A newly renovated workout room at the Lincolnton YMCA.
PHIL PERRY
Senior Writer
For 15 years, the Lincolnton branch of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has served the community. A birthday party at the facility on Monday served as a reminder of what the Lincoln County Family YMCA has meant to Lincolnton and what looks to be continued success through a dedicated staff and the support of the city.
“The YMCA answered a need that this community had prior to its existence,” Lincolnton Mayor Ed Hatley said. “Like many others, I’m thrilled that they continue to fill that void.”
A humble beginning and a group of dedicated volunteers spent their time soliciting contributions from local businesses and individual donors, after an initial study was performed.
In 1996, the Winfield Group of Atlanta, Georgia provided a market research report that assessed the potential for Lincolnton to support a YMCA branch. In December of that year, the group presented a report to the board that stated that the community would be a destination for a new YMCA. The case presented economic, social and geographical data to support the initiative.
A fundraising team was assembled, and the community was informed of what needed to be done to bring a YMCA to Lincolnton.
“This was in the day when we had Lincoln Medical Center as the local hospital and Lincoln Bank was the local bank and both of those businesses took active leads in making this happen,” said Bo King, who served on the Board of Managers for the YMCA from 2000-2008. “Pete Acker (current Carolinas HealthCare System-Lincoln president) and Jim Burke, who was the president of the bank, were very active in that process.”
To erect the 35,000-square-foot facility, a push to raise approximately $3 million was put into motion to improve the local quality of life.
A stroll through the facility today is a reminder of all who have contributed and memorialized with plaques in their honor.
“There was certainly more of a commitment from our local institutions at that time,” King said. “Industrial businesses, car dealerships and many others fall into that category. They were locally owned and they weren’t the first generation running them. You received a better and maybe a longer commitment because they were naturally invested in the community already and they provided a much quicker response.”
Global manufacturer Timken, headquartered in Canton, Ohio, serves as one corporation not headquartered in North Carolina that has consistently supported community-based projects like the YMCA for multiple decades in Lincolnton.
When serving on the board, King, a Lincoln County native, always looked forward to one special moment of each meeting.
“Someone would speak to the board, a testimonial about what the YMCA meant to them and how it changed their life,” he said. “For me, it was the best part of every meeting. It was older people, young people and people doing rehabilitation. It just went on and on. I was moved by these people and their passion for the YMCA.”
Today, related board meetings still feature those speakers.
Linda Harrill Rudisill currently serves on the board of managers and is a charter member.
“The earliest involvement for my husband Ken and I began early on,” she said. “We were very excited about the potential.”
Harrill Rudisill served as a health and physical education teacher in Gaston County for more than four decades. She also has taught in the Lincoln Arts-Science day camp. Today, she serves as an instructor at the North Carolina School Health Training Center at Appalachian State University.
Personally, she has always promoted healthy living and the values promoted by the YMCA were something she supported whole-heartedly.
“The YMCA is a wonderful place to work out but it is so much more than that,” she said. “There are strong elements of community, socialization and spirituality. We initially joined for the purpose of staying physically fit. We soon found out that the YMCA is so much more, including the Christian principles. I was asked to serve as the chairman of the Christian Emphasis Diversity Committee.”
The committee promotes events that recognize the National Day of Prayer and the Thanksgiving Community Prayer Breakfast. Every Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. the YMCA hosts devotion and prayer led by Pastor Raleigh Castello and is open to the community. Castello is a retired minister and member of First Baptist Church in Lincolnton.
The YMCA offers scholarships to campers in the summer to children who may not be able to attend otherwise.
“When there is a need, our YMCA family finds a way to fulfill that need,” she said.
Since February 2001, the center has hosted a multitude of festivals and programs geared for community involvement.
Most recently, renovations and new equipment have highlighted a drive to keep the facility modern and current.
New flooring in some areas, fresh paint, new ceiling fans, tile, new carpet in the locker rooms and new exercise equipment are just a sample of what was done in December.
Executive Director Bart Cape said that the community feedback regarding the improvements has been very positive.
“We were able to do a lot of good work and it presents an entirely different facility,” he said. “Our members and members of the community have remarked about what a positive change the upgrades made in our building.”
The future of the YMCA in Lincolnton is something Cape said is ever-evolving and discussed.
“We evaluate the demands of the community in terms of programs and we will expand our camp and youth development programming as well and taking over the after school operations within the school system has opened opportunities for us,” he said. “We want to continue to connecting with our community while developing new and exciting partnerships. We will continue to develop our programming and teach Christian principles and promote healthy spirit, mind and body for all. We are proud of how far we’ve come but we are focused and dedicated to an even better future.”
Visit ymcacharlotte.org for more information or search Facebook for Lincoln County Family YMCA for news and updates.
Image courtesy of Contributed
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