YMCA Breaks Ground

It was a blustery and chilly day on Thursday, January 23, but that chill was tempered by the warmth from those in attendance at a groundbreaking for the newly planned Healthy Living Center at the Marco YMCA.  

The new structure will be a two-story, 17,000 square feet building and will include a fitness center dedicated to seniors, a racquet center, a café on an outdoor porch overlooking the racquet center, a small kitchen, and multi-use space for meetings, gatherings, group exercise, and other activities. A covered breezeway will connect the main building, which will pass through a garden area. 

Cindy Love-Abounader, CEO and  President of the YMCA of Collier County reported that they estimate the building should be completed in the late fourth quarter of this year. 

Ashley Lupo, a longtime board member of the Marco YMCA who now serves on the constituted Board of Directors of the YMCA of Collier County explained to attendees that this project would complete an “Intergenerational circle of services “at the Marco YMCA campus. “The Y is dedicated to serving its entire community and being responsive to its needs, including those of underserved segments such as seniors,” said Lupo. 

Paul Tateo, co-chair with Lupo of the Y’s Active Life Campaign explained in an earlier conversation that “Our fitness facility is small. We really need to expand our capacities to offer these services to the older generation of, 70s and80s+.” 

The “Y” personnel were especially pleased to recognize the efforts put forth by former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo of Naples and Representative Bob Rommel, who helped to spearhead efforts to provide the project with $2.95 million in grants for the estimated $8.5 million Healthy Living Center Project. At present, the efforts are at 60% of their goal for the project. 

The Marco YMCA was founded in 1977 when the land was donated by the Deltona Corporation. Initially, it was a branch of the Collier YMCA before becoming an independent entity. In 2022, the Naples YMCA and the Marco YMCA merged their two operations and renamed the YMCA of Collier County as they sought a streamlined and more efficient presentation of programming and services. 

The more efficient utilization of resources will help to better serve the greater Collier County Community and mirrors numerous consolidations of smaller YMCA facilities across the nation while increasing the number of citizens served. 

For more information on how you can become involved in this effort, reach out to Cindy Love-Abounader, CEO of the YMCA of Collier Countyat ceo@ymcacollier.org or at 239-394-9622 ext. 103.