Proceeds from the Ultimate Sports Raffle directly support YMCA programs and services in Pittsburgh’s urban communities. 

Special thanks to everyone who supported the raffle this year.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 14, 2011 – The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh today announced that its new chief executive officer is Rig Riggins, a long-time YMCA executive who currently heads the YMCA of the Inland Northwest in Spokane, Washington.

“Western Pennsylvania is indeed lucky to have someone with Rig’s experience to take over leadership of the Y of Greater Pittsburgh,” said Robert B. Cottington, Chairman of the Y Metropolitan Board of Directors.  “Rig has demonstrated through many years in executive roles at various Y’s around the country that he understands how to operate and grow YMCA organizations to serve more people, increase membership, solidify funding, develop teams of volunteers and staff, and strengthen partnerships with other community organizations.  We are very excited to bring Rig to Pittsburgh to lead our Y.”

“My first priorities at the Y of Greater Pittsburgh will be to work with board, staff and volunteers to advance our current strategic initiatives and continue to grow the organization, while introducing myself to Pittsburgh area foundations, corporations and other nonprofit organizations,” said Riggins.

 Rig Riggins has served as the president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of the Inland Northwest since 2001.  Under his leadership, the Spokane Y successfully completed a $40 million capital campaign in collaboration with the YWCA, the largest total ever for a Spokane nonprofit capital campaign. During Riggins’ years as CEO, the Spokane Y also opened two new branches, quadrupled membership at its facilities and initiated new membership packages that made the Spokane Y more affordable for families of limited means

Before joining the Spokane Y, Riggins served in a number of executive roles at Y’s across the United States, including as President of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, California; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA of San Diego County, California; Vice President of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, California; and in several management roles at the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, Iowa.  He earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Drake University. In 2010, Riggins was awarded the annual NAYDO Award for Excellence in Fundraising for all YMCAs in North America.  Riggins currently serves as a member of the National Board of the 501(c) Agencies Trust.

Riggins first day at the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh will be January 2, 2012. Riggins replaces Eric Mann, who left the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh earlier this year to become the head of the Jacksonville, Florida Y. During the transition, William F. Jones, Jr., Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, served as interim CEO for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

Read additional coverage of this story below:
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Pittsburgh Business Times

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Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Read more of the article in the Upper St. Clair Patch

Romulo Dantas, Executive Secretary for Youth Empowerment, World Alliance of YMCAs, delivered a message on the critical challenges facing young people and the important role organizations like the YMCA play in investing in and partnering with youth to address social issues. He shared his story of growing up in a dangerous neighborhood outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and how the YMCA became his refuge, a place where he developed confidence and the skills to lead, inspire and give back to his community.

 Dantas shared the stage with Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General; and Mr. Josepf Deiss, former President of Switzerland and current President of the UN General Assembly; and Ms. Alek Wek, model, humanitarian and author from South Sudan. The speech took place during the HLM opening ceremony on Monday, July 25, 2011, and was attended by heads of state, dignitaries and official delegates of the UN Member States. At the close of the meeting, the UN Member States will adopt an outcome document that will shape youth public policies and programs  in all member countries.

All of the speeches are now posted on the UN’s multimedia site at http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/c/youthmeeting2011.html
To view the speech from Romulo Dantas, Executive Secretary for Youth Empowerment, World Alliance of YMCAs, click on this link: http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/07/romulo-dantas-ymca-brazil-2011-high-level-meeting-on-youth-110th-plenary-meeting.html
About the Global YMCA Movement

Founded in 1844 in London, England, the YMCA has grown into one of the largest volunteer organizations in the world, serving 45 million people in more than 125 countries. As an interconnected global network, the Y has the resources and solutions to build bridges and make our communities stronger worldwide. Often operating in challenging social, economic and political environments, Ys deliver innovative solutions to meet community need and empower people with the skills and opportunities to create a better future for themselves and their families.

