YMCA Breaks Ground For New K21 Sports Complex
May 16, 2023 at 1:15 a.m.
YMCA Breaks Ground For New K21 Sports Complex
By David [email protected]
“This is an exciting, exciting time for us here at the Y. The first groundbreaking for us in at least seven years, going way back to 2014,” said YMCA CEO Jim Swanson in his opening remarks at the ceremony.
To summarize the journey the YMCA has been on the last seven years, he referenced a Benjamin Franklin quote, saying, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.”
Swanson said they could probably talk a lot about that quote. “But for the past seven years, our staff, our board of directors, staff’s families - we’ve been trying to think about what to do next at the Y. We’ve been blessed here with a building that is 7 years old. It’s in great shape. A few pinhole leaks here and there, but we’ve been blessed with it, it’s been an amazing success. But, we’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to take another step.”
He said that was due to the “terrific” work of the YMCA staff and their families, as well as a very “creative and innovative” board of directors.
“This field has been for years a soccer field. It’s been kind of a field, I think, that perhaps has been a little inadequate at times, right? It’s been a field that we wish was a little flatter, a little sturdier, a little less risk of injury, but it’s been a tremendous field. And our Y members, families have used this field without complaint for seven years,” Swanson said.
“It’s been the vision when this building was created to do something with this field along the lines of a sports complex. And, so, it’s just an awesome thing to be at that point today.”
He said they changed the narrative from a rough-looking field to an elite sports complex.
“It’s a thrill to be the first facility, the first group in Kosciusko County to - from what I know - develop 5-on-5 turf soccer fields. So we’re excited on this ground, in this place will be two of them. They’ll be lighted. There will be plenty of different activities such as volleyball, wiffle ball, they’ll be netted - in an elite complex for families to come to, to play, to enjoy, to develop both in the area of character and integrity and sportsmanship, but also in the area of soccer, which we believe is one of the growing sports in this country,” Swanson said.
He said YMCA’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body. The YMCA has a holistic, competitive and character-building approach to development.
“This complex will bring families closer together, encourage good health and foster connections through fun and shared activities,” Swanson stated.
In three to four weeks, he said they will be back for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, thanks to the work of G & G Hauling & Excavating.
“It’s going to move along pretty quick,” he said.
Swanson also thanked all the donors for the project, specificially the K21 Health Foundation.
“The partnership we have with K21 Health Foundation has been unbelieveable. They have been incredibly supportive to our Y for years and continue to be. And if you’ve been reading the newspaper, if you’ve been following the progress of this journey, you’ll realize or have learned that we named this field K21 Sports Complex,” he said.
Swanson said K21 gave a significant lead gift toward the project.
Rich Haddad, K21 Health Foundation CEO and president, said Monday was a great spring day to launch the project “and to see additional and unique health and activity opportunities really from young children all the way to older people being able to experience something new and fresh.”
He said K21 sees the YMCA as a partner.
“Our mission is to advance health and wellness for every resident in Kosciusko County. And so way back when the Y was looking at a new location and facility, as our board stepped back and processed the importance of the Y for any community, we felt like a successful YMCA was one of those pillars of health that every community, if they were going to advance health, and to create a culture of healthy living, the Y in that community had to be one of the primary drivers of that and providers of that. And so, way back when Jim was talking about this new facility, the board at K21 made a lead gift toward this project of $2 million. And we believe that made a statement for others to follow and make significant gifts to make what we have now possible,” Haddad said.
Scott Schneider, chairman of the YMCA Board of Directors, offered a big thank-you to the Y’s staff.
“Our staff put a lot of effort into defining what we want to do; what does it look like, going to look at other urban soccer field complexes and how can we make that vision a reality here? And I’m super excited that they brought back a lot of great information, what it could look like and I’m excited where we’re going to go with that,” Schneider said. “And thanks to the board for seeing that vision with the staff of what we could and how that could advance programming. And then especially for K21. Our partnership in the community and advancing health and wellness, this is going to do that. And we’re very appreciative of that partnership and the depth of that partnership.”
