Northumberland Needs | Building Our Future Project | Project Updates | Donor Spotlight | Impact by the Numbers | Renderings
Northumberland Needs
The Northumberland Family YMCA serves a community of 11,000 citizens with the only recreational pool in the county. Open seasonally, the uncovered outdoor pool is brimming with programming and free swimming from May through September. The demonstrated usage and community need necessitate a call to action to cover the pool and serve more. From swim lessons to free learn-to-swim programming offered to three county school systems, a collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club, and the desire to offer a year-round high school swim team, covering the pool means we create access for even more of our residents.
The Northumberland Family YMCA believes in creating a better life for those we serve. By creating year-round access to aquatics programming, the Northumberland community will benefit for generations to come through health, recreation, and water safety.
Hear From The Community
Seasonal Pool
The pool is only open during the warmer months, which limits the impact we can make through water safety.
Community Hub
The small Northumberland community utilizes the Y as a social events and child development hub.
Need for Year-Round Access
The Northumberland Family YMCA could double its impact by granting year-round access to the pool, and increasing the number of classes, swim lessons, and wellness options during the colder months.
Building Our Future Project - Dynadome
The Northumberland Family YMCA’s outdoor pool is brimming with activity from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The community needs to prevent drowning, offer a high school swim team, and offer wellness and programming that is loud and clear. Covering the pool will provide year-round access for the YMCA and community partners to improve the quality of life and provide safety around water skills for all.
The DynaDome is an innovative, durable design that offers the best of both worlds. The retractable enclosure is open in the spring and summer to allow sunshine to fill the space. The roof is closed in the fall and winter to create a protected space for year-round programming and enjoyment. The dome opens and closes in minutes, allowing for flexibility in inclement weather. The enclosure is a solid, sustainable building with a 20-year warranty and is designed and built to withstand local building code requirements in terms of snow and wind, as well as other structural loads.
The DynaDome project will transform the YMCA’s service to the Northumberland community.
Benefits
- Year-Round Programming
- Improved Community Services
- More Water Safety Education
DynaDome In Action
Project Updates
Moving along our construction timeline, representatives from our YMCA Senior Leadership Team, along with GuernseyTingle Architecture and Connemara Corporation, were able to tour the DynaDome at the Taylor Family YMCA in Cary, NC. It was an opportunity to see the ins and outs of the Dynadome, ask important questions about the maintenance and functionality of the structure, and then come back to the Northumberland Family YMCA and walk the grounds to determine the next steps. This group is working collaboratively to develop construction documents and coordinating with the DynaDome manufacturers to design and select a structure that will meet our needs.
Donor Update
We have officially launched the 100 Club, a 1:1 matching program seeking 100 different donors to commit $500/year for five years, in accordance with the generous matching grant we received from The Cabell Foundation.
Meet Marlene
Marlene feared drowning because of a traumatic childhood experience while on vacation. Last summer, Marlene decided to face her fears and signed up for swim lessons at the YMCA. Her children went through Y programming, and now her grandchildren are in Y programming.
Because of the Y, her grandchildren have a safe space to build confidence and learn skills in and around the water by participating in swim lessons, Second Grade Learn to Swim, and summer camp swim lessons. She is finally comfortable in and around the water. She enjoys taking water aerobics and being able to go swimming while on vacation with her grandchildren. If she had access to water safety earlier, she could have enjoyed more of these times with her family and spent less time being afraid.
Impact by the Numbers
- Northumberland County is comprised of 599 miles of shoreline. For children ages 5-14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death
- Since 2012, the YMCA has provided free swim lessons to 1,949 second-grade students from Northumberland and Richmond Counties
- Aquatic group exercise programming could increase from 36 classes to 156 classes per year, increasing participation numbers from 288 to an estimated 1,248 participants annually
In The News
Renderings
Take a look at what the DynaDome would look like at the Northumberland Family YMCA through the renderings below.
Contact us here if you have any questions or want to get involved.
