Proudly Celebrating the Win
of Two National Awards

Summer camp facilities at the Kent County YMCA are about to receive a complete makeover. The Greater Providence YMCA (GPYMCA) has been awarded a $90,000 grant through the 2025 Lowe’s Hometowns program. With this financial support, the GPYMCA is launching a major renovation of the A-Frame building at the Kent County YMCA, the central hub for the branch’s after-school and summer camp programs.

The project will address aging infrastructure to create safer and more functional spaces for local youth and their families. Renovations in and around the A-Frame building will include replacing tile flooring in the lobby and rubber flooring in the gym, repainting interior and exterior spaces and repairing pavilion roofing and amphitheater floorboards.

“The A-Frame building has been around for so many years,” said Scott Medeiros, Director of the Kent County YMCA. “It’s served thousands of kids and families over the years. We have great staff, great programs, so the infrastructure really just helps support and elevate that.”

One of 100 awards across country

According to their website, Lowe’s Hometowns is a five-year, $100 million commitment to rebuild and revitalize community spaces nationwide. Each year, 100 community projects are selected in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation, reflecting Lowe’s belief that home can be more than a place—it can be a feeling, a source of pride, and a foundation for the future.

The GPYMCA is deeply appreciative of this investment in the future of youth programming in Rhode Island, according to a press release.

“We’re thrilled for the support we got from the Lowe’s Hometowns grant,” said Karen Santilli, CEO of the GPYMCA. “Really, there’s only 100 awards in the entire country and the fact that we got one for the Kent County Y is really exciting for us.”

To apply for the grant, the GPYMCA submitted pictures of the project and a video explaining why the organization was applying and the impact of the grant.

“The Greater Providence Y has programs in other communities, but not all of our program areas have summer camps,” said Santilli. “We also have children from our Cranston and Providence programs that are able to go to the Kent County summer camp…It’s incredibly important for Kent County but it’s also beyond that in terms of the Greater Providence Y’s ability to serve kids in other communities.”

Medeiros said, between 200 and 300 kids attend summer camp at the Kent County YMCA each week, culminating in around 2,500 to 3,000 kids per summer.

As for other summer activities available at the Y, the splash pad at the Kent County YMCA is available to members, as well as nonmembers at a daily rate. Medeiros said to look out for social media blasts from the YMCA during heat waves to see when the splash pad is open. “We’re excited to welcome the community to join us,” he said.

This year, the Kent County YMCA is partnering with the Ocean State Center for Independent Living (OSCIL) in their outdoor camp spaces for a week of activities. OSCIL is a non-profit organization that provides support and services for people with disabilities to live and play in their community as able-bodied people are able to do.

Visit https://ymcagreaterprovidence.org/programs/ to learn more about the variety of programs offered by the different branches of the GPYMCA.