The YMCA has established a search committee and will be working with the YMCA of the USA to identify a replacement for Mr. Mann.  The Greater Pittsburgh Y expects to have Mr. Mann’s replacement identified prior to his departure.

“Under Eric Mann’s superb leadership over the past eight years, the Greater Pittsburgh Y has improved and expanded our facilities, vastly increased membership, the scope of our services and the number of people we help, solidified our funding, developed a strong team of volunteers and staff, and strengthened our partnerships with other community organizations,” said Robert B. Cottington, Chairman of the Y Metropolitan Board of Directors.

“On behalf of all 170 full-time employees and hundreds volunteers at our 16 locations and 3 camps, I would like to thank Eric for his years of service and his extraordinary accomplishments in Pittsburgh, and to wish him and his family the best of luck in Jacksonville.

Mr. Mann said that he is making the move to be closer to his and his wife’s families.  “It will indeed be difficult to leave the Pittsburgh area and all the many friends I have made here, but my family and I will always have fond memories of the area.

“Most of all, I will remember the way other Pittsburgh non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes have always seemed to come together to help the Y meet our social responsibility to address community challenges with innovative programs that develop youth, encourage healthy living and improve our community,” said Mr. Mann.

Since Eric Mann began his term as CEO of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, the organization has opened 6 new or expanded Y’s, including the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, Penn Hills YMCA, Baierl Family YMCA, Wilmerding YMCA and two new Y facilities in downtown Pittsburgh, the PNC YMCA and the PNC YMCA at the U.S. Steel Tower. Facility improvement continues, as the YMCA recently broke ground on the new Thelma Lovette YMCA on Centre Avenue.  In 2010, the Greater Pittsburgh Y also completed a merger with the YMCA of McKeesport.

During Mr. Mann’s tenure, the YMCA completed two capital campaigns, raising $43 million to support improvement and expansion of facilities and YMCA programs.  The YMCA has also established numerous new YMCA programs to address pressing social problems such as childhood nutrition and obesity, and to help underserved populations such as the poor, minorities and the elderly.  Many of these programs developed as YMCA partnerships with other Pittsburgh non-profit organizations and for-profit corporations.  The YMCA also has developed corporate wellness programs with many organizations throughout the community.

Before joining the Y of Greater Pittsburgh, Mr. Mann held management and executive positions for a number of YMCA’s around the country, including in Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Charlotte.

For more information or to schedule an interview with either Robert Cottington or Eric Mann, please contact Beth Wiehagen at bwiehagen@jampole.com or 412-471-2463.

PITTSBURGH, PA – April 7, 2011 – First Niagara Bank announced today that it is contributing $100,000 to the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, and challenging the community and other corporate citizens to support Pool Together for Swim Safety, a program that will provide local school-age children with urgentlyneeded swimming instruction at YMCA Summer Camps this year.

“Learning to swim is a critical skill for any child. But for minority children, who are 2.6 times more likely to drown, basic swimming skills are especially important,” said Eric Mann, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. “Seventy percent of African?American young children and 58 percent of Hispanic children can’t swim, compared to 40 percent of white children, according to a 2010 study commissioned by USA Swimming.”

The campaign kicks-off at the first Pittsburgh Penguins home playoff game. The fun begins before the game where Pens fans can show support of swim safety and their team by donating to “dunk” local celebrities and opposing team fans at the First Niagara Swim Tank outside CONSOL Energy Center. There will be other surprises happening during the game. Volunteers will collect donations and fans can also purchase a limited edition Pool Together for Swim Safety aluminum water bottle for $10, with 100 percent of proceeds supporting the effort. For every 12 water bottles sold, one more local child will benefit from the Y’s swim program and be at lower risk of drowning. Water bottles will also be available at select Pittsburgh area YMCA locations.

