YMCA Executive Director Chad Zaucha reviews architectural renderings for a new YMCA facility with Community Foundation Executive Director Suzie Light. A Community Foundation grant for $50,000 provided the YMCA with dollars to pay for schematics for the new facility. (Photo provided)

The Kosciusko County Community Foundation is pleased to announce a $50,000 grant to the Kosciusko Community YMCA that was used in the schematic design phase of the Y’s capital project to build a new facility.

“The Community Foundation’s early commitment to this project during the silent phase of our capital campaign was crucial to the YMCA’s ability to plan the new facility and to obtain the renderings needed in order to share this vision with other potential partners in the community,” said YMCA Executive Director, Chad Zaucha.

In 2012, the YMCA secured 36 acres of property on U.S. 30 and Mariner Drive. The Y plans to build a new, modern facility to better meet the needs of the residents of Kosciusko County. Membership has grown at a rapid pace over the last decade resulting in heavy usage and overcrowding of the Y’s current facilities. Initial plans for the new Y include a health and wellness center, lap pool, instructional warm water pool, multi-purpose gathering spaces, a youth and teen center, a double gymnasium and outdoor space for day camp.

“Our community and the needs of our families have changed dramatically since the Y on Smith Street opened in 1965,” said Zaucha. “We’ve undergone numerous renovations and expansions, but a new Y is needed to continue our community-building work for generations to come. Our vision is a welcoming, diverse gathering space that offers a one-stop destination for families and individuals of all ages and is fully accessible for people of all abilities.”

Since 1968, Kosciusko County Community Foundation Inc. has brought caring people and charitable endeavors together for the good of the community. The Community Foundation is a public charity, and gifts made to the Foundation are tax-deductible.

For more information about the Community Foundation, visit www.kcfoundation.org, call 574-267-1901, or visit our office at 102 E. Market St., Warsaw.