A FIRM FOUNDATION

By KATIE SEMINARA

Youngstown YMCA withstands tests of time, apathy

The downtown location,marking its 125th anniversary, offers a wide array of programs not available elsewhere, the director says.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Rev. Art Joachim still remembers the scent of the soap called Lifebuoy used by the YMCA in the 1930s.

“Back in the ’30s when I first started coming here [Y] it was just men and boys. And we just swam in our birthday suits,” he said, laughing.

Birthday suits are no longer acceptable in the YMCA’s two Olympic-sized pools.

But the Youngstown Central Branch of the Y is celebrating its 125th birthday this year.

Over time, the Y has undergone renovations, had visits from presidents and famous coaches, but one thing remains constant — service.

The YMCA has always been dedicated to serving the mind, body and spirit of community residents and Y members.

“Things have changed, but we always follow our mission,” said Kenneth Rudge, YMCA chief executive officer.

“We certainly are a melting pot for the community. That’s what makes us special. Everyone rubs elbows with everyone,” he said.

The Rev. Mr. Joachim, of Austintown, is part of that melting pot and has been attending the Youngstown YMCA for many years.

Even at age 83 he continues to use the facilities for long-distance race training and to stay healthy.

When Mr. Joachim was a student at South High in Youngstown, boys would make the extra effort to go the programs offered by the Y, he said.

He recalled hundreds of boys running the halls of the Y and having to pay only a dime for a pint of milk and a silent film.

“This Y is superb and the leadership here is wonderful,” he said, adding, “I’ve never seen its equal.”

Programs for youths — boys and girls alike — are still a staple of the Y’s total purpose, as well as programs for adults, seniors and the disabled.

“We cater to the total family,” said Rudge.

“We are so large and diverse, there is something for everyone,” he said.

On the Y’s 100th birthday the central branch served 5,664 members. Twenty-five years later, the central branch serves 6,785 members, plus 23,990 program participants.

With growing numbers, the YMCA is one of the only buildings in Youngstown that has stayed the same as it was 25 years ago.

While bank names were changing, businesses were closing and buildings were being torn down, the Y stood firm, said Mike Shaffer, central branch director.

“A lot of folks think, ‘Why would the Y still be downtown?’” Shaffer said.

“It’s the values and what we represent that sets us apart,” he said.

Not to mention facilities that enable the central branch to offer space for a swim team with up to 100 kids, basketball leagues that host more than 1,000 players and a corporate Olympics for areas businesses.

“We can do things other Y’s and health facilities cannot accomplish,” said Shaffer of the Youngstown Y’s being a one-of-a-kind establishment.

In the ’70s, after a major expansion, the central branch was considered the largest Y in the country, he said.

“It’s kind of phenomenal,” Shaffer said in reference to the Y’s 125-year history.

Emma Blackstone Moore has been a part of the Y’s history since 1962.

Being a volunteer for so many years, the Y has become like a second family, said Moore, 89, of Boardman.

“There’s no other word for it but ‘family,’” she said.

Moore teaches swimming lessons at the Y and is still happy to teach anyone who wishes to learn.

“When a person has the desire there’s no problem teaching,” said Moore. For Moore, it’s all about serving other people. Even when her health wasn’t great or when the weather was bad, she made the effort to be at the Y, she said.

“The people down here do more for me than I do for them,” she said. “I think I could call the Y and ask Mike [Shaffer] for the moon and I’d get it.”

Moore has more than 20 awards for her volunteer work and was named the Y volunteer of the year four times.

Over the years, Moore has visited numerous YMCA’s and said none stacks up to Youngstown.

“We have more to offer right here,” she said of the two Olympic pools, racquetball courts, numerous cardio and weight areas, two gyms and more.

And to assure the Y continues to offer more to members and the community, up to $200,000 is put back into the central branch building every year, said Rudge.

“This is the flagship of our association so we want it to grow and be stronger,” he said.

This year, $100,000 was spent to improve the two pools, updating filtration, plumbing and other esthetic betterments.

Other upcoming projects for the Y include a 28,000-square-foot expansion to the D.D. & Velma Davis Branch in Boardman, which opened in 2003, and a chapel for 250 people at the Y’s Camp Fitch in North Springfield, Pa., which was established in 1914.

“We’ve made a commitment to our community and have been an anchor here for many years,” said Rudge, who plans on being that anchor for many more years in Youngstown and at the other facilities birthed from the central branch.

“We are constantly putting money into the building to assure we’ll have a presence in the downtown for many more years,” he said.