By AILA BOYD
aboyd@ourvalley.org

The Botetourt Family YMCA held a ribbon cutting ceremony last Wednesday to celebrate the new facility, which opened on January 1.

The temperature was cold, but spirits were high as community members watched as the red ribbon was cut in half.

Mark Johnson, president and CEO of YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge, was on hand for the ceremony.

Johnson reflected back on the roughly seven-year journey that finally culminated in the opening of the new facility.

“Today is about really thanking the incredible community that is here and the people that really made all this happen,” Johnson said.

Johnson recounted the story of how the idea to bring a YMCA to Botetourt County came to fruition.

“The story in the end is not about a building. We have a beautiful building and it’s wonderful, but the story that really developed over the last seven years is not about a building at all – it’s about community,” Johnson said. “This community just embraced this Y and this project.”

He noted that the corporate board of the YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the steering committee and financial donors were instrumental in the completion of the project.

“We had an incredible group of donors,” he said.

As the YMCA continues to grow and expand its program offerings, Johnson explained that the local board of directors will be instrumental in establishing the identity of the new facility. He added that the focus will be on making sure that it reflects the community in which it serves.

“When you’ve seen one Y, you’ve seen one Y,” he said, emphasizing the individuality of each location.

Thinking back on what his goals were for the new facility before it was completed, Johnson explained that he had an expansive idea of what success would mean.

“Success doesn’t look like a nice wellness center for us. If that is all we have and all we are, then we failed,” Johnson said. “Success is thousands of children over the next 50 years learning how to swim. Success is summer camps that teach kids skills and experiences that they might not have had otherwise. Success is being a far-reaching asset to Botetourt County Schools.”

According to Brittany Madonna, marketing and communications director for YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the new facility now has over 3,000 individual members.

Madonna noted that past membership figures reflected memberships in general, which include family units.

Following the ribbon cutting, the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce held a networking luncheon at Lumos Networks.