150 Years of Service

In 1844, George Williams started the Young Man's Christian Association as a safe, Christian place for young rural men who came to London for school or work. He saw the lure to "moral corruption" in the city and wanted to provide a place to keep these young Christians grounded in their faith.

Thomas Valentine Sullivan, a sea captian who had heard tales of the success of the YMCA in England, started the first YMCA in Boston in 1851.

Today, 150 years later, the YMCA is located in 2,400 sites around the United States servicing 17.5 million men, women, and children-- making it the largest non-for-profit organization in the country.

The YMCA's philosophy has gone through little change in that 150 years. At first an organization for only men, it was one of the first to allow a segregated membership and then allowed women to join as well. Its mission statement "To put Christian principles into practice through programs that develop healthy body, mind, and soul" has much to do with its success. They achieve this through programs grounded in Christian teachings and focusing on the core values of "caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility."

Another successful element of the YMCA is the fact that while the whole association is based on certain principles, each Y is based on the needs of the community in which it services. Check with your Y to see what is offered.

Did you know that the YMCA is the number one child care provider in the country? One out of every ten school-aged children that are in an after-school program attend a YMCA after-school program. Nearly half of those serviced come from single-parent homes and families that make under $25,000/year. No one is turned away because of the inability to pay-- financial assistance is available from the Y or other partner social services.

Without the support of volunteers, the YMCA would not be where it is today. Youth sports, teen programs, swim lessons and swim teams, community programs all need volunteers to run effectively. Contact your Y to see how you can get involved. Whether you can volunteer to coach a pee wee football team this fall or only have the time to help man a game booth at a celebration party one afternoon, your help is needed and appreciated.

150 year celebrations will be going on through the end of the year. Call your YMCA or check out http://www.ymca.net to find out what kind of celebration is going on in your hometown.

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