Above / The Kroehler Family YMCA is located at 34 S. Washington Street in downtown Naperville. (PN Photo)
Since 1911, The Kroehler Family YMCA has stood proudly on Washington St. in downtown Naperville. When this historic building opened in Naperville, it was the smallest community YMCA in the nation. Today, some 105 years later, and combined with the Fry Family YMCA on 95th Street in south Naperville, Naperville YMCAs have 19,000 members and an additional 5,000 community participants in Y programs.
The Kroehler Family YMCA hosts a bustle of members at all hours of the day, using the gym, attending group fitness classes, dropping off kids for programs and preschool, swimming in the two pools, and socializing.
Every morning, members gather together for coffee and conversation with the friendly front desk staff and their fellow members, who have become much more than strangers passing in the historic hallways over time. Many members, some noting multiple generations of membership, share that the Kroehler Y is like a family to them.
Holiday cheer for happy New Year
Perhaps no time of the year is more important for the bonds of family than the holidays. Just before Thanksgiving at the Kroehler Y, a quiet Christmas Tree was erected in the lobby and the ornaments adorning it read the gender, ages and a wish list items for a Kroehler Y child in need. Their wish lists included many necessities like winter coats and clothing, as well as modest gift ideas like art supplies and doll babies. This “Angel Tree” is a treasured holiday tradition at the Kroehler Y and a much-needed resource for the families who it helps.
YMCA doors open to all
It is the mission of the YMCA that their doors remain open to all and programs are never denied anyone based on an inability to pay. This means that a portion of the families served at the Kroehler Y fall below the federal poverty line and that those families, needing swim lessons and safe recreation for their kids, can join the Y through the financial assistance program and the generosity of the Naperville community that helps to fund it. In 2016 alone, the Naperville YMCAs granted just over $500,000 in financial support for families to take part in Y programs.
Within just a matter of weeks of the tree going up in the Kroehler lobby, every wish list item on the Angel Tree was claimed. When it was all said and done, the generous folks at the Kroehler YMCA had adopted 94 children with the Angel Tree. While just a small portion of the work done by the Naperville YMCAs, as the new year dawns and the spirit of generosity at the holidays fades to the background, the Kroehler YMCA still holds a special place in the heart of the families who were helped this year.
One grateful parent writes…
“Thank you. Simple words that carry HUGE feelings. 2016 was a difficult year for my family. Due to illness, it seemed that the holiday season may have to pass us by. The gifts for the holidays will place a smile on my children’s faces and keep the holiday feeling for them to just enjoy being kids. That is the best present a parent can hope for! Thank you for everything. Not only did we join the Y, we joined a new, larger family.”
Story submitted by Miranda Barfuss, Regional Development Director, for Naperville YMCAs/YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
