Family YMCA marks 30 years
By From staff reports
Published in News on September 7, 2014 1:50 AM
The Goldsboro Family YMCA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, with an open house on Saturday and other activities planned throughout the month.
A Zumbathon also will be held on Saturday, along with a three-mile fun run, pool inflatables and more.
There are also plans for a golf tournament, a drive to collect school supplies and 30 days of random acts of kindness.
"We're trying to let people know what their Y is doing, not just in the confines of the Y, but in the community," said JoAnn Logan, chairperson of the YMCA's board of directors.
The facility has undergone several transformations since it first opened in 1984. Among its many amenities are a wellness center, child watch center, health enhancement studio, gym, indoor track, racquetball courts, sauna and hot tub, steam room, weight room and 50-meter swimming pool.
The YMCA is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the lifestyle of its members, building not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well.
The Family YMCA partners with other organizations in the county to bring about that result. The Wayne County school system, the county Senior Center, the city of Goldsboro's Parks and Recreation Department and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base are among those organizations that work with the YMCA's leadership to improve the quality of life in and around the county.
"There is something here to appeal to all ages," Mrs. Logan said.
The facility's history actually dates back to September 1980, when programming was first offered at various sites around the community.
The existing building was built four years later at a cost of about $7 million. Over the next six years several campaigns were conducted to retire the remaining debt on the building.
In 1995 the triple gym, weight room, aerobic room, and after-school rooms were added, and in 1998 the wellness center and front desk area were expanded.
In 1999 soccer fields were built and in 2000 the warm-water pool was constructed.
During each of these expansions the YMCA was able to continue to keep its debt paid down, and in 2004 the facility was able to pay off the final installment of the original loan.
The YMCA was given a promissory note for 44 acres of land on Harding Drive in 1995, and it became the YMCA's property in 2003.
For the past six summers the YMCA has operated Peacock and Mina Weil pools, which are city owned public pools that the city was going to shut down due to budget cuts.
Over the years, the membership of the YMCA has grown to more than 10,000 and its annual budget has grown from a little over $500,000 in 1984 to about $3 million today.
The YMCA offers many programs for all ages, including pre-school, after-school, summer day camp, swim lessons, lifeguarding classes, a swim team, a diving team, pool and other parties, youth and adult sports, water and land fitness classes, childhood obesity program and a mentoring program.
The YMCA also puts on seven major events each year, including the Heart & Sole half marathon, the father-daughter dance, Healthy Kids Day, a golf tournament and triathlon, along with a Halloween carnival and a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.
It hosts many regional and state swim meets and racquetball tournaments.
The YMCA's policy is not to let anyone's inability to pay to keep them from joining. Each year, it gives away more than $125,000 in financial assistance to people who cannot afford to pay the full program or membership rate.