The new name is the Olympic Peninsula YMCA — but you won’t see it on YMCA buildings in Port Angeles and Port Townsend.
“We’re one YMCA with two branches” — the Clallam County Family YMCA, 302 S. Francis St., and the Jefferson County YMCA in the Mountain View Commons at 1919 Blaine St. — said Kyle Cronk, chief executive officer of the Peninsula-wide organization.
“The branch names aren’t changing,” he said. “The physical buildings still have their names.”
So the signs on the buildings won’t change.
The organization filed the new name with the state earlier this month after receiving approval from the national YMCA on Nov. 3, Cronk said.
The YMCA board had voted to change the name in July, he added.
“We want to talk about ourselves in a unified voice,” he said.
The change is part of a new strategic plan, Cronk said.
“That was the whole point of it. We’re serving two different communities and hopefully plan to expand into other communities in both counties,” though only through additional programs, not new buildings, he said.
“We think all communities deserve a YMCA,” Cronk said, and board members and staff are discussing “how to meet needs” in Sequim, Forks, Chimacum and other areas.
The YMCA — after staff members gathered input from the public while attending health fairs and other functions, as well as conducting interviews with some members of the public — has set three areas of interest: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
“It used to be about fitness. Now, it’s about healthy living,” Cronk said.
“One of the specific needs is around health and community collaborations,” he added.
“We want to be better partners with the school district and medical community.”
An example is a pilot program for cancer survivors called “Exercise and Thrive.”
In this program, the YMCA worked in partnership with Olympic Medical Center, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Cronk said.
The YMCA board and staff also are considering a youth diabetes program.
“We’re really intentional about how we’re trying to impact a community,” Cronk said.
For more information about the Clallam County branch, visit www.clallam countyymca.org or phone 360-452-9244.
For more information about the Jefferson County branch, visit www.jeffymca.org or phone 360-385-5811.
