He had the best blend of experience, including 23 years of Y experience, helping to build a new facility and running a capital campaign. This experience is crucial because a long-range goal identified by the YMCA board is to build a new YMCA facility for the region, and a swimming pool would be a part of that. The Civic Center pool is the only public pool in the area and swimming programs are severely limited because demand at that aging facility far outstrips the capacity. The YMCA, known nationwide for its aquatics programs, offers a minimal number of swimming programs because of a lack of facilities. There is so much we could do with water safety instruction, and water fitness and water therapy are also important.
Swimming is a lifetime sport.
The Grand Traverse Bay YMCA serves a five-county region that has seen explosive growth in the past decade. Current membership of the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA stands at 2,500 members with a steady increase in membership each year. To meet the needs of this growing population, the Y offers a broad range of programs, from childcare and teen dances to all types of sports activities for individuals and families. Because each YMCA is locally controlled, they can offer programs based on the community's needs or wants. A recent kickboxing class was added to meet member demand and is proving extremely popular.