Category: Winston Family YMCA

James H. Winston, one of the First Coast YMCA’s most passionate supporters, passed away Wednesday, September 19.

Mr. Winston cared deeply for both the Y and the city. He really understood the impact the Y has on the community. That’s what drove his involvement in the Y’s important work for more than 50 years.

“How incredibly fitting that Jim’s name graces the Winston Family YMCA, a place that’s welcoming to all and serves as a shining example of the good that can happen when a community comes together, said Eric K. Mann, First Coast YMCA President and CEO.

“His YMCA family will certainly miss him, but every day we will honor his legacy through the lives we transform in Jacksonville and across the First Coast.”

Celebrating a Landmark and the Promise of More to Come

For more than sixty years, the Yates Family YMCA in Riverside has been a cornerstone of the First Coast. Generations of residents have come of age both within and beyond its walls. And it has been open to all, with fully one-third of its participants receiving financial assistance. The Yates Y has created memories that will long outlive its mortar and bricks. And it has served as the foundation of a future with the promise of even more to come.

Now, as we move closer to the opening of the new Winston Family YMCA that will replace Yates, we are pleased to announce new community giving opportunities, including founding membership, brick paver, digital and facility recognition, that expand opportunities for First Coast residents to play a role in bringing this neighborhood Y to life.

“It’s not about the size of a gift, it’s the sense of belonging that will last forever within the walls and bricks of this new Y,” said Nekita Nesmith, senior vice president and chief development officer at YMCA of Florida’s First Coast. “From $1 and up, the entire community can take part in helping us create a healthier First Coast by contributing to the Winston YMCA.”

On schedule to open late summer, the two-story Winston YMCA will be a 72,000-square-foot building overlooking the St. Johns River and serve as an attractive destination for Downtown Jacksonville.

New 3D Tour of the Winston Family YMCA

“The impact we expect to generate from the Winston Family YMCA goes beyond the fitness center or the swimming pool,” said YMCA of Florida’s First Coast President and CEO Eric Mann. “The programs and services that we will deliver both inside the building and out in the nearby neighborhoods will foster community connections, create new opportunities for youth and provide support that will positively change the lives of area residents.”

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UPDATE: Construction is on schedule for the new Winston Family YMCA in Riverside. We are looking forward to a late summer 2016 opening. Below is a live feed showing the progress in real-time.

PARKING
We appreciate your patience during the continued construction of the new Winston Family YMCA. Parking will be impacted over the next several weeks as work is done along Jackson Street. Here’s what you can expect:

December 28 – January 6

• The parking lot behind the Yates Y will have a temporary access drive to allow for accessibility parking and drop off/pick up only. There will be only one way in and out and arrows will be painted to indicate this.
• Parking will be available in the lot across the street from the Yates Y and in an overflow lot at Haskell. A pedestrian walk will be available for crossing over Jackson Street.
• To ensure the best experience possible, additional signs and painted arrows will indicate flow of traffic. Also, road flag workers will be on site daily to help direct traffic.

Please follow all posted parking and pedestrian detour signs and other notices regarding construction activities and safety information. As we learn of any parking changes, we will update this information as soon as possible. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, we are happy to help in any way we can.

ABOUT THE NEW WINSTON FAMILY YMCA

The new facility will be 72,000 square feet, about 8,000 square feet bigger than the current Yates Y, which was built in the 1950s. Other amenities in the new Winston Y include:

• 12,000 square foot fitness area with an indoor running track
• Indoor lap pool will be 25 meters long with six lanes
• Second, warmer pool will be for children’s swim lessons and other classes
• Lobby cafe
• Two spiritual wellness centers for prayer, meditation or just a quiet place
• Luther and Blanche Healthy Living Center in partnership with Florida Blue, Baptist Health and Brooks Rehabilitation

On a fundraising goal of $21M, we only need $2.5M, but we’ll need YOU to help us cross the finish line! To help us make a difference, contact Nekita Nesmith at nnesmith@firstcoastymca.org.

The construction of the new Winston Family YMCA in Riverside is moving ahead on schedule. Last week, a group of our donors, board members and Y leaders along with our construction partners took the first hard hat tour of the construction site. The first wall went up on October 6 and we are looking forward to a late Summer 2016 completion date. We are also getting closer to our fundraising goal of $21M. We only have $2.7M to finish, but we’ll need YOU to help us cross the finish line! To help us make a difference, contact Nekita Nesmith at 904.265.1812 or nnesmith@firstcoastymca.org. Naming opportunities for the new Winston Y are still available.

Checkout some of the photos from the tour!

The construction is going really well, so we took a video so you could see the progress so far!

WATCH: New Video of the Winston Family YMCA Construction

The first wall is now up at the site of the new Winston Family YMCA in Riverside!!! We are looking forward to opening the new 72,000 square foot facility in late Summer 2016. We are grateful for the generous donors who are supporting our efforts.

The new facility will be about 8,000 square feet bigger than the current one, which was built in the 1950s.

Among the changes and additions in the new building:

The fitness area will be 12,000 square feet, twice the size it is now, and will have an indoor running track above it.

The indoor lap pool will be 25 meters long with six lanes, as opposed to the four lanes and 25 yards it is now. A second, warmer pool will be for children’s swim lessons and senior citizens classes.

The women’s locker room, which is now much smaller than the men’s, will be increased to be the same size.

There will be a cafe in the lobby and two “spiritual wellness” centers for prayer, meditation or just a quiet place.

The Luther and Blanche Healthy Living Center in the Y will be open to the public and include Florida Blue, Baptist Health and Brooks Rehabilitation.

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.