Vandals Strike Regional Non-Profit in Brattleboro and Springfield

Meeting Waters YMCA properties in Brattleboro and Springfield have been vandalized over the past few months. The incidents are unrelated and neither appears to be directed at the organization. The cost of the damage was around $3,000.  

In Springfield, all of the copper piping at the regional YMCA’s Lewis Day Camp facility was stolen. The pipes are part of the plumbing system for the sinks and toilets in the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. According to the investigating officer, many homes, farms and businesses in the area have had their pipes stolen as the price of copper has increased. The Lewis Day Camp facility is home to all Meeting Waters YMCA camps which serve a total of nearly 300 youth ages 5-15 in the summer months.  

In Brattleboro, the Meeting Waters YMCA’s mini-bus was vandalized with graffiti over the Memorial Day weekend. The 16-passenger bus is used for the Y’s Child Care Transportation Program gets children from high-risk home environments to and from state licensed child care programs each day. It is stored each night at Marlboro College Technology Center, home of the regional YMCA’s southern office. Both the piping at camp and the mini-bus’ body have been repaired.  

“It is a bit ironic,” comments Executive Director Steve Fortier. “I think the underlying issues are the very things our YMCA works so hard to address each and every day. Economic and social stresses have people doing things that are not typical in our caring and respectful communities. Times are tough for a lot of people. As a community, we need to consider the underlying reasons for things like vandalism and make an even stronger commitment to helping people connect with others and to give and receive support.”