I am often asked about our relationship with other YMCA’s across the country. It’s a great question 172 years in the making.

In the United States the Y is led by the YMCA of the USA which is based in Chicago. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity which serves as the national resource office for the countries Y’s. The Y has a federated structure in which the YMCA of the USA’s prime purpose is to support the network of local Y’s across the country. They provide training and resources while allowing each local Y to provide unique service delivery to their community.

As a national organization the Y is focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Although individual Y’s are often viewed as a health clubs by the general public our shared commitment is to bring about lasting personal and social change in the communities we serve. We focus on nurturing the potential of every child and teen, improving the nation’s health and well-being and providing opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Through these efforts the Y enables youth, adults, families and communities to be healthy, confident, connected and secure.

The Y engages over 9 million youth and 13 million adults in the U.S. annually with 2,700 Y’s serving over 10,000 communities. As a charity, YMCA facilities are accessible to all through locally funded scholarship programs neighbors helping neighbors.

The Y also relieves the burden of government. The Revenue Act of 1954 established the tax codes as we know them today and tax exempt status was given to organizations who, like the Y operate under nonprofit guidelines for the betterment of society.

Local Y’s are either independent or part of a larger association. In Marshall we are an independent Y, governed by a board of local residents and supported by the communities that we serve.

The Y of the Greater Twin Cities is a good example of an association system. They have a corporate board and CEO who oversee 22 community “branch” Ys. Each of these branches have a local board and branch executive who have specialized community knowledge and manage their local Y.

In Marshall we are best known as “The Y” but the fact is that we are part of a much larger organization. Nationally we are the #1 ranked charity in the nation as reported by the NonProfit Times. We are the #1 provider of childcare and swim lessons. We are also the No. 1 employer of teenagers and the largest provider of Diabetes Prevention programs. Pretty remarkable for an organization which began almost two decades before the American Civil War.