Giving people of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity.
During WWI, 25,926 people, of which 5,185 were women, served through the YMCA, supporting American soldiers in the U.S. and overseas.
Courtesy of YMCA of the USA
- CARING
- HONESTY
- RESPECT
- RESPONSIBILITY
“We’re striving to be an organization that leads the way in serving everyone and making sure that everyone feels welcome and included and that there are services to help them succeed.”
Racial discrimination was banned in all YMCAs in 1967, as many African American YMCAs became meeting places and rallying points for the Civil Rights Movement.
Courtesy of YMCA of the USA
“Working with the Y is a calling. When you embrace the mission of the YMCA, you never retire from that. You continue serving forever because the work brings good to the world, and it also brings joy.”
Dr. Luther Gulick, director of the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, gave physical education teacher, James Naismith (pictured at right) two weeks to come up with an indoor winter game to challenge a class of future Y directors.
Courtesy of YMCA of the USA
May 31, 1985, Paul M. Limbert is inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame at its first ever induction ceremony. Paul Limbert is a past President of Springfield College.