Rosanna Aguilera, San Angelo Published 2:24 p.m. CT Feb. 14, 2020 | Updated 2:26 p.m. CT Feb. 14, 2020
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SAN ANGELO — The YMCA is on track to finish its new youth center in 2022, but it is still looking for funding for the multi-million dollar campaign.
The new youth program will be offered at 2833 College Hills Blvd., former home of the Second Baptist Church.
The former church building is expected to be able to accommodate 72 children ages 3-5. It will be remodeled to not only house preschool classes, but also a “Y-Town,” A.J. Moore, CEO of San Angelo YMCA, said.
The Y will expand the number of children served by 140%.
“There are, on average, 75 children on the wait list, and this is due to our limited 30-person capacity at our only facility in San Angelo,” according to the YMCA support campaign booklet. “Many preschool aged children are not getting their childcare needs met.”
The existing 11,000 square-foot building will be turned into a miniature city to accommodate the Little Explorers Preschool Program, day camp and summer camp, all being relocated from the current location.
There will be a new 12,000 square-foot multi-use center with a cafeteria, basketball court and indoor playground.
“You would have to go to the (Dallas-Fort Worth) Metroplex to find something like this,” Moore said. “We want to make sure we do this right and fully. We don’t want to start putting up walls because we are in a hurry.”
Angel Flores, YMCA association manager, said this new facility is important to her because she has children of her own and grew up in San Angelo.
“The need for affordable, quality, licensed childcare is huge,” Flores said. “To be able to address that need is great.”
Flores said it’s not just another babysitting service. Children will be actively learning and training their brains.
“Our youth in San Angelo are stagnant. They have nothing to do,” Flores said. “It’s our job to address those needs and keep them busy so they can stay out of trouble.”
Moore said this will inspire the youth and build their minds and fitness.
“We hope this will be one of first things people will talk about when they talk about San Angelo,” Moore said. “They’ll talk about the rodeo, the river and they’ll talk about the YMCA.”
The groundbreaking is expected to occur in spring 2021, and the grand opening is scheduled for spring 2022.
Activity rooms
There will be multiple rooms in the new center that will resemble different businesses, similar to a children’s museum.
Grocery store: Child grocery story filled with interactive activities for little shoppers. Children can roam the aisles and fill their carts, work the register or bag groceries.
Playhouse: This is a child-scaled house with a kitchen, living room, dining room and garden area. Children will be able to bake a cake, pick a vegetable or lay the baby down for a nap.
Construction site: The construction room will allow children to develop motor skills. They can build a Lego tower, stack bricks to make a skyscraper or scoop rocks onto a conveyor belt.
Sand tables: In this room, there will be kinetic sand boxes for kids to create structures.
Water tables: These tables will allow kids to pour water through windmills, race boats and more.
Donation options
Moore said they are still in the early phases of funding, but they are on track for the $7.5 million campaign. So far, $1 million has been raised.
Brick Paver Campaign:
- $100 for 4″ x 8″ Brick Paver
- $250 for 4″ x 8″ Marble Wall Tile
- $500 for 8″ x 8″ Brick Paver
- $1,000 for 12″ x 12″ Brick Paver
- $2,500 for 3′ x 5′ Banner
- $5,000 for 4′ x 6′ Banner
Print a brick order form or marble tile order form at ymcasanangelo.org.
Campaign Gift:
- Name a cross walk: $10,000
- Your own traffic light: $25,000
- Name a street: $50,000
- Sponsor a classroom: $100,000
There are four tiers of donor packages that range from $100 to $1,500,000. Packages can be viewed in detail online at ymcasanangelo.org.
Donation and pledge forms can also be printed online. Mail all forms to:
YMCA of San Angelo
ATTN: Capital Campaign
353 South Randolph St.
San Angelo, TX 76903
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