The Williams Family’s Strength

Some people get help from the Y and some people give to the Y. More and more, we are seeing people who do both. With help from donations, we’re able to help families like the Williams family. Originally they came to the Y for family fitness. But when the economy took a turn, they found they could no longer afford to keep their family membership at full price.

Thanks to the We Build People Campaign and the Open Doors program, they were able to work out a reduced membership so their family could continue at the Y. When their fortunes reversed, the Williams’s returned the favor, giving a portion of their company’s profits back to the Y so that people in similar situations have a chance to recover the same way they did.

“It’s a really neat relationship we have with the Y. Our kids love it here. We love it here. It really just started as health and fitness. Then when we needed it, the Y reached out to us. Now we’re able to return the favor and hopefully have an impact long term, in a big way, to help other folks who need the Y. The YMCA really has been an interesting focal point for what we do as a family and how we interact with the community.”—Chris Williams