He concluded by thanking the community.
“This is an exciting, exciting time for us here at the Y. The first groundbreaking for us in at least seven years, going way back to 2014,” said YMCA CEO Jim Swanson in his opening remarks at the ceremony.
To summarize the journey the YMCA has been on the last seven years, he referenced a Benjamin Franklin quote, saying, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.”
Swanson said they could probably talk a lot about that quote. “But for the past seven years, our staff, our board of directors, staff’s families - we’ve been trying to think about what to do next at the Y. We’ve been blessed here with a building that is 7 years old. It’s in great shape. A few pinhole leaks here and there, but we’ve been blessed with it, it’s been an amazing success. But, we’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to take another step.”
He said that was due to the “terrific” work of the YMCA staff and their families, as well as a very “creative and innovative” board of directors.
“This field has been for years a soccer field. It’s been kind of a field, I think, that perhaps has been a little inadequate at times, right? It’s been a field that we wish was a little flatter, a little sturdier, a little less risk of injury, but it’s been a tremendous field. And our Y members, families have used this field without complaint for seven years,” Swanson said.
“It’s been the vision when this building was created to do something with this field along the lines of a sports complex. And, so, it’s just an awesome thing to be at that point today.”
He said they changed the narrative from a rough-looking field to an elite sports complex.
“It’s a thrill to be the first facility, the first group in Kosciusko County to - from what I know - develop 5-on-5 turf soccer fields. So we’re excited on this ground, in this place will be two of them. They’ll be lighted. There will be plenty of different activities such as volleyball, wiffle ball, they’ll be netted - in an elite complex for families to come to, to play, to enjoy, to develop both in the area of character and integrity and sportsmanship, but also in the area of soccer, which we believe is one of the growing sports in this country,” Swanson said.
He said YMCA’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body. The YMCA has a holistic, competitive and character-building approach to development.
“This complex will bring families closer together, encourage good health and foster connections through fun and shared activities,” Swanson stated.
In three to four weeks, he said they will be back for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, thanks to the work of G & G Hauling & Excavating.
“It’s going to move along pretty quick,” he said.
Swanson also thanked all the donors for the project, specificially the K21 Health Foundation.
“The partnership we have with K21 Health Foundation has been unbelieveable. They have been incredibly supportive to our Y for years and continue to be. And if you’ve been reading the newspaper, if you’ve been following the progress of this journey, you’ll realize or have learned that we named this field K21 Sports Complex,” he said.
Swanson said K21 gave a significant lead gift toward the project.
Rich Haddad, K21 Health Foundation CEO and president, said Monday was a great spring day to launch the project “and to see additional and unique health and activity opportunities really from young children all the way to older people being able to experience something new and fresh.”
He said K21 sees the YMCA as a partner.
“Our mission is to advance health and wellness for every resident in Kosciusko County. And so way back when the Y was looking at a new location and facility, as our board stepped back and processed the importance of the Y for any community, we felt like a successful YMCA was one of those pillars of health that every community, if they were going to advance health, and to create a culture of healthy living, the Y in that community had to be one of the primary drivers of that and providers of that. And so, way back when Jim was talking about this new facility, the board at K21 made a lead gift toward this project of $2 million. And we believe that made a statement for others to follow and make significant gifts to make what we have now possible,” Haddad said.
Scott Schneider, chairman of the YMCA Board of Directors, offered a big thank-you to the Y’s staff.
“Our staff put a lot of effort into defining what we want to do; what does it look like, going to look at other urban soccer field complexes and how can we make that vision a reality here? And I’m super excited that they brought back a lot of great information, what it could look like and I’m excited where we’re going to go with that,” Schneider said. “And thanks to the board for seeing that vision with the staff of what we could and how that could advance programming. And then especially for K21. Our partnership in the community and advancing health and wellness, this is going to do that. And we’re very appreciative of that partnership and the depth of that partnership.”
He concluded by thanking the community.
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