“First Niagara Bank is thrilled to contribute to Pool Together for Swim Safety with a public awareness campaign and funding that will enable more than 400 local five to eight year?old children to get

important swimming instruction at YMCA Urban Summer Camps this summer. We hope the community will join us so we sell?out all of the ‘limited time only’ water bottles, allowing an additional 200 kids to get the fundamental water safety instruction they need this summer,” said Todd Moules, First Niagara Bank Regional President.

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh branches participating in the Pool Together for Swim Safety program include Centre Avenue, Homewood, Collegiate, Hazelwood, Allegheny and McKeesport. The Allegheny, PNC and Wilmerding branches will serve as pool sites. Swim sessions using the Y-USA’s SPLASH curriculum will be held this summer, and will include five, one hour sessions per child. Water bottles will be available at select Pittsburgh area YMCA locations. For more information about the Pool Together for Swim Safety program, visit www.yswimsafety.org.

About First Niagara Financial Group

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., has $21 billion inassets, 256 branches and $13 billion in deposits. First Niagara Bank, N.A. is a multi-state community-oriented bank providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses. Upon completion of its pending merger with NewAlliance Bancshares, Inc. — subject to customary closing conditions including approvals from regulators — First Niagara will have more than $30 billion in assets, $18 billion in deposits and 340 branches across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.fnfg.com.

About the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is a 501c (3) charitable organization with the mission to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities by developing the spirit, mind and body of every individual. Founded in 1854, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is committed to providing programs and services that strengthen the family, foster the holistic development of children and youth and promote the health and wellbeing of the entire community in western Pennsylvania. Programs offered by the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh serve more than 80,000 different people each year and include community outreach, after-school care and childcare, emergency food programs, youth and family camping, health and fitness, youth counseling, teen mentoring and senior wellness programs. The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is part of the national YMCA movement, which collectively is the largest not-for-profit service organization in the United States.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Helen Tederous
First Niagara
(716) 697?2335
helen.tederous@fnfg.com

The Y of Greater Pittsburgh announced that it has completed the integration of the McKeesport Y into its network of 19 locations throughout Allegheny County and western Pennsylvania.

“We’ve been laying the groundwork for this merger over the last year and a half in an effort to provide McKeesport residents with greater resources to healthy lifestyles and community support,” said Eric Mann, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA. “We’re glad to officially welcome McKeesport into the Greater Pittsburgh family.”

“A major reason behind the merger is to expand programming,” said Hairston. “The merger opens a door for growth in McKeesport. It’s a strong partnership with both sides dedicated to building a healthy, socially responsible community.”

With the help of the Greater Pittsburgh Y, the McKeesport YMCA moved into a new 7870-square foot facility last April. The new McKeesport Y provides members with a wide variety of wellness, fitness, youth, senior, community, nutritional, athletic and other programs.

In addition to the increase in local programs, members of the McKeesport branch will now have the opportunity to purchase association-wide memberships which provide access to programs and facilities throughout the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA network.

“One important merger goal we have set is to continue providing services as locally as possible for easy access but also making members an active part of the larger community,” said Mann. “With the association-wide membership, for example, a parent who works downtown can exercise during lunchtime at the Downtown Y while their kids can attend after-school programming close to home.”

The Y of Greater Pittsburgh will be enhancing the programs at Camp T. Frank Soles, the McKeesport YMCA’s 263-acre resident camp in the Laurel Highland Mountains. “Camp Soles has played a crucial role in the McKeesport YMCA’s youth development program,” said Hairston. “Together with the Greater Pittsburgh Y, we’ve put together a visioning team to pool our combined resources to provide increased support to Camp Soles as it continues its mission to instill caring, honesty, respect and responsibility into the character of every camper.”

Hairston said that all existing McKeesport Y employees are staying and will be able to take advantage of greater career opportunities offered as part of the Y of Greater Pittsburgh. “Our employees are as excited as our community about joining our new and expanded Y family,” said Hairston.

Read the coverage in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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