On Tuesday, September 3, Robbie Gill, CEO of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, addressed the Caroline County Commissioners at their Work Session. Robbie Gill shared with Commissioners that the YMCA was recently blessed with a $2.5 million lead gift for the construction of a full-facility YMCA in Caroline County. The anonymous gift came from outside the community from a donor that believes deeply in the work of the YMCA and was given with a desire to help bring a YMCA to Caroline County.
In the summer of 2018, the YMCA and Caroline County Commissioners entered into a property donation agreement that would allow the YMCA to receive 15-acres of land as a part of the County owned “Double Hills” property located off of highway 404. In the fall of 2018 the YMCA worked with the Town of Denton to secure a water and sewer allocation for the future YMCA through an MOU. Over the next six-months, Caroline County staff will work with the Town of Denton staff on site logistics.
The YMCA project is slated to house a senior center, following the collaborative model unveiled in St. Michaels, Maryland with the new Perkins Family YMCA/Bay Hundred Senior Center. “This type of partnership makes so much sense” said Robbie Gill, CEO for the YMCA of the Chesapeake “To pull programs and services under one roof, where we can work together to make a bigger community impact, is a huge win for the Y, the County, the Town and those we serve.”
Caroline County Family YMCA Conceptual Design
The YMCA project is estimated at 35,000 – 40,000 sq. ft. and will include an indoor pool, wellness space, multi-purpose spaces, locker rooms, youth activity rooms, a kitchen for congregate meals, gymnasium, outdoor pool and fields for outdoor programs. This project is estimated to cost $12,000,000.
The Caroline County Family YMCA currently operates out of a storefront facility located at 46 Denton Plaza, Denton, MD 21629. The Caroline YMCA serves over 2,600 members and provides over $110,000 in financial assistance each year. In addition to wellness space, the Caroline County Family YMCA currently supports the community through Early Learning Readiness, a program designed to support low-income children (ages birth to 5-years old) and their caregivers with the skills and knowledge to start kindergarten on par with their peers; a mentorship program for approximately 20 mentees who spend 4-5 hours per month participating in service projects and planned outings; learn to swim, a program in partnership with the Caroline County Public Schools and Easton Family YMCA to teach every child at Federalsburg Elementary how to swim; and Camp Lazy Days, a 5-week program run out of the Easton Family YMCA for children with special needs, living in Caroline and Talbot County.
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits and the largest Human Service organization on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the Shore Ys, engage 40,000 members; men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the shore’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In 2018, the YMCA of the Chesapeake provided over $1,750,000 in assistance to over 16,000 community members, turning no one away due to inability to pay. Additionally, the Y spent $200,000 on outreach efforts and programming in the communities it serves.
For more information on the Caroline County Family YMCA please visit www.ymcachesapeake.org.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.