From left: Mc Gowan Builders CEO Patrick Mc Gowan; Ron Simoncini, president of Axiom Communications and Meadowlands Area YMCA board chair; and David Kisselback, CEO and president of the Meadowlands Y, gathered to mark to the Loretta Mc Gowan Foundation’s $25,000 donation to the organization. — Courtesy: Meadowlands Area YMCA
By Joshua Burd
Mc Gowan Builders CEO Patrick Mc Gowan has made another sizable gift to the Meadowlands Area YMCA, donating $25,000 to the organization as he prepares to step down from its board.
The community facility, located in East Rutherford, said it will name a wing of its daycare center to mark the contribution through the Loretta Mc Gowan Foundation, a nonprofit that fosters research and educational programs to help people with Down syndrome. The Mc Gowan executive has now donated more than $250,000 to the Meadowlands Y over the last seven years, making him among the organization’s most generous supporters.
He has also served on the board for a decade and will step down on Dec. 31.
“It has been an incredible honor and privilege to have served on the Meadowlands YMCA board,” Mc Gowan said. “Developing the Y into a vital community institution has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thinking about where we started to where we are today has been a remarkable undertaking — we now serve over 200 children in daycare and 15,000 people in our membership and social service programs. We have established the Y as a resource that so many people depend on — it is now a pillar of the northern New Jersey community.”
In addition to its daycare and social service programs, the Meadowlands Y has distributed nearly 3 million meals since its food distributions started in March 2020 amid the pandemic, according to a news release. Its service area consists of 132,000 households serving more than 350,000 guests per year.
“Patrick has not only provided incredible financial support to the Y — but the time and dedication he selflessly invested into our efforts has been invaluable,” said David Kisselback, CEO and president of the Meadowlands Y. “Without that type of commitment our organization wouldn’t be able to help provide the essential services that so many depend on — it has been an honor to work with him on advancing our missions here in Bergen County and beyond.”
Other than the Mara family, which owns the New York Giants, Mc Gowan has been one of the largest and most consistent financial supporters of the Meadowlands Y.
“While my term of service on the board may be ending, my dedication to the Y is not,” Mc Gowan added. “I still plan on being involved in any way that I can to be part of this incredible group of people who are dedicated to helping others.”
