Perdue Farms, as part of its Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors® outreach, is supporting YMCA of Northwest North Carolina in Yadkinville, N.C., with a $50,000 grant funded through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the company’s charitable giving arm focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities.
The Yadkin Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, is conducting a capital campaign to fund an expansion of its facility. The 9,000-square-foot addition will consist of three multi-purpose/group exercise rooms, a community meeting room, and two bathrooms for an estimated cost of $2.5 million.
“The purpose of this expansion is to allow the Yadkin YMCA to increase its capacity to serve current and new members, but also to grow philanthropic services and programs that contribute to the general welfare of Yadkin County,” said Scott Spillman, YMCA of Northwest North Carolina executive director.
The additional space will allow the Yadkin Family YMCA to expand youth programming and health interventions for community members with chronic conditions. In Yadkin County, 23 percent of youth younger than age 18 live in poverty. Studies show that youth from families with fewer resources miss major developmental and enrichment opportunities that lead to successful lives. Additionally, the Yadkin County 2018 State of the County Health Report states that 53 percent of the leading causes of death are caused by chronic conditions such as heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes.
“We’re grateful for the support of Perdue Farms and its Foundation. Currently, the facility has no dedicated space for children above nursery age. Childcare is an essential part of family and community life. Unfortunately, lack of childcare is a growing issue for families in Yadkin County and its surrounding communities,” Spillman said. “The Yadkin YMCA is proud to offer childcare that’s affordable and reliable, yet we simply cannot support the number of families needing this service. Our current KidZone space serves only 12 children, while the need is much greater. Additionally, we are not able to provide enough space to serve our middle and high schoolers for summer day camp or after-school activities. This expansion will help us alleviate this problem.
“Expansion and renovation would allow the Yadkin Y to continuously offer life-changing community programs,” Spillman said. “Additional group exercise space will allow the Yadkin YMCA to expand its class offerings, including programs for seniors and accessible spaces and programs for persons with disabilities. We offer a suite of evidence-based health interventions that address diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and other chronic diseases and the additional multi-purpose space will provide the appropriate facilities to offer these much-needed interventions.”
The Yadkin Family YMCA serves 3,700 men, women and children, 10 percent of the county’s population, averaging nearly 10,000 visits a month. As the only full-service wellness facility in Yadkin and home to one of two public pools in the county, this expansion is needed to allow the Yadkin YMCA to continue offering quality programs.
Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, commends the expansion of the Yadkin Family YMCA and the hard work and dedication of YMCA of Northwest North Carolina.
“Perdue is proud to contribute to the expansion of the Yadkin Family YMCA,” she said. “A larger building translates into more programs for more people, and we’re happy to help.”
