I grew up in Southern Minnesota but wasn’t familiar with Marshall when I saw a job listing for the Marshall Area YMCA’s first Executive Director. I was working for the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati at the time. This looked like the perfect opportunity for me – become a YMCA Executive Director and move back to Minnesota. Fortunately, the job interview went well and in October 2001 I began work as the Marshall Area YMCA’s first Executive Director.
What first struck me about Marshall and its new YMCA was the generosity and enthusiasm of the community. Before even hiring a full-time staff member, the community has raised $10,000,000 for start-up costs and construction of a facility! The Schwan Food Company was at the center of this, pledging the first $5 million. The generosity of many in Marshall ensured the full $10 million was raised.
We started YMCA programming while housed downtown in a small office suite behind what was then offices for the Chamber of Commerce. If I recall correctly, our first program was youth gymnastics classes at SMSU…or maybe day camp for elementary-age students was first. Either way, the community was welcoming and excited about its new YMCA.
In October 2001, plans for the building were well underway. One unique aspect of the facility came from a grant from Marshall Municipal Utilities to use geothermal energy for heating and cooling. This involved drilling almost 300 wells over 200 feet deep each for the geothermal system. Each well had to be independently verified that it was holding pressure. One weekend, I was the only one available to verify the reading along with drilling company. The site was so muddy and mucky that my shoes were sucked right off my feet!
Working with the YMCA’s first board of directors, we established a culture that I’m proud to see continues today. First, is a culture of philanthropy. The Y’s Annual Campaign is vital to its mission of being available to all. Right from the first campaign in 2003 the community has been generous. In addition, the YMCA’s Heritage Club of people including the YMCA in their estate planning has continued to grow.
Second, is a culture of inclusion. Board members recognized the importance of welcoming all faiths to what historically was a Christian organization. To show our inclusion, the mission statement of the Marshall Area YMCA reflected values rather than the Y’s Christian origin. In addition, we reached out to Iftiin, Inc, the Somali Community organization and invited them to partner with the Y on several initiatives. Today, that spirit of inclusion continues.
Finally, is a culture of membership. The facility hadn’t been open long before I heard people talking about “my YMCA” and “our YMCA” as they truly felt like members of an organization rather than users of a facility. I’d like to think our staff created this culture, but I think it was from Marshall’s spirit of independence. As a remote community, people in Marshall had to create things for the themselves. You (people of Marshall) created this YMCA and are proud stakeholders in it (as you should be!).
Congratulations on your 20th Anniversary. I’m honored to have been part of your history.