The Saratoga Regional YMCA launched the public phase of its capital campaign on May 5 at its Saratoga Springs branch on West Avenue.
YMCA staff, members, major donors, volunteers and community partners gathered for a kick-off celebration, followed by a tour of the construction site.
Officials said the pressing need for greater socialization, increased healthy living programming, and safe and affordable childcare options was apparent when the YMCA decided to embark on the expansion project.
Attendees at the May event were able to tour the construction site to envision “a renewed, vibrant and connected intergenerational wellness hub,” officials said.
The expanded facilities will include a new wellness center that will have several spaces for weight training, group exercise classes, athletic training and chronic disease prevention programming.
A new gymnasium will help accommodate the growing demand for pickleball leagues, summer day camp, youth sports and before and after school programming. It will also include a new Youth Adventure Center, which will be an indoor play space with a horse racing theme. Parents may use the space for supervised play for children six weeks to 10 years, enabling more families to take advantage of the YMCA.
Officials said the idea to expand its services through a capital campaign developed last year, when the Saratoga Regional Y and the Saratoga Senior Center partnered up for the project’s first phase. The Senior Center, in need of a larger space to provide for its ever-growing senior population, will move onto the Saratoga Springs YMCA’s West Avenue campus in a new 14,500-square-foot home. A new shared intergenerational lobby will connect the Y and the Senior Center, creating a central meeting space for active older adults to easily access the valuable resources that both nonprofits offer.
The lobby area will also be an integral way to connect all generations, from infant to elder, that the YMCA serves daily, officials said.
To begin the project, $3 million was donated last year by Bill and Susan Dake and Stewart’s Shops.
Also, the Charles R. Wood Foundation made a matching grant of $300,000 to support this endeavor. This grant’s purpose is to encourage local community members to support of the capital project. As of May, the Saratoga Regional Y had raised 76 percent of its $8.9 million goal. The YMCA is asking the community to consider donating toward the remaining $2 million.
Those interested can contact Scott Clark, CEO, at (518) 583-9622, ext. 106, or at scott.clark@srymca.org, or visit srymca.org/main/capital-campaign/ to learn more.