About the YMCA
What is a YMCA?
YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association, but don't let the name misinterpret that YMCAs are only for "young Christian men". The organization that was founded in London, England in 1844, to provide alternatives to the "evils of society" for young men moving into the city to earn money for their families, is open to everyone. In fact, last year your local YMCA served 26,000 people in Greater Nashua, 44% were under the age of 18, 50% were female, and we are representative of our community in terms of each culture, religion, income level, age, and level of education.
The YMCA is a private not-for-profit organization governed by a local board of directors (volunteers) providing programs and services determined to meet the needs of individuals in local communities. Although the organization employs more than 200 local residents (300 in the summer), it is still volunteer led and driven. Last year more than 1,000 individuals volunteered their time at the YMCA to serve others. The total value of the time donated by these individuals exceeded $300,000.
The YMCA of Greater Nashua operates three facilities (Nashua YMCA, Merrimack YMCA, and Camp Sargent a 22 acre day camp on Lake Naticook in Merrimack). The primary program and service areas are: Child Care, Camping, Youth Sports, Teen Leadership, Health & Wellness, Aquatics, Dance and the Arts.
The YMCA of Greater Nashua offers over 325 different programs to serve our local communities. We also offer a financial aid program, Y Cares, which allows individuals and families the ability to belong and participate in any Y program for a fee - based on their income level and family size. Last year, Y Cares benefited more than 1,300 individuals and families with over $360,000 in support. Financial assistance allows a single parent to send their child to a quality child care or camping program while they work to support their family. Financial assistance provides a senior woman, living on social security, to participate in a water exercise program to relieve her arthritis and, gives a teen the opportunity to come to the Y everyday to play basketball instead of being on the streets after school.
Collectively, the nations 2,617 YMCAs are the largest not-for profit community service organization, the largest provider of child care (nearly 10,000 child care sites serving more than 500,000 children), the largest operator of swimming pools, and the largest employer of teens in the US. Last year more than 20 million were members of a local YMCA in the USA.
YMCAs are in over 120 countries across the globe, in some countries they are the school to educate the children, in others they are there to train workers in jobs relevant to that region and, in Jerusalem the YMCA is the one place where Muslims and Christians work side by side while the children play and learn together in peace.
Just what is a YMCA - your YMCA? It is an organization committed to "building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities" through programs and services that "develop healthy spirit, mind, and body for all!"
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