Harold Sparrow Appointed Senior Vice President of Development - November 2007

YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON APPOINTS HAROLD SPARROW
AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT
Former BMA Director to spearhead fund-raising activities for the Y's Capital Campaign,
including Greenway project

BOSTON, MA (November, 2007) - The YMCA of Greater Boston welcomed one of its family members home today with the appointment of Harold Sparrow as Senior Vice President of Development.

Sparrow, the vice president and executive director of the Roxbury YMCA from 1996-2002, will lead the Y in all areas of development and fund-raising for an urban improvement agenda that includes renovating and expanding the Dorchester and West Roxbury Family YMCAs, rebuilding the 1902 Hyde Park branch, revitalizing the Central Branch Y in the Fenway, and building a new landmark YMCA on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

"We are very excited to welcome Harold back home to the Y. He is a well-respected, intelligent, and talented individual that will bring a new level of excitement to our development program," said YMCA President and CEO John Ferrell. "His passionate work in the community speaks volumes to his character and his commitment to give back. I look forward to working with him to support the Y for future growth and expansion."

A resident of Hyde Park, Sparrow was most recently the Executive Director of the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA). Established in the early 1960s, the BMA is an alliance of over 80 faith-based and community-based organizations with a 40-year history of serving the Black community in Boston.

Under Sparrow's leadership, the BMA:

• Implemented over $12 million Compassion Fund grant that served 180 faith-based and community-based organizations, and 30,000 youth and families in the city of Boston
• Eliminated $120,000 of debt in the first year of operation and increased the organization's revenues from $800,000 to $3.6 million in three years.
• Positioned the BMA to become the faith-based intermediary provider for the After School for All partnership, which funneled $3 million in state and federal resources to faith-based after-school programs.

"While this is a great opportunity and challenge for me professionally, I see it more as a great opportunity for families in Greater Boston," Sparrow said of his appointment. "We are going to work very hard to meet and exceed our development goals because at the end of the day, if we're not pushing ourselves to do the best possible job, we're not doing our families justice.

"The YMCA fills a need that no other service or non-profit organization in Boston fills," Sparrow added. "We serve the needs of the entire family and the entire community - single moms, underprivileged kids, troubled teens, young professionals and seniors for example. It is wonderful to be back with the Y and I look forward to working with the leadership team, board members and staff in expanding the Y experience."

Prior to the BMA, Sparrow was the vice president and executive director for the Roxbury Family YMCA, where he increased the operating budget from $900,000 to $3.6 million in five years. He also repositioned the Roxbury Branch as a strong and effective partner and collaborator in community affairs. He led a successful effort that raised more than $2 million in resources for programs and services for the Roxbury community.

"Over the next few years, the YMCA will be developing a number of new programs, upgrading aging facilities and building new ones, including a much-anticipated Y on the Greenway," . said YMCA Board Chairman Stacey Lucchino.  "It will take a strong commitment of our supporters and the community in order to achieve our goals. Harold is a charismatic, family-oriented leader who provides a perfect fit for this position."

Before he was with the Y, Sparrow was the assistant director for Community Health for the Medical Foundation, Prevention Center, in Boston from 1993-1996. He was the Director of the Positive Futures' Program for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts in Boston from 1990-1993. He began his career as the Athletic Director for the Jackson/Mann Community School in Allston in 1987.

Sparrow is a vice president of Save the Harbor, Save the Bay; vice president of the Board of Trustees for the Children's Museum; and former co-chair of the Municipal Harbor Planning Committee. He has been honored with the African American Achievement Award by the City of Boston, as well as the Golden Triangle Award from the YMCA Professional Society. He also served as a member for the Governor's Commission on Criminal Justice Innovation and as a class president of the YMCA Black Achievers.

He graduated from Tufts University and received his Masters in Education from Cambridge College. 

# # #