York PA YMCA Faces Sexual Abuse Allegations

Alledged Camp Counselor Abuse at YMCA Summer Camp

The YMCA is known for providing services within the community and helping children and families from all walks of life learn, grow, and participate in physical fitness. Though the majority of YMCA volunteers and employees serve the children in a nurturing and professional manner, some have taken advantage of their position of trust and authority and sexually abused the children participating in the YMCA programs, This exploitation is similar to what has happened in the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club and similar institutions of trust.

One such instance involves the YMCA in York, Pennsylvania. The branch is facing a lawsuit regarding the cover-up of the sexual abuse of a five-year-old boy. The boy attended a YMCA summer camp in 2015 and was reportedly abused by a 13-year-old camp counselor. That same camp counselor had been accused of abusing a special needs camper the previous year.

The current lawsuit claims the YMCA failed to alert parents in 2015 to the prior complaints of abuse and that they did not report it to authorities. The counselor was permitted to return to the camp the following summer with no special restrictions.

There is also an accusation in the complaint against the YMCA that the counselors were not supervised by someone with a proper child abuse clearance. As a matter of fact, the counseling supervisor for the camp was under investigation for having hidden her dead infant’s body in a shoebox. That counselor was recently charged with concealing the death of her child.

Placing children under the supervision of teachers, counselors, babysitters, and childcare providers is something the majority of parents do with a bit of anxiety. They must rely on leaders within those organizations to properly vet the caregivers and ensure children are safe in these situations.