1944
A group of local business men bring the YMCA to Niles and it operates out of a small office downtown while using local schools, churches and parks to operate its programs
1948
The YMCA of Niles is located in the “Old Colonial House” at 315 West Main
1950
YMCA develops Scholarship fund “Partners with Youth” to ensure that no youth is denied membership or programs due to income
1959
Plans for new YMCA building and $600,000 fund drive unveiled
1961
Facility opens in 1961 the Y becomes the areas only indoor swimming facility. Also, youth sport programming begins.
1975
Niles, Brandywine & Buchanan Schools elementary students begin annual “Water Safety Program”
1977
Racquetball & field house added on to existing building
1988
Capital campaign raises $400,000 for building renovations
1992
YMCA Endowment Fund established
1996
YMCA provides membership & program scholarships for more than 200 youth
1996-99
Capital Campaign raised $150,000 for improvements to facility and grounds
1998
YMCA Endowment Fund becomes part of Michigan Gateway Community Foundation
1998
Four Year Strategic Plan Developed & Adopted by Board of Directors
1999
New $50,000 Cardiovascular Equipment Room Opens
2000
Endowment Fund Surpasses Goal of $300,000
2000
Additional Full-Time Professional Staff Hired to oversee all adult programming
2000
Memberships numbers reach an all time high of 1,175 units
2001
Community Image Study done in collaboration with Lakeland to determine need for new facility
2002
Market Study, Financial Forecast Study and Campaign Feasibility Study all completed to determine the feasibility of building a new YMCA facility
2003-2006
YMCA moves forward with a capital campaign for a new facility and exceeds original goal of $3.2 Million by raising $3.47 million dollars
2005
Construction begins on new $8.5 million facility in October of 2005
2006
Grand Opening of the new Y facility on Front Street takes place on Saturday, December 2, 2006
2006
Lakeland Regional Health System leases 5,000 square feet of dedicated space in the new Y facility
2007
From December 2006 thorough March 2007 the Y more than doubles its memberships by selling 1,320 new memberships
2010
February 2010, $50,000 of new cardiovascular exercise equipment is added to the wellness room
2010
Financial Assistance for YMCA Membership and services is provided to over 2,100 individuals with a total scholarship allocations of $211,000.00
2011
The 29th Annual Thanksgiving Day Run has 1,810 participants which is a new event record
2011
Y Membership numbers hit an all time high of more than 9,500 individuals
2011
YMCA Board of Directors complete a new “Master Space Plan” study of the new facility and have a glimpse into the future for our Y’s possible expansions
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