Building A Better Y For Our Community

KIDS • FAMILIES • SENIORS  

Ashland Family YMCA 207 Miller Street | Ashland, OH 44805  

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Originally established in 1905 on Main Street, the Ashland Family YMCA has been serving the residents of the City of Ashland and Ashland County for more than 115 years through our mission of putting Christian principles into practice that build healthy bodies, minds, and spirits for all by promoting the core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. We do this by offering  facilities and programs: 

• For Youth Development – Nurturing the potential of every child and teen,
• For Healthy Living – Improving Ashland residents’ health and well-being, and
• For Social Responsibility – Giving back and providing support to all of our neighbors – youth, adults, and seniors alike. 

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR THE ASHLAND FAMILY YMCA AND HOW DOES THAT IMPACT ME AND MY COMMUNITY? 

• To provide a facility ready to meet 21st-century health, wellness, and fitness needs for all 
• To provide an up-to-date, modern space for all of its current programs and those which may be added in the coming years 
• To accommodate increased capacity and provide improved efficiency of operations 
• To help make Ashland a more livable community and more attractive to potential businesses and residents 
• To continue being a major point of community pride 
• To provide each Y member and supporter with the satisfaction that comes with knowing they are helping future generations of Ashland residents improve their health and well-being – physically, mentally, and spiritually 
• To become a potential warming and cooling center for our neighbors in times of need 

HOW DOES THE ASHLAND FAMILY  YMCA PLAN TO ATTAIN ITS VISION? 

To reach its vision, the Ashland Family YMCA’s goal is to raise $3.6 million by April 1, 2022, primarily for significant improvements to its physical facilities and the addition of a  new gymnasium for gymnastics training and competition, as well as strength training and conditioning. We are fortunate that an anonymous donor has agreed to match all commitments at $1.25 for each dollar raised, up to a total of $2.0 million, to the BUILDING A BETTER Y FOR OUR COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN. With more than half of the support already committed, we are confident that the Ashland community will rise to meet this most generous challenge.  

HOW WILL THESE PLANS MEET MY NEEDS AND THOSE OF MY COMMUNITY? 

Since moving to our current location at 207  Miller Street in 1956, the Ashland Family YMCA  is bursting at the seams with activity. As our community continues to rebound from the recent pandemic, the Ashland Family YMCA programs are growing at a rapid pace. However, our facilities have not changed in the past 14 years and much of the building dates back nearly 70  years.  

Imagine not enhancing or upgrading your home in the past decade and a half and then imagine that you have had several thousand visitors each year. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a building. Wouldn’t you want to improve that long, narrow, poorly-lit hallway with which you’ve been dissatisfied for decades or add a new area for entertainment and active engagement? Wouldn’t you want to improve your bathrooms, especially for your disabled guests? Wouldn’t you want to improve your parking and make it safer for your visitors? That is exactly what the Ashland Family YMCA is planning to do. 

The BUILDING A BETTER Y FOR OUR  COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN will position the Y  to serve more people, more effectively, more efficiently, and with greater safety. Here’s how: 

Floor Plan

How the YMCA saved the Swartz Family

When Andrew (second from left) came down with a debilitating illness last year and had to rebuild his strength and endurance, as well as learn to walk again, a free Family Membership Scholarship to the YMCA was life-changing for him and his entire family, which was also suffering from significant financial losses. “Getting Andrew into the YMCA pool…really sped up his progress,” according to his mother, Lynette. Perhaps just as important, his father Dave  remarked, “We can now do our workouts as a family.” 

Greg Gorrell, Retired Businessman, Ashland, Ohio 

“I have been a member for 20+ years and during my working career I would work out on my lunch hour three times a week. I  have continued this routine since retirement. This has enhanced the quality and length of my life, both mentally and physically. This will do the same for your long-term health at the Y. What is your long-term plan? Keep moving at the YMCA!”