Something for everyone Mon Valley YMCA offers a gamut of programs for all ages
Sasha Skrobot, left, gets help putting on sunscreen from friends Katie Masters, center and Lita Zelinski at the Mon Valley YMCA’s outdoor pool.
Student artwork hanging inside the Mon Valley YMCA.
The CFS Bank Wellness Center is an 8,500 square-foot multi-level space with cardio, strength and functional fitness equipment.
Jeff Vitale, Mon Valley YMCA executive director.
Nestled in a small valley on Taylor Run Road in Washington County is the Mon Valley YMCA. Serving four counties from its 56,000-square-foot facility and resting on 28 acres in Carroll Township, a little “Y” goes a long way. Not just in the area it serves, but in the depth of services that are offered.
There’s something for everyone this summer: enroll in a day camp, play pickleball, come to a night swim, have a mermaid “experience,” play CarpoolKaraoke … the list goes on and on.
It’s the only YMCA in Washington County. While most of the families served are in a five-mile radius from Charleroi, Donora and Finleyville, membership reaches into parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland and Fayette counties. as well. The YMCA’s humble beginnings can be traced to day camp services in the 1960s on property that was donated following the merger of the Greater Charleroi YMCA and Monongahela YMCA. With no building at that point, a school bus in the clearing served as the base of operations, says Jeff Vitale, executive director for Mon Valley YMCA.
Kenneth Wiltz, who served as the YMCA’s executive director for 37 years, was just out of the military then and acting as a volunteer for the summer camps.
“Ken Wiltz was at the forefront of most of what took place here,” Vitale says, giving credit to his predecessor for the development of the facilities over the next three decades. The first building on the property was the swimming pool, built in 1968 and still in use today – in fact, as we got ready to photograph, Vitale pointed out that he learned to swim in that exact pool, taking lessons as a child. In 1970, the first part of the building was constructed and included office space, a kitchen and a fieldhouse. Further expansions were made in 1986, 2004 and 2013.
In 2004, the YMCA added an 8,300-square-foot Wellness Center and the Mon Valley YMCA Child Learning Center.
Today, the YMCA has more than 7,000 members and strives to meet the needs of those members and the community. Memberships are available for youth, adult, seniors, families and those in the military. Most of the YMCA’s programming – child care, day care, swim lessons – is open to non-members. Full use of the facility and the Wellness Center is generally membership-based, Vitale says.
”One of our missions in our community is no one is turned away from services regardless of their ability to pay. We have scholarship programs, and we will subsidize and underwrite memberships for individuals depending on their financial need,” he says.
According to Vitale, over the last year the YMCA has given away $131,004 in program and membership scholarships, including $54,033 worth of preschool scholarships in conjunction with the Washington County Community Foundation. More than $60,000 worth of free meals were served in the YMCA’s child-care programs in the last year.
“We don’t look at ourselves as a business or just a place that offers up services. We are a community agency that is ’cause’ driven. Our purpose is to give back to the community and provide recreation, education, family programing and enhance the lives of those that live in the Mid-Mon Valley,” Vitale says. And he’s got skin in the game: “I’ve been a member here all of my life. I went to preschool here, took swim lessons here, worked out here.”
And now, his three children are part of the YMCA’s educational programs.
Probably the largest segment of the population served by the Y is children. “That’s where the most impact is; you can mold and shape a child and give them an opportunity, sometimes unbeknownst to them, but it gives us a chance to position and improve the lives of kids and give them a start to go on and do bigger and better things. We look at ourselves as a family-centered organization, and we try to operate in that manner where things are geared toward families,” Vitale says.
Families looking for summer fun can come to the YMCA for evening ice cream sundae bars, drive-in movie nights at the outdoor pool, and themed “carPOOLkaraoke” at the indoor pool and night swims at the outdoor pool.
Day-care services are offered all year in the YMCA’s state-licensed center for children 6 weeks to entering kindergarten. The same services are offered during the summer, but are expanded to include children up to age 10. Minicamps and swim lessons also are available for kids – the Y is on pace to teach more than 675 swim lessons this summer.
For older children, ages 11 to 16, the Y has a Summer Teen and Tween club for members with supervised fun using the YMCA’s facilities.
New this summer, the YMCA is offering a free six-week STEAM program for members ages 8 and older on Wednesday evenings.
During the school year, the YMCA operates a Pennsylvania Department of Education preschool serving children ages 2 1/2 to 5, along with the day-care services and a before- and after-school care program. The preschool recently added smart boards to each room and nine iPads. Speech therapy services are available, as well. Parents appreciate that preschool and day care are located in one area, with key fobs issued only to parents for security.
“We are investing in our facility so that we can continue to be current and properly serve our community,” Vitale explains.
In the 8,300-foot Wellness Center, the YMCA has placed $80,000 worth of new equipment in 2016, Vitale says. That’s included in the $2 million invested in repairs, capital improvements and equipment facility-wide over the last six years.
Members can enjoy a new spinning room, updated and expanded free-weight area, a “functional fitness” component and an Express Training Area (ETA) that provides a solid workout in a short amount of time. There are also personal training and group fitness options.
The YMCA has a large senior citizen population, as well. “We try to keep our seniors engaged through fitness and recreation,” Vitale says. Insurance-based memberships allow seniors to participate in Silver Sneakers and other fitness programs.
“We are in an economically challenged area. I think it’s our duty to try to continue to keep our building, our facilities, our programing current so we can engage our community,” Vitale says.