Melrose Y seeks to rebuild trust following abuse scandal

“Parents have stayed with us,’’ said Ralph Yohe, who took the reins on Oct. 5 after longtime president and chief executive Richard Whitworth stepped down in August.

Yohe came to Melrose after 23 years as the leader of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy. He said he wanted to help the Melrose Y - which has anchored the downtown area for more than a century - get back on its feet.

“I wanted to work with Ys that had challenges,’’ Yohe said.

He came to the right place. The YMCA made headlines in February when then-staffer James W. Conner, 51, was arrested on child sexual abuse charges. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of child rape, among other charges, and an April 5 trial date has been set. Conner no longer works at the Y.

The state Department of Early Education and Care, which licenses afterschool programs at nonprofit organizations, reported in April that YMCA administrators hired Conner despite knowing of allegations of improprieties at other facilities and warning signs at the Melrose YMCA. The report said the Melrose Y had “failed to protect children from abuse.’’

Though the YMCA has disputed its findings, the report prompted a staff shakeup at the executive level. In addition to Whitworth, vice president Nancy Madden stepped down three weeks ago. Karen Dauteuil, formerly vice president of child care services and Conner’s direct supervisor, was fired in April. Kim Whitworth, a YMCA fund-raising officer and the former president’s wife, announced her resignation as of last Tuesday in a written statement.

The YMCA forfeited its license to run an after-school program in June, but the EEC granted a probationary license for a new program in September and the turnaround is in full swing, according to Yohe.

“[The EEC staff] is encouraged by what they saw,’’ Yohe said, adding that the Y is in talks with the agency to raise the enrollment cap at the after-school program, which currently serves 122 children in grades K through 6 at two locations.

An EEC spokeswoman said the YMCA has made progress, but her agency is still waiting for a written request from the Y to increase enrollment.

Yohe credited program administrator Cathy Flynn and her nine-person staff with providing quality care and activities for the children. Flynn, who has been with the Melrose Y for 13 years, said that on the job she draws on her own experiences as a mother.

“As a parent, I understand how important it is for parents to feel that their children are being provided with the very best care,’’ she said.

Yohe conceded that the YMCA is providing that care at a deficit. He said the organization’s $6 million budget is not meeting all expenses, and three staff members were recently laid off.

A YMCA spokeswoman, Janey Bishoff, put the deficit at roughly 5 percent.

Asked if the cuts came in the child-care department, Yohe would only say that they were across the board, adding that more layoffs could occur.

But the self-described “Y lifer’’ said he believes going the extra mile for members will provide an economic boost.

“You hear them say, ‘The Y made a difference in my life,’ ’’ he said. “Those are individuals. Those individuals often become volunteers and donors, sometimes very generous donors.’’

Fund-raising has been another flashpoint for the YMCA in recent years. The Better Business Bureau, a corporate and nonprofit watchdog, cited the YMCA for fund-raising inefficiency in April 2008. The bureau reported that in the fiscal year ending in December 2007, fund-raising costs at the YMCA ($97,743) equaled 87 percent of its contributions, which amounted to $112,507. The bureau caps the acceptable percentage at 35 percent.

Yet Yohe insists the Y will pull through, with a staff and membership of the highest caliber. “These are generous people, caring people, and we plan to empower them, sit back, and watch great things happen,’’ he said.