About Us

For 150 years, the YMCA has been a pioneering force in the United States - a force so powerful that, as we begin the 21st century, it is arguably among the most successful social institutions our country has every known.
One out of three Americans reports being a YMCA member at some point in life, but what's even more remarkable is that the YMCA has touched virtually all Americans in some way. YMCAs invented basketball and volleyball. YMCAs pioneered in camping, public libraries, night schools, and teaching English as a second language. YMCAs introduced the world's first indoor pool and group swimming lessons. YMCAs offered after-school child care long before "latch key" kids had been given a name. And, YMCAs have provided war relief since the Civil War, aiding millions of soldiers at home and abroad.

In 150 years, the YMCA has brought about many great organizational programs too - programs it started, nurtured and shared, such as not-for-profit staff training and certification, which launched the field of professional development. It also established the first retirement fund for any major social welfare organization, founded upon a donation from industrialist John D. Rockefeller.

In addition, YMCAs have provided the right environment for ideas and organizations that might never have started without them: The Boy Scouts of America, Camp Fire Girls, the Negro National Baseball League, the Gideons, Toastmasters, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and Father's Day. All got their start at YMCAs.  The YMCA helped found the United Service Organizations (USO), and the Peace Corps was patterned after a YMCA program. The list goes on and on.