A group of local volunteers is endeavoring to start a YMCA in southern Northampton and Lehigh counties, after a need for one was identified and confirmed by a Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA community survey initiative in 2015.
A screen shot from the Saucon Creek YMCA Discovery Project Facebook page
Jennifer Johnson, who kickstarted the effort, said the Founders Committee is composed of 15 volunteers from various walks of life, all of whom want to see a Y for the Saucon Valley-Southern Lehigh area go from being a dream to a reality.
The primary impetus for the campaign, she said, was distance.
Johnson said places like Center Valley, Coopersburg and Lower Saucon Township are miles from the nearest YMCAs, which are in Bethlehem and Quakertown.
The Founders’ Committee–commissioned by an existing Board of YMCA directors–is currently focused on raising $200,000 as part of a Discovery Campaign that, if successful, will help fund a later capital building campaign.
About $20,000 in donations have been raised so far, and the group hopes to raise the remainder of the funds by October, Johnson said.
YMCAs are not funded by tax dollars, but rather are donor and member-supported.
“We really want it to be centrally located because it’s a driving community,” Johnson said, in response to a question about where the facility might eventually be built. She said two or three centrally located potential building sites have already been identified.
“Once the Y is built, it’s supported (primarily) through memberships,” she added.
On the wish list of possible amenities are an indoor pool, a gym, a track, racquetball courts, meeting space and daycare facilities, where before and after-school child care would be provided.
In many ways, Johnson said, the Saucon Creek YMCA would function as a modern community center for the residents of the area.
Hellertown is already home to the Saucon Valley Community Center–which provides local residents with childcare and hosts teen groups as well as two senior centers–but the building doesn’t have athletic facilities like the YMCA would have.
The Saucon Creek YMCA would offer “programming…for all ages,” Johnson said.
In addition to donations, which can be made online, the Founders’ Committee is seeking more volunteers to help with planning and fundraising. Johnson said they would particularly like to recruit more volunteers from the Saucon Valley area. Anyone interested in learning more can contact her at cj*********@ya***.com.
All donations are tax deductible, and can be made online on the Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA website.
The site also features an FAQ about the campaign, which explains:
If we cannot raise $200,000 in seed money, we would probably not be able to raise the much larger amount needed to purchase land and build the building. During the Discovery Phase, we will use dollars raised to date to educate and rally the community, engage donors, explore building sites, and develop a site plan. If, for lack of funds or other reasons, the project is ended, any unused funds will be distributed to other 501(c)(3) non-profit agencies in proposed Saucon Creek YMCA service area. If the project moves forward quickly and all Discovery Funds are not expensed on the discovery phase, remaining dollars will be rolled over to the main capital Building Campaign.
Campaign volunteers are seeking donations of all sizes, from both individuals and businesses, and Johnson said the focus has been on having face-to-face meetings with potential donors. A low-key fundraising event may be hosted over the summer, she added.
Once built, if the goals are met, the organization will be there to serve everyone.
“The…thing that’s really great about a Y is that nobody’s ever turned away (due to an inability to pay),” Johnson said. “They have scholarships available….”
A Facebook page has also been started for the Saucon Creek YMCA Discovery Project, where updates are regularly shared.
The proposed Saucon Creek YMCA would be the eighth YMCA facility in the Lehigh Valley, and the newest, after the Slate Belt Y.
