In service of youth
The Butler YMCA traces its roots to the early 1870s, with its first building opening in 1896. While much about the organization has changed, its goal has stood for more than a century.
“The YMCA should directly reflect the community that it serves,” said Dave Hilliard, current president and CEO of the Butler organization.
“Our mission has never changed, and it will never change,” Hilliard said. “It is our purpose for being, and what separates us from other like service providers.”
That mission, Hilliard said, is to strengthen the community, aid youth development and promote healthy living.
This mission has aided the YMCA in creating a community within the walls of its $2.2 million building, which was opened in 1968.
That building itself has changed over the past 50 years. Plaques and markers throughout it attest to the financial commitments of businesses and organizations which no longer exist and individuals who have since died. That community bond, however, persists.
“The Y has always been here and we believe the Y will always be here,” said John Gibson, a 30-year member who also serves on the organization's boards of directors and trustees.
When the current YMCA location opened on North Washington Street, it brought with it services its members had never experienced, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool. It also brought with it a dramatic increase in membership, including the inclusion of women for the first time. This led to more programs being offered.
That programming, however, was primitive by 2018's standards.
Sandra Ihlenfeld, vice president of organizational advancement, said aerobics began to catch on in the 1970s but did not attract large numbers.
Though women began to participate in these courses, Ihlenfeld said the YMCA did not have much else to offer women, since its workout equipment was still designed for men.
“You couldn't really put a female into the pieces of equipment,” she said.
By the early 1980s, membership began to outgrow the facility, leading to a capital campaign to fund a co-ed fitness facility.
The Armstrong Fitness Center opened in November 1983 and emphasized the use of Nautilus exercise equipment. Another capital campaign in 1985 was launched to renovate the existing building and construct a Women's Health Center & Aerobic Center. That facility opened in 1986, and included a child-care and day-care area.
According to Francine Mills, Butler YMCA executive director, the 1980s saw more and more households needing two incomes to make ends meet. This made child care more important and led the national YMCA organization to become the largest child-care provider in the United States.
In the 1990s, the Butler YMCA continued to grow in size and membership. More than 3,000 members were participating at the facility, which was offering more specific programs and had evolved into a health-minded approach to exercise.
“Exercise started because it was fun,” Ihlenfeld said. “Then it evolved into physicians recognizing there's something to this.”
This focus on improving health began to dictate the programming and sparked a $2.6 million capital campaign in 1996. The YMCA broke ground on a 25,000- square-foot building in 1998, which added a wellness and fitness center, a new pool and another gymnasium. Membership doubled by the end of the millennium, with 6,000 people registered.
In the 21st century, the YMCA saw continued expansion and growth.In 2012, with new leadership in charge, a renewed emphasis was placed on community service and investment.A 2017 construction project added windows to the outside and made the lobby area more comfortable and accessible. The renovations improved security by creating single-point access to the building.As the facility has evolved and adapted, so has programming. Aerobics classes and group exercise, once led in a “one-size-fits-all” fashion, have now been adapted to specific groups.Ihlenfeld said classes are for various age groups and abilities, including those with special needs and chronic disease. The facility offers more than 100 classes a week.Ihlenfeld said as demographics and needs change, the YMCA must relearn its role.Ihlenfeld said the county has seen an increase in several health-related issues. To address those, the organization has implemented a blood-pressure self-monitoring program and has partnered with the Center for Disease Control on a diabetes prevention program.There is also a focus on education for those topics, as well as obesity. Ihlenfeld said getting prospective new members motivated is a major battle.“We want to help you, but you've got to at least want to help you,” she said. “Getting that dot to connect is where we'll be moving into public education and trying to partner with other organizations that are health-minded as well. ... People don't think about what they need until they're diagnosed with something.”Hilliard said the YMCA is working with an addiction support center to provide services to the families of addicts.The analysis of data also should help with funding for the organization, which now employs nearly 40 people full time and nearly 500 part time. It also further proves the importance of the YMCA to potential donors.“Back in the '70s and '80s, you didn't have to prove that being a Y member was a good thing and it helped you,” Hilliard said. “Now, we have to do research and provide evidence to funders and to ourselves.”Ihlenfeld agreed.“It gives us the satisfaction that the program we're putting out there is the very best program we can offer Butler County that is also the safest program, and it's going to do just what it said it was going to do,” she said.Still, getting folks through the door can be a challenge from a financial standpoint.Hilliard and the leadership group said they are committed to continue their work for the community, and intend to be a key piece of Butler County's future, no matter what needs they must meet.“We're about hope, and we like to say we try to shine light into some darkness,” he said.
