If fundraising drives and recessions don't go together, somebody forgot to tell the Greenpoint YMCA.

At a May 14th dinner, the YMCA's Executive Director Melvin Tse announced that despite tough times the YMCA has raised $132,000 for its annual Strong Kids Campaign so far this year. The dinner honored contributors and Councilman David Yassky for his support to the facility.

The $132,000 total, just short of the YMCA's $145,000 goal, will go towards financial aid to help area youth pay for a variety of community programs at the Greenpoint facility on Meserole Avenue. Tse said 80 percent of the 4,000-plus children who attended Greenpoint YMCA programs in 2008 did so for free, thanks to the Strong Kids Campaign.

The campaign could perhaps have a greater impact this year than in years past. Applications for enrollment in summer camp programs at the YMCA have doubled in recent months as parents look for affordable entertainment for their children, said Tse. Interest in other programs is up as well.

"We're taking this money so we can fund programs for our neighborhood youth and families," Tse said. "We want to make sure we keep our doors open for everybody."

Paul Pullo, chair of the Greenpoint YMCA board, said the strong fundraising drive shows the commitment many in the community have to YMCA. A majority of the 450 donations came from individuals.

"The YMCA is so important to the community and a lot of people really do feel the need to contribute," said Pullo, 57, a lifelong Greenpoint Y member.

Pullo, who remembers swimming in the pool at the Greenpoint Y as a youngster, said the facility has come a long way since running its first Strong Kids Campaign in 1992. Then, the goal had been to raise a more modest $12,000.

"We've gone from $12,000 to where we are today," Pullo said. "It's truly amazing that the community has come together to help us out."

Sarah Oakes, a Greenpoint YMCA member along with her children Sadie and Jesse, said ensuring free activities for kids was so important to her she volunteered for the fundraising campaign.

"The YMCA is a big part of our community," said Oakes, a Greenpoint resident who has made friends at the YMCA, where her daughter attends preschool. "I feel very, very lucky to have the YMCA in our lives."

Oakes is just one of many involved parents, said Rene Bouchard, the Greenpoint YMCA's fund development and communications director, who pitched in to ensure the Strong Kids Campaign would succeed.

"It's a testament to the loyalty of the people who know us," Bouchard said. "When an organization has a strong base it's not easy, but easier, to whether times like these."