Steve Fortier sent the press release and the companion photo of Maddie as she displays her “All About Me” self-portrait. – Lil 

Meeting Waters YMCA’s Y-ASPIRE after-school program has been up and running in Walpole since the first day of school. Children and parents from all three Walpole schools have already taken advantage of this quality program. Now, they’d like to tell you about their experience.

On Monday, October 7^th, the Y staff along with the program participants and parents at the Walpole site will host an Open House to introduce the program to other students, parents and community members. The event will take place between 4:30 and 6:00 at the program site in the Community Room of Walpole Primary School. At the Open House, a few current participants and parents will talk about the value they have found in the program. The youth participants will also lead an activity related to October’s theme at all six Y-ASPIRE sites up and down the Valley—“Our Core Values: Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.”

Information will also be shared about the various forms of financial assistance available to parents.

The Y-ASPIRE program runs after school for each of the 180 school days. It also runs for full days on all school vacations and most holidays, as well as for half-days on teacher in-service and other early release days. In all, the program operates for over 210 days between the first day of school and the last.

For more information about this event, Y-ASPIRE or other Meeting Waters YMCA services, visit http://www.meetingwatersymca.org, Meeting Waters YMCA on Facebook, or call their main office at (802) 463-4769.

Founded in 1895, Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, social service organization serving the Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Fall Mountain regions. It strengthens the foundations of community through youth development, healthy living, social responsibility and family strengthening.