
created; and

  WHEREAS, The founding board members of the Summer  Cohesion  program
include:  Bill  Cieri,  Jake Hover, Dave Mathes, Roberta McDonald, Polly
Sanders, Tom Tranter Jr., Ellen Wohl,  and  Marty  Yenawine,  under  the
supervision of whom the program began to flourish; and

  WHEREAS,  This  innovative  approach  to  summer  youth  programming
centralized  administration  and  planning  and  also  provided  a  more
efficient   use   of   community   resources;  program  duplication  was
eliminated, and programs were provided in areas  where  they  previously
did  not  exist,  ultimately allowing for members of the community to be
assisted in new ways, for the betterment of  the  county  and  state  at
large; and

  WHEREAS,  From  1974  until  1976,  Summer Cohesion was administered
through the Elmira City School District, and officially became a  county
program  when  it was placed under the newly formed Chemung County Youth
Bureau in 1977; although  a  county-operated  program,  Summer  Cohesion
still  maintains  its  collaborative  roots as demonstrated with the 30+
community partners it boasts today; and

  WHEREAS, A true asset to its community and local economy, the Summer
Cohesion Program has  provided  summer  recreational,  educational,  and
enrichment  programming  to  over  50,000  young  people  throughout the

community in the past 50  years,  and  has  provided  summer  employment
opportunities  and life skills training to over 6,000 young adults since
1974; and

  WHEREAS,  Receiving  due  praise  for  the  program's  dedicated and
unwavering efforts, the Summer Cohesion Program has  been  commended  by
the  Chemung  County  Youth Board, the National Association of Counties,
the New York State Recreation and Park Society, the United  Way  of  the
Southern  Tier,  the  New York State Division for Youth, and the Genesee
Valley Recreation and Parks Society; and

  WHEREAS, It  is  the  sense  of  this  Legislative  Body  that  when
individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are
brought  to  our  attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by
all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Chemung County Youth Bureau's Summer
Cohesion Program; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the leadership of Chemung County  Youth  Bureau's  Summer
Cohesion Program.