In recent
months, we have shared with the community the ongoing challenges faced by the Michigan City YMCA. Whatever the rumors you
may have heard concerning our YMCA, let me assure you that the organization will continue to have a role in Michigan City,
working with children and families as well as the community at large, as it has for over 100 years.
The YMCA
will, though, be different from what it has been in the recent past. We have already begun making changes in the way we serve
our members, and it is vital that this process continues in order for the organization to survive and thrive.
The list
of concerns faced by the Board of Directors responsible for the YMCA’s health and future is long, and the resolutions
have not all been identified. But, even though the final plan is not yet complete, I can tell you these things today:
· The future of the YMCA in this
community is not an issue that is taken lightly by anyone involved.
· An Advisory Council of dedicated
volunteers has come together, donating their time and expertise to address the needs of the Michigan City YMCA.
· There is a comprehensive process
taking place right now through the committees we have formed; they are identifying challenges, resources and opportunities
that will foster the changes our YMCA must embrace.
· The YMCA continues to do its best
to provide programs to our 2000+ members while the organization undergoes reformation.
Several of
our leaders have stepped up to answer this challenge, but there are still critical financial and facility issues that need
to be addressed by and supported by the community. Also, and most importantly, we have done a great deal of soul searching
about our mission and how to incorporate it into everything we do. That mission is about providing opportunities for young
people to develop their spirits, minds and bodies in an atmosphere of faith. If you look around the country -- or, for that
matter, at the successful Associations closer to home in LaPorte, Portage and Valparaiso -- you will see how YMCAs actively work within those communities to promote principles
which lead children to become good people and good citizens.
We are dedicated
to making it work here in our hometown. That is why the Michigan City YMCA Board of Directors and the Advisory Council believe
that reforming the organization to ensure its survival is mandatory—for the good of our families and of our community. Change can be difficult, uncomfortable, even frightening; but change is also a good
thing, bringing new ideas and activities into our lives.
We have a
long road ahead of us...and we invite you to join us in the process of change. In the end, it will be the level of community
support that will ultimately determine the future of the YMCA in Michigan City.
Our August
Advisory Council will be open to the public and you are most welcome to join us. Further
information on that meeting will be forthcoming. In addition, reports of our
progress will be available on our website, www.michigancityymca.com, as well as through the local media. You may send questions and comments to our Executive Director, Chris Fischer, at the
YMCA (219-872-9622) or call me (219-921-5555).
Sincerely,
Greg Tuel,
President
Michigan City Family YMCA
Board of Directors
