The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation pledged $500,000 to name the gymnasium in the new Winston Family YMCA and continue its support of the Willie Galimore Community Center pool in St. Augustine.
“The team’s investment in the new Winston YMCA and recommitment to the Galimore pool is part of a wider partnership the Jaguars organization has with the First Coast YMCA to support the health and wellbeing of our community, particularly for children and families,” said Peter Racine, President of the Jaguars Foundation. “From playing basketball inside the gym to learning how to swim and everything in-between; throughout Northeast Florida, the First Coast Y strengthens our community by providing safe spaces for health and fitness programs for adults and children.”
Programs and activities offered at the gym in the new Winston Family YMCA will contribute to the YMCA’s goal to provide new and innovative opportunities for youth by directly impacting 5,000 Westside, Downtown and East Jacksonville children through healthy habits curriculum. The Jacksonville Jaguars Gymnasium will be a 7,800 square foot indoor gym featuring a full basketball court, two short courts and one volleyball court. It will be open year-round and will host youth, adult sports leagues, as well as open gym games, and other programmatic offerings such as group exercise and child care activities.
This gift will also continue The Jaguars Foundation’s support of the Willie Galimore Community Center pool, which is operated by the the St. Augustine YMCA. Since 2013, support from the Jaguars Foundation has allowed the Y to waive pool entrance fees for all guests and extend the pool’s hours. The Galimore pool serves nearly 4,000 swimmers in St. Augustine every year. In addition, the Y has provided swim lessons to more than 500 children at the Galimore pool over the last three years.
“With this gift, The Jaguars Foundation is supporting much more than a gym and a pool,” said Eric Mann, President and CEO of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast. “The foundation is helping create environments where children in our community can learn, achieve and begin to develop a healthy lifestyle.”
The new Winston Family YMCA is on schedule to be complete in August 2016. Naming opportunities are still available. For more information, contact Eric Mann at 904.265.1780 or emann@FirstCoastYMCA.org.
