YMCA suspends summer day camps in Portland and Standish

The YMCA of Southern Maine has suspended its day camp program for this summer at Portland Branch and Otter Pond in Standish as the organization attempts to restore its membership and finances to pre-pandemic levels after drastic staff and program cuts.

The summer camp at the Portland Branch on High Street has been suspended because the space that normally houses youth activities is being used as family housing for asylum seekers and other immigrants, said Helen Breña, president and CEO.

The Otter Pond Outdoor Adventure Camp was canceled this summer due to a sudden absence of staff, Breña said. Both programs could resume in the future depending on available space, staff and demand, she said.

A sign for the YMCA of Southern Maine’s Otter Pond Day Camp in Standish is half-obscured by brush, and the gate to the access road is locked. The Otter Pond and Portland Branch day camps are closed as the organization tries to restore its membership and finances to pre-pandemic levels after massive staff and program cuts. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

“The community was in dire need of a homeless shelter, so we stepped in to meet that need,” Breña said. The homeless shelter currently serves about 77 people, she said.

The YMCA of Southern Maine is still offering day camps this summer at the Northern York County Branch in Biddeford and the Casco Bay Branch in Freeport. Activities for children ages 5 to 12 include creative games, arts and crafts, and nature exploration. Weekly costs range from $31 to $305, depending on family income.

The suspension of summer day camps in Portland and Standish follows the closure of the Pineland branch at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester in September 2022. Breña attributed the closure to a 70% drop in the branch’s membership, from about 2,200 before the pandemic to 650 in 2022. At the same time, the Kennebec Valley YMCA closed its Manchester campus, also citing a decline in membership.

Future changes to Otter Pond’s program were already hinted at last summer, when the YMCA of Southern Maine noted on its website that it would “realign” in September 2023 to serve the community in new ways and “actively seek opportunities to offer classes and services at other locations.”

Breña said membership at YMCA branches in southern Maine has increased to more than 4,000 families, about 10% less than before the pandemic. Nationally, she said, Y membership has fallen from 19.6 million in 2018 to 11 million in 2020.

“Memberships are coming back and continuing to grow,” she said. “Like all YMCAs across the country, members canceled their memberships during the pandemic but have been slowly recovering since then. We have seen a steady increase in membership and program participation since 2023.”

The organization is also rebounding financially, she said, thanks in part to continued support from donors like LLBean. The company recently raised $46,000 for Y programs during its annual 10K and 1-mile Fourth of July family run/walk.

The YMCA of Southern Maine is also resuming its largest annual fundraiser, the Peaks-to-Portland Swim For Kids, on July 20. The 2.4-mile swim in Casco Bay is the first since pre-pandemic times and is expected to raise $100,000 for the Y’s youth and family programs.

But the nonprofit still faces financial challenges, according to its most recent tax returns. Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, shows that $8 million in expenses exceeded revenue by $1.1 million and net assets fell from a high of $11.2 million in 2014 to a low of $7.7 million.

The financial outlook improved somewhat in fiscal 2023: Revenues remained stable at $6.9 million, but expenses of $7.8 million left the Y just over $865,000 in the red, and net assets fell further to $6.9 million.

And while total assets increased from $13 million in fiscal 2021 to $15.4 million in fiscal 2023, total liabilities jumped from $3.9 million to $8.5 million over the same period.

Members of the YMCA of Southern Maine Day Camp stroll along the Otter Trail in the Sebago Lake Land Reserve. From left: Talia Ingrisano, 8; Grace Fogg, 7; counselor Curtis Arnold; and Matthew Leo, 7. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Meanwhile, with membership declining, the Y became more dependent on donations and grants. Annual dues and grant revenue increased from $1 million before the pandemic to $2.5 million in fiscal year 2022, while program revenue decreased from $10 million to $4 million during the same period. In fiscal year 2023, program revenue increased slightly to $4.3 million, while dues and grant revenue decreased slightly to $2.3 million.

Total employee compensation also decreased – from $6 million to $3.7 million, including salaries and benefits – as the total number of employees at the YMCA of Southern Maine fell from 639 in 2018 to 199 in 2022.

Executive compensation peaked at $482,000 in fiscal year 2021, including $203,000 for Breña and $126,000 for District Manager Scott Krouse. The following year, they received $239,000 and $117,000, respectively. Krouse left the Y after 30 years in February 2023, when Breña’s annual compensation was $226,000.

Breña said the Y now has 155 employees — a 75% reduction in six years — and program revenue has increased 31% since 2022.

“The grant increases we have seen are due to the hard work of our staff and an increase in work that advances our mission to support the communities we serve,” she said. “We have significantly expanded our work with new American families since 2022. Support for this work came through a partnership with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition through state funding.”

Looking to the future, Breña said, the Y has hired a housing navigator to launch a new initiative with Portland Public Schools. The navigator will provide counseling and support to help homeless families stay in their homes and avoid school disruptions for students.

The Y also expects to nearly double the number of its swim lessons this fall and will open a second preschool class at Casco Bay Branch to serve an additional 20 children, she said.

Other YMCAs in Maine offering day or overnight camp programs this summer include Camp Kennebec Valley in Readfield, Camp Knickerbocker in Boothbay, Camp Jordan of the Bangor Region YMCA in Ellsworth and the YMCA Camp of Maine in Winthrop.

Most day and overnight camps in Maine have survived the pandemic and recovered strongly from it, said Lucy Norvell, executive director of Maine Summer Camps, whose members include 145 camps and about 125 related businesses and organizations.

Maine has about 170 state-licensed camps, she said, and about 20 of them were operating during the summer of 2020, at the height of the pandemic. They have been successful by working closely with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain a healthy environment through quarantines, social distancing and other practices, she said.

Some of the residual stresses of the pandemic seemed to be easing this spring, when many hiring managers at Maine Summer Camps’ annual job fair said they were fully staffed for this summer but were looking for applicants for 2025, Norvell said.

“Many camps found it easier to hire staff for this summer because many had already hired staff last summer,” she said.

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