We’ve come a long way since the first meeting of the Bath Young Men’s Christian Association on May 30, 1856 in the vestry of  Central Church (now the Chocolate Church). One hundred fifty years later,  the Bath Area Family YMCA is still serving the community, still helping youth and still providing activities and services to everyone in the area, regardless of one's ability to pay.

When the Association started 150 years ago, the town of Bath was much smaller, but the needs of its residents were similar to those of today.  The YMCA provided a safe place where youth could go, where character and values were instilled. The services have changed…from essay readings to basketball games, from prayer meetings to child care, from Bible study to yoga, from religious exercises to aquatic exercises.  What has remained the same, however, is the commitment of the YMCA to the community.  The willingness to change with the times and offer what the community wants and needs. Volunteers, members and staff working together to create a valuable resource for the community.  This is what the YMCA is about.  Building strong kids, strong families, strong communities.

As we prepare for a year-long celebration of our sesquicentennial, we will look back at our past, reflecting on how far we’ve come, and look ahead to our future.  Though change is a certainty in the community and at the YMCA, one thing will be constant --the YMCA will continue to proudly serve its members and the community as it has for the past one and one-half centuries.