Butler YMCA celebrates youth and family at annual meeting
SLIPPERY ROCK — Each year, the Butler County Family YMCA highlights a different theme for its annual meeting in May. For this year’s meeting — held Tuesday night, May 12, at ARMCO Park in Slippery Rock — the theme for the meeting was “youth and family.”
“Family is the most important part in a person’s life. From childhood to old age, we depend on our family for physical and emotional needs. Family teaches us values, tradition and discipline,” said David Hilliard, president and CEO. “A happy family is the key to a happy life. At the Butler County Family YMCA, we recognize and welcome this opportunity to come alongside all the families we serve to help make that happy life a reality.”
The Butler County YMCA used Tuesday night’s meeting to highlight the advances it made over the past year in its child and family programs. In a video montage shown during the meeting, YMCA staff touted the organization’s child care, sports, swimming, summer camp and other youth enrichment programs.
“We have elevated and increased our registrations and programs for basketball, soccer and STEM,” said Christina Dreher, marketing and development director. “Our summer camp numbers have increased, as well as other family activities and special events for them to participate in.”
Dreher added the YMCA is looking toward the future.
“We are always looking at ways to welcome more and more people into our doors,” Dreher said. “One of the needs in our community that we’ve identified is for kids with special or diverse needs and welcoming that group of kids to take part in our community just like any typical child.”
Across the year 2025, the Butler YMCA served 5,648 youths through its various programs at its three facilities: Butler, Rose E. Schneider in Cranberry and ARMCO Park in Slippery Rock. This included 867 children in childcare, preschool or day camp programs, 62 in Reach & Rise programs, 2,509 taking swim lessons and 1,561 in sports/enrichment programs.
The Butler County Family YMCA generated $44,388 in net revenue in the 2025 fiscal year, with $9,895,367 in revenue against $9,850,979 in expenses. The annual fundraising campaign generated $471,312 in contributions, enough to fund 681 scholarships.
Butler County Chamber of Commerce president Jordan Grady, who is also a member of the Rose E. Schneider YMCA board of directors, gave the keynote speech on Tuesday night.
In his speech, Grady recounted how the YMCA institution positively changed the course of his life during his youth in Cumberland, Md., in which he was raised in a home which he described as “broken” in a struggling economic environment.
“Growing up, we had choices where we could pursue activities and hobbies … or take the easy route and just fall in and be another person, another number, another statistic,” Grady said. “And my younger self … thank God he did this … He chose to head down the route to explore physical activity.”
Through a scholarship program, Grady’s family secured a YMCA membership. He said his experiences in the YMCA’s youth activities — including basketball and rock climbing — taught him important life skills he still carries with him in his personal and professional life.
“There are youth in Butler County right now who have similar situations,” Grady said. “But because they have the Butler County Family YMCA, they have a choice. They have an opportunity … When you live in a community and you have an amazing YMCA, every single day that the Y’s doors are open … they are creating opportunities to change life trajectories, not just for youth, but for all ages. And I can say with confidence that if I didn’t grow up in the YMCA, I don’t even think I would be alive today.”
Toward the end of the annual meeting, 16 employees received special recognition for serving at least five years with one of the Butler YMCA branches, including Allison Whalen, who received an award for 25 years of service.
The YMCA also honored two longtime employees who are soon to head into retirement after a combined 58 years of experience: Kathy Hensler, retiring after 19 years with the Rose E. Schneider YMCA, and Paul Delaney, stepping away after 39 years with the Butler YMCA.
