New YMCA to be Westfield community cornerstone
WESTFIELD, Ind. (THE REPORTER) — A much-anticipated addition to Westfield, the Ascension St. Vincent YMCA officially opened its doors following a flag-raising and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 4.
The state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facility at 874 Virginia Rose Ave. marks the 12th YMCA in greater Indianapolis, according to Shannon Marshel, executive director of the Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield. Not only that, it’s the newest YMCA in the world!
Community members at the grand opening were among the first to tour the 54,000 square-foot facility. In addition to the Olympic-sized pool in the adjacent Westfield Washington Schools Aquatic Center, the new space boasts a gymnasium, an indoor track, free weight and cardio equipment, three large group exercise studios, a children’s area, classrooms, a learning kitchen, and more.
“Today we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing the health, wellbeing, and potential of everyone who walks through these doors,” YMCA of Greater Indianapolis President and CEO Gregg Hiland said.
Among others, Hiland thanked Ascension St. Vincent for whom the facility is named.
“Ascension St. Vincent is proud to support the Westfield YMCA and to lift up the programs that they support that help develop the health and wellbeing of Westfield and Hamilton County families and, especially, their children,” Ascension St. Vincent Chief Strategy Officer Stephen Masoncup said.
Masconcup described how the Daughters of Charity came to central Indiana in 1881 with a mission to care for people, especially the vulnerable. Masoncup said Ascension St. Vincent is glad to carry on this tradition.
“Through its many programs, the YMCA offers many ways to keep kids active, and that’s just critical for a child’s overall health and development,” Masoncup said. “Physical exercise helps support strong bones and muscles, cognitive function, and the mental wellbeing of the children. All of this lays the foundation for a healthy lifestyle for later in life.”
The effort to bring the YMCA to Westfield has been ongoing for nearly 20 years.
“The YMCA made several attempts to come to Westfield over the last decade and a half, and we just couldn’t get the money, just couldn’t make it work,” Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said. “Timing is everything.”
Willis went on to thank the Wheeler family, who generously donated the 10 acres on which the facility sits at the southwest corner of Wheeler Road and 181st Street. Willis said that without that donation, the building of the facility wouldn’t have been possible.
Willis also thanked former Westfield Washington Schools Superintendent Sherry Grate, Hamilton County Commissioner and Westfield resident Mark Heirbrandt, and the former Westfield City Council members for their significant contributions to making it possible to bring the YMCA to Westfield.
Willis said it was Grate’s vision of partnering with the YMCA that got the project off the ground. He described Heirbrandt as doing a lot of “heavy lifting” with the county to get the project underway, including a multi-year grant awarded by the Hamilton County Community Foundation. Finally, Willis highlighted how former Westfield City Council members, the late Joe Edwards, Scott Fry, Jake Gilbert, Mike Johns, Troy Patton, and Cindy Spoljarik, unanimously approved a $5 million donation for the project. The money came from the $9.8 million in federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act intended to combat challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitch Frazier, chairman of the board for the Ascension St. Vincent YMCA in Westfield, said that COVID led to their fundraising efforts all but drying up. As a result, the board began looking at other opportunities for partnerships. They started imagining what it would look like to bring higher education opportunities to the area.
“What we see today is Westfield Washington School partnering with the YMCA to have the natatorium, of course, but also classrooms on site,” Frazier said.
Frazier described high school classes as well as nursing classes and adult education classes from Indiana University Kokomo – all in a place where childcare already exists. He also talked about his delight at finally being able to provide a nice facility for the Westfield Police Department to work out.
“You see what is possible when community members come together,” Frazier said.
Hiland echoed his words.
“Together, we’re creating a space that empowers families, builds community connections, and inspires the next generation,” he said.
Frazier said that the new YMCA will be a cornerstone of the community.
“There are going to be amazing stories of life change that happen here because of this facility,” he said. “It’s far more than a building, but it takes a building to create that life change.”
For more information, visit indymca.org/ymca-westfield or call (317) 713-1081.