If you look at the news headlines every day, you only see a snippet of what’s happening in our community. I know the challenges are real, and our community needs to be supported. I’m proud of how our YMCA is working in partnership with others to solve problems and make a difference.
I sat down to write about the good things happening in our community that you may not know about. I invite you to read my blog post about them today, and I hope you feel encouraged.
-Charlie Davis, President and CEO
New Pearl Street Family YMCA Strengthening Community
It has been two months since we opened the new Y on Pearl Street and the excitement from the members continues to build. Every time I walk into the new facility I witness another special moment of joy with people using the zero-entry pool or lazy river. It is exciting to open the new aquatics center, but it is only one phase of the total project. After COVID the cost of construction escalated significantly, forcing us to divide the project into two phases. We now have our sights keenly focused on completing the new Y.
Creating more spaces for kids to play
A few days ago, I received these drone photos of the new Gig Harbor Sports Field that will be opening near the Tom Taylor Family YMCA this spring. The fields are spectacular. This project is the result of a great partnership between the Y and the city of Gig Harbor, and brings much-needed outdoor space to the families in the Gig Harbor community. The fields will address an important need for the Y, providing outdoor space for summer day camp, as well as our youth sports programs.
There has been a longstanding lack of outdoor space for groups to play and practice, leaving over 2,000 youth unable to participate in organized sports. In addition, there will also now be space for families to engage in recreational activities.
As part of the agreement, we will manage the fields for the greater community, scheduling the use for the sports groups in the Gig Harbor community. The Y will be responsible for maintaining the fields, which includes creating a financial reserve to replace the turf when that time comes. We believe this is a great partnership, with both parties, and the greater community drawing significant benefit from the new fields.
Continuing partnership with the city of Sumner to support kids
We are hoping this partnership will inspire other such agreements. The city of Sumner has provided us with land adjacent to the Gordon Family YMCA to build a similar turf athletic field with lights. COVID forced us to pause the project, but after the Gig Harbor fields project we are eager to resume our commitment to the Sumner project. Having outdoor space for recreation has always been an important component for the Y programming, and now, through partnerships, we are able to have those services and provide an additional service to the greater community.
Volunteers stand in the gap for Camp Lake Helena
In early 2020 our Y purchased the former camp site for Campfire of America. It is a beautiful site located in Port Orchard. Campfire was eager for us to purchase it, knowing we would maintain it as a camp and not lose it to development. The camp had not been used much over the past 50 years, so a great deal of work was necessary to get it ready for camp use again. Scotty Jackson, the executive director of Camp Seymour, was excited about the challenge. He recruited a band of volunteers who have been showing up two-three days a week for the past five years. I tell people the contributions made by these volunteers is one of the best stories coming out of our Y.
As a result of their work, Camp Lake Helena was able to serve 1,600 youth last summer months in 2025. We have been fortunate to have received several generous contributions to support Camp Helena, and as a result, Scotty was able to add a zipline to the program mix. It proved to be a great addition for the youth. We have also received donations to build a large indoor space for the camp, and are looking to improve the parking situation, which will be valuable to the overall operations. It will take time, but making steady improvements in Camp Helena will enable Scotty and his team to expand camp services to more youth, particularly in Kitsap County.
Providing students with access to meaningful mentors, enriching activities
For the past 16 years, Chris Spivey has been leading our teen outreach efforts, in partnership with Tacoma, Clover Park and recently, Bethel school districts. Chris and his team at the Center for Community Impact have been able to work alongside the schools to help raise the grade point averages of students, increase their attendance in school and reduce the behavior incidences by investing in relationships with the students. It has been a fantastic partnership.
Recently, though, the school districts communicated with us that they will no longer have the funding to continue the partnership. It is a hard message to receive, but the work is too valuable to discontinue. We are committed to securing funds to continue with the work.
More good things to come, thanks for your ongoing support
It has been an exciting time for our Y, opening the aquatics center at Pearl Street, adding the fields in Gig Harbor, expanding our early education program, improving the camp in Port Orchard, and focusing on delivering critical services to teens.
We are serving over 130,000 people across Pierce and Kitsap Counties, from six months old to 102 years of age. Last week, I was walking through the new aquatics center on Pearl Street, and I watched a grandmother walking with her granddaughter through the lazy river. It was a powerful image of how the new pool was making an impact in people’s lives. This is the story of the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties. We are growing our capacity to build people in mind, body and spirit. This is our mission. Thank you for being part of the Y. Together we are building something great for the entire community.
Sincerely,
Charlie Davis
President and CEO