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‘Great Day For Our Community’ — Immediate Financial Picture Improving For Atmore YMCA
July 25, 2014
About two weeks after announcing that they were on track to close the doors permanently next month, the Atmore YMCA director says things are beginning to look up for the organization’s immediate financial future.
“It has been a great day for our community and the YMCA,” Paul Chason, CEO of the Atmore Area YMCA said Thursday night.
Chason said several organizations have made financial commitments to help keep the YMCA’s doors open — the Atmore Lions Club has made a $5,000 donation; the Atmore Rotary Club has pledged $5,000; Gulf Winds Federal Credit Union committed to a $10,000 donation and $6,000 per year for three years; Alto Products has pledged $6,000 per year for three to five years.
He said the Atmore Rotary Club is reviewing their $5,000 pledge to possibly make it an immediate donation. If that happens, the YMCA will have secured the minimum amount needed to remain open through 2014.
In the meantime, the YMCA is still working to secure funding pledges for not only the remainder of this year, but for 2015 and beyond.
The YMCA board had set an August 4 deadline to raise $75,000 in donations to prevent an August 29 closure, but the board changed the request to $20,000 by August 4 to remain open through December.
The Atmore YMCA has served Atmore and surrounding areas since June 1995. The Atmore YMCA currently has just over 500 memberships representing about 1,250 members.
For more information or to donate to the Atmore YMCA, call (251) 368-9622 or stop by 501 South Pensacola Avenue in Atmore.
Pictured top: The Atmore Area YMCA building. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
7 Responses to “‘Great Day For Our Community’ — Immediate Financial Picture Improving For Atmore YMCA”
I would love to see the YMCA remain open in Atmore. It can be an asset to our community, but at this time it doesn’t offer the amenities worthy of the membership costs. Surrounding YMCA facilities have much more to offer and are far more welcoming. More pro active leader is needed and a staff to represent the efforts of such a leader.
As for the “anointed one” Mr Staff is steeped in the Atmore mentality of thinking the Mayor is dictating king who can arbitrarily make decisions without considering little nuances like ….voting.
I thought the county and city were having a disagreement over the school closure issue? After all, AC Moore is a county school, not a city school.
It’s my understanding the mayor made the announcement that AC Moore was closing *before* any action by the school board….just based upon talk and potential plans. We don’t cover the Escambia (AL) School Board on a regular basis, but it’s my understanding from a board member that they’ve never voted on closing the school.
A local weekly paper quotes the school superintendent as saying any consideration would be at least three years away.
How can a mayor announce what the school board *will do (close a school) and what his council *will do (accept the school property, locate the senior center there), and what the YMCA board *will do (move to the school property)?
A. C. Moore Elementary School is closing. Preparation are being made to move it to Rachel Patterson Elementary School hopefully by the end of 2015. Walsh should find out all the details before making statement about our Mayor who was absolutely correct!
This is great news…but it’s a stop gap measure if the community doesn’t get imvolved. Yet it’s unlikely this will happen unless the Y in Atmore can offer more things that appeal to people and be more inclusive to the community as a whole.
City government needs to be more supportive as well….and constructive in their support- I am speaking of the bizarre statements made by the city mayor as to AC Moore closing-which proved to be false.
This is very promising news. Thank you to those who have contributed.
So happy to hear this! Thank you Gulf Winds, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, Alto Products and any others who have made this happen!