| With the YMCA values, "caring, respect, responsibility, honesty,"
proclaimed in bright paint, a large crowd packed the new Sarah Welch Young Activity Center
at the Grand River Area Family YMCA this past Sunday at 3 p.m. for its dedication. Greg Hughes, youth director at the United
Methodist Church, opened the ceremony with a benediction citing the Bible verse, Matthew
19:14, "But Jesus said, 'Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming
to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'""Sally Young would
have been very pleased with what we are doing here today," Hughes concluded.
Sally Welch Young was a Chillicothe
native and a major benefactor of the Grand River Area Family YMCA and other youth
programs. She died in Arizona earlier this year after battling cancer. The room was paid
for with memorial contributions made in her name in the days and weeks following her
death.
With the Sally Young Room, the
planners essentially refurbished the already existing activity room in the northwest
corner of the building. One woman attending the dedication stated that she could sure tell
the difference between the before and after looks of the room. The new room has a large
screen TV with a Sony Playstation II, a large sectional couch with blue jean upholstery,
several deli-type wooden tables and tall stools to go with them, a pinball machine, an
electric dome hockey game, an air hockey game, a Fooseball table, two computers with
Internet access and games and a new separate baby-sitting area with carpeting and a TV and
VCR. Accented throughout the room are youth-oriented decorations including sports
memorabilia and framed posters from movies such as "Toy Story."
Inger Young, Susan Thorne, Lindy
Chapman, Dave Rogers and Loren Affield did the planning and purchasing for the Sally Young
Room. Martin Greer made the oak cabinetry lining the complete east wall. Affield, the
YMCA's program director, said after the dedication that he had asked children what they
wanted for the room. "In my conversations with kids throughout the day, I'd ask them
what they wanted. I'd show them possible games we could buy from the Internet. The process
took about three months," Affield said. The planners said they purchased almost
everything from the Internet.
After acquiring all the new
equipment and materials, YMCA staff and volunteers put the center together last Saturday.
"People would peek in while we were building this. Their eyes would open and their
jaws would drop. One boy came up to me and said, 'This is really nice. Thank you for doing
this for us'," Rogers said.
Affield envisions that the new
activity center will serve as a healthy YMCA alternative activity for area youth who are
not involved in sports, he said. "It's going to help build character. It's going to
give kids an alternative to playing sports - kids who aren't really
athletically-minded," said Affield. "Kids can come in and do homework. There
will be a social atmosphere where we'll put a positive spin on things." |
