Meeting Waters YMCA’s popular and respected after-school program will serve the three Walpole schools starting on the first day of the 2013-14 school year. ASPIRE (which stands for After-School Program for Inspiration, Recreation and Education) has served thousands of youth and parents over the past 15 years at program sites up and down the Vermont side of the Connecticut River.

Since its founding in 1895, Meeting Waters YMCA has been responding to community needs in the Fall Mountain, Bellows Falls, Brattleboro and Springfield regions with high-quality programs, according to Executive Director Steve Fortier. “As an example, we created ASPIRE in 1998 as a response to a call-to-action by the Superintendent of the Windham Northeast schools,” said Fortier. “He was pointing out that schools need partners to develop thriving young people. We responded with ASPIRE. A few months later, the leaders of the Brattleboro School District called us because they had the same need and they were hearing a lot of positive feedback about our program up north. Hard to believe, but that was 15 years ago, now.”

Fortier says the process of getting ASPIRE into the Walpole Schools has taken several months and involved input from many people. “We’re always thinking about how our resources can strengthen the foundations of community. We’ve kept the Fall Mountain elementary school principals informed about our ASPIRE program over the years,” Fortier adds. “A forum held last fall in Walpole on challenges facing local youth and families gave us a big push. The program develops 36 of the 40 ‘Developmental Assets’ Sam (principal) and Glen (guidance counselor) talked about as being key to all kids thriving academically, socially, physically and emotionally. We followed up with them after that forum and talked about how ASPIRE is far more than child care for working parents. It is a powerful youth development program that happens to also be of great value to working parents.”

Sam Jacobs, Principal of the Walpole schools also sees great value in the new partnership. “I’m well aware of the good work of the Meeting Waters YMCA and their commitment to the Developmental Assets model of youth development that we use at the Walpole Schools,” said Jacobs. “So, we are delighted for this new partnership between our two organizations. I feel it will benefit our kids, our families and the larger Walpole community.”