Danville YMCA Offers Something for Everyone
The Danville YMCA sits on the banks of the Dan River, offering a beautiful view as well as an array of fitness and social activities. Photo Courtesy of Danville YMCA
The Danville YMCA, with its mission of putting Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all, has “consistently served the area” for 141 years, according to Communications Coordinator Troy Barbour.
The “Y” – as most people refer to the organization – sits on the banks of the Dan River and offers a stunning view as well as athletic and other programming for all ages. The YMCA has occupied its current building since 2014. Before that, it was located on Main Street. Program offerings include aquatics, aerobics, basketball, personal training, group exercise, zumba, yoga, pickleball, line dance, summer camps for children and teens, and more. Child Watch is offered for busy members who need child care during their workouts. After-school programs, with pickup at all local schools, are offered during the school year. There is a “play” area for children. Teen camps provide college trips for those aged 13 to 17. There are also trips to art museums and other activities geared toward teenagers. Weeklong summer basketball camps offer children between 9 and 15 the chance to learn the fundamentals of the sport as well as sportsmanship, teamwork, and communications skills.
Unlike at a “regular gym,” said Barbour, instead of “working out and going home,” Y members can also “swim, take a class, and get child care. We are more than just an exercise facility. With the Y, you also get a community.” He added that “a lot of people have made lifelong friends and even met spouses” at the Y.
The Danville YMCA’s opening in 1883 came just a few years after the first Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in London, England on June 6, 1844 by Sir George Williams.
According to www.ymca.org, “When George Williams founded the first YMCA in Industrial Revolution-era London, he sought to create a supportive community to help young men like himself address pressing social challenges. The idea found a home in the U.S. seven years later at the Old South Church in Boston. The last 170+ years have seen the Y’s mission grow exponentially, and today the Y engages more than 10,000 communities across the U.S. As the nation’s leading nonprofit, the Y is committed to empowering people to reach their full potential, to improving well-being, inspiring action, strengthening communities and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to become healthier, more confident, connected and secure.”
The Danville YMCA’s mission today is to continue helping all members of the community live active, engaged, healthy lives. Barbour said the Y is “a community based facility first and foremost.” The staff, he said, is committed to serving members and visitors. He added, “The staff takes the time to get to know our members” in order to best meet their needs. Barbour said he believes the Y staff offers “help and support that you won’t get at other facilities.”
He and Membership and Marketing Director Tevris Fitzgerald said it is not unusual for staff to “push people to their cars in wheelchairs” or to send condolence cards when a member suffers a death in the family, or to raise money to help victims of house fires. “We love our members,” Fitzgerald said.
The Y staff recently threw a surprise birthday party, complete with cupcakes, for its oldest member, who was in his late 90s. When an active older member was diagnosed with cancer, the water aerobics staff held a potluck lunch for him. The leadership staff maintains a prayer list for members and staff who need support and encouragement, Barbour explained. Things like that, he said, “bring out the Christian values” that the YMCA was founded upon.
But, he emphasized, being a Christian is not a requirement for membership at the Y. The organization “is for everyone,” he stated. “We accept anyone, from all walks of life, as they are.”
And in that effort to include everyone, those who can’t afford to pay the membership fee can apply for scholarships, Barbour and Fitzgerald explained. Last year, Fitzgerald said, over $130,000 in scholarships made it possible for people in the Danville area to join the Y and to participate in summer camps, take swimming lessons, participate in basketball leagues, and obtain child care while taking care of their own health. He said, “if their health is important to them,” the Y wants to give residents of Danville and surrounding areas the opportunity to take classes or participate in programs that will allow them to become healthier, meet new people, or learn a new skill. Memberships at the Danville YMCA can be used at most other YMCA facilities across the country. Barbour and Fitzgerald suggested calling ahead to be sure, however.
In order to be able to offer scholarships for membership dues, the YMCA holds an annual fundraising campaign. Fundraising also allows the Y to offer special classes and other programs and events outside the “normal” offerings, said Barbour. “Membership dues keep the lights on,” he explained, but “donations and the campaign really fund our programs. We rely a lot on our community and donors,” he continued. All donations go directly to programming and scholarships, Barbour explained.
The Y also relies on community partnerships to provide its many opportunities. Barbour said businesses and industries in and around Danville support the YMCA, and some even pay 100 percent of the cost of membership dues for employees. Corporations who want to offer employees a discounted membership may do so, and theY will match up to $10 of the corporate donation for those discounts, Barbour explained.
In addition to its regular offerings, the Y also hosts or participates in several special events throughout the year. The fall brings a community birthday party in September and a 5k run/walk in October. In November, the Holiday Pop-Up Shop brings local vendors that sell different items along with food trucks and a special visit by Santa Claus. All local vendors are welcome to apply for the shop.
The Danville YMCA is open Monday through Friday, from 5 am to 9 pm; on Saturdays from 8 am to 6 pm, and on Sundays from noon to 5 pm. The hours, Barbour said, allow everyone an opportunity to take classes, work out, go for a swim, or socialize. There is even free coffee available from 5 am to noon.
215 Riverside Dr
Danville, Va. 24540
(434) 792-0621
YMCADanville.org
YouTube.com/user/YMCADanville
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