THE HERITAGE SOCIETY IS AN ORGANIZATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT TO THE PERPETUATION OF THE YMCA AND ITS WORK BY MAKING A GIFT TO THE YMCA ENDOWMENT FUND OR BY INCLUDING THE YMCA IN THEIR ESTATE PLANNING.

The YMCA Heritage Society Emblem

A symbol of faith in the future of the YMCA. It stands for the enlightened concern of individuals who have seen and felt the impact of the YMCA on their own lives and on the lives of others. It is a reminder of the YMCA’s mission and a symbol of the desire to see the YMCA serve as a positive influence within the community.
 

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 My Findlay YMCA...

The Findlay YMCA has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a young child, I swam at the old YMCA (now a parking lot at Marathon). The locker rooms were down the hall from the pool, requiring swimmers to walk down a drafty, cold hallway to the pool area. Two bonnet-style hairdryers were located in this hallway just outside of the locker rooms. The stairs leading down to the pool were steep and slick, but we always made it down to the pool deck safely. Jumping off the diving board was very special – even though I was strapped into a bulky, musty-smelling, orange life vest.

After the old YMCA burned down, we had our beautiful new facility to enjoy. I still remember seeing the west pool for the first time. It was totally void of water, which raised some concern in my six-year old head. However, at the next visit, we were greeted with shimmering aqua-blue, chlorinated water!

Growing up with Family Night Swims, progressive swim lessons, and swim team guided me to the “pinnacle” of aquatics - lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons during high school and college.

As an adult, I re-entered competitive swimming with the YMCA Masters Swim Team. The camaraderie of our team members developed into long-lasting friendships. Although my competitive swimming days are currently “on hold”, an early morning swim is a great way to dive into the day.

In February, 2007, I took the plunge and went back through Lifeguard training. Although I was the oldest student in the class, I successfully passed all of the tests and couldn’t wait to show my husband my certification card. Even with a full-time job, I knew I wanted support the Aquatics program at the YMCA in some small way.

So now, once again, I am proud to be part of the Findlay YMCA Aquatics Staff as a substitute lifeguard and swimming instructor.

By Patty Kelbey

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Did you know?

Did you know that there are several different funds currently in existence in which to make your contributions for the benefit of the YMCA? The YMCA has two designated funds with the Findlay Hancock County Community Foundation, those being the Grant and Emily Young Fund which has the sole purpose of providing benefit in the form of youth scholarships at the Findlay YMCA, and the Tell Thompson Fund which benefits the general operation of the Findlay YMCA. In addition, the YMCA of Findlay has two separate funds which the YMCA individually manage through the Endowment Committee of the YMCA, those funds being the Ken Thomas Fund which is specifically earmarked to be used for international work, and the second fund being the general Endowment Fund which is to benefit the general operation of the Findlay YMCA.

All designated funds are available for additional contributions. If you have any questions regarding making contributions to any of these funds, please contact Brent Finlay of the YMCA at 419-422-4424.
 

Heritage Society Membership