‘Symbol of hope, progress and unity’: YMCA breaks ground on youth development center

Community members gathered on a field at 575 New Hope Road this afternoon at the site of the Staunton-Augusta YMCA’s youth development center.

The Staunton-Augusta YMCA’s active older adult coordinator Carol Byrd said that few organizations have withstood the test of time, but the Y in the United States has stood for 178 years with 14,000 lighthouses going strong in communities.

“But our aim must be true,” Byrd said.

She cited Matthew 5:13-15 of the Bible: be the salt of the Earth so that the Earth has flavor.

“We are light stands on hilltop and we must always shine,” Byrd said.

T.J. Joyce is with the Virginia Alliance of YMCAs. He said meeting local YMCA folks who made the construction of a new youth development center possible was a huge honor.

“You have no idea the impact in their lives that this is going to have that you are doing,” Joyce, who began attending Ys when he was 7 years old, said. He said the impact will be “transformational.”

As an adult, Joyce began his career as a lifeguard at a YMCA and retired from a YMCA in Richmond. He knows the impact the youth center will have because a similar center had an impact on him.

“What you have done is just the beginning,” he said. But long obedience in the same direction will be necessary.

Josh Cole, executive director of the Staunton-Augusta YMCA, said the center on New Hope Road is not a whole new YMCA. The future site will be ready by next summer for youths to enjoy summer day camp and for the YMCA to grow with programs for the community.

Phase 1 will cost $1.3 million and was given the green light with an early donation, as well as a donation from an anonymous donor.

The YMCA’s vision of the future includes youth sports activities on multi-use fields, environmental education programs on Lewis Creek, family evenings in the pavilion, and licensed child day care.

“And, yes, we might even find some room for pickleball,” Cole said of the sport gaining popularity among players of all ages across the U.S.

President of the YMCA Board of Directors James Hall said the “investment in the betterment of our community is truly commendable.”

The Staunton-Augusta YMCA is at the forefront of addressing the community’s needs and aims to address challenges with the birth of new programs.

“The YMCA is poised to play an even more significant role in the lives of community members for all ages,” Hall said.

Today’s groundbreaking of the youth development center will be a symbol of hope, progress and unity for Staunton.