HOW TO GO
Great Miami Valley YMCA Association 125th anniversary
100th anniversary of Historic Hamilton Central YMCA
When: Saturday , 7 p.m.
Where: Central Hamilton YMCA, 105 N. Second St.
Tickets: $55 at door.
Attire: Cocktail, themed
For more information: visit gmvymca.org or facebook.com/greatmiamivalleyymca
As preparations continue for the Great Miami Valley YMCA Association’s 125th anniversary celebration, representatives are reflective of the impact that the organization has made on Hamilton and Butler County since 1889.
Saturday evening’s celebratory fundraiser highlights two significant birthdays in the national organization’s lifetime: When the original charter was signed to open the first Hamilton branch on November 15, 1889, by Dr. Cyrus Falconer — who began the Fitton Family legacy at the Y — and the 100th anniversary of the Historic Hamilton Central YMCA branch, which remains the organization’s headquarters on 105 N. Second St.
Vice President of Development Kimberley Munafo views the Y’s biggest alteration over the years as the transition from a service organization dedicated to men and boys to an organization serving the entire family, a transition that led to expanding programming and opening the Fitton Family and Fairfield Family YMCAs in the 1970s, and four additional branches in the county in the 21st century.
“When we built the East Butler branch (6645 Morris Rd.), there was almost nothing around it,” said President and CEO Woody Fitton. “Over time, it became the hub; that’s where people found their sense of community.”
Saturday’s cocktail event will pay tribute to the Y’s most successful decades, including the 1920s, when in 1926, Homer Gard gifted Camp Campbell Gard in memory of his son to the YMCA, a commitment that was extended by his wife, Ethelyne Grove Gard Gramm, through her restricted gift of $6 million in 1970 to the camp to be used for the maintenance, development, improvement, and beautification of Camp Campbell Gard.
“It’s estimated that this one gift (of Camp Campbell Gard) has served 100,000 people in the past 88 years,” Munafo said.
Funds raised from the celebration will join the $210,000 already raised by over 200 donors to benefit the Hamilton Central location’s 2014 renovations, which include an updated Wellness Center, new flooring in the downstairs lobby and new tiling in the locker rooms, landscaping outside, and the recently re-lit neon triangle sign, that has hung outside of the facility since the 1940s.
“We’re investing nearly a quarter of a million dollars to improve the facility for our members,” Munafo said. “We’re viable and want to be a part of the revitalization of downtown Hamilton.” Funds raised at the event will also benefit renovations at the Fitton Family YMCA location, 1307 NW Washington Blvd.
Throughout its history, the YMCA has continued to support its original mission — “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all” — even if the delivery has changed to suit the times, said Fitton.
“The YMCA started out as a sort of Bible group in London and evolved in many different directions over the years,” he said. “Today, our three areas of focus are youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, and everything we do falls under one of those or oftentimes, all three.”
Fitton sees the role of the Y moving forward as pivotal in the health care sector, for example.
“(Health care) is going to be a challenge for the next 40 to 50 years with the Baby Boomers aging, and we will play a significant role in prevention,” he said. YMCA branches all over the country are already being contacted by national health care providers wanting to partner with them, he added.
Even though first mention of the YMCA may bring physical fitness to mind, the Y supplies varied programming to assist families, including through a new preschool at the Booker T. Washington Community Center via a partnership between the YMCA, the Hamilton Community Foundation, and the Hamilton City School District and through 29 after school sites in seven county school districts.
“People rely on us to be the next layer of support,” Munafo said.
Celebrating the Great Miami Valley YMCA’s history to benefit its future speaks to the organization’s lifelong commitment to adapt to the needs of its community.
“We’re here for the long haul, and we feel an obligation toward the next generation,” Munafo said.
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