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YMCA shortens name, changes logo
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YOUNGSTOWN
The name of the “Y” is now officially ... the “Y.”
The YMCA of Youngs-town, along with other “Ys” across the country, is changing its name to how people most commonly refer to the organization. It has a new logo and has broadened its core values, said Timothy M. Hilk, Youngstown Y’s chief executive officer.
Youngstown’s Y is embracing a new brand strategy as part of a larger overhaul of the national organization, YMCA of the USA. This is the first time in 43 years the Y has made such changes, Hilk said in a news release.
Through its new brand strategy, the Y will extend its reach into communities to nurture the potential of youths and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to support neighbors, its new core values, said Tom Grantonic, branch director of the D.D. Davis and Velma Family YMCA in Boardman.
The Youngstown YMCA also has a downtown branch on North Champion Street.
“YMCAs are generally autonomous, but we have found that in order to make the impact we want, we need to be unified,” Grantonic said.
The individual character values that the Y has espoused in the past — honesty, caring, respect and responsibility — will continue. The new core values broaden the Y’s approach, he said.
The most immediate and visible change is a new logo that Y officials say “reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the organization, and a framework that focuses resources on three core areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.”
The Youngstown Y plans to expand its role in the community to become an even more effective agent of change in the lives of area young people. “We will deepen our commitment to young people of all stations in life because we believe the Y can help them all reach their full promise and potential,” Hilk said.
Grantonic said he does not think using just Y to refer to the YMCA will lead to additional confusion between the YMCA and the YWCA.
“There’s always been confusion. A lot of people think there is a relationship between the two, but there isn’t. It’s something we’ve had to deal with in the past, and I don’t think it will ever change,” he said.
Ys across the country will fully transition to the new brand within five years,” officials said.