Celebrating 100 Years of Service in Fostoria Celebrating 100 Years

Transcription

Geary Family YMCA - 1912-2012
Celebrating 100 Years
of Service in Fostoria
Look inside to find out more about the history of the Geary Family YMCA
2
YMCA marks 100 years in Fostoria
From the Director:
What an honor to be the just the 14th Executive Director of the Fostoria/
Geary Family YMCA to help lead this successful organization.
This YMCA has played a significant role in the lives of the people that walked
through our doors. As the YMCA continues to be a leader across the globe, that
holds true in our community. Just think of how many people learned to swim
here at the Y. How many times our basketball hoops have seen someone’s first
basket made. How many miles were logged on a treadmill by someone making
a lifestyle change. How many young minds were stimulated in our childcare.
How many adults that look forward to participating in a class just to hear how
their friend’s day went.
All of this would not have happened if it was not for the forward-thinking
individuals that saw the positive aspects of having a YMCA
in the community back in 1911.
It continues to be that foresight that will lead us another
100 years in the future. Through all the changes in our community, the Y has held a strong foothold in shaping the lives
of every demographic of our community. We continue to be
the leaders in youth development, healthy living and social
responsibility in our community. The Y has experienced tremendous community and corporate support for things like
our continued growth through our capital expansion/renovation campaigns to our Strong Kids campaigns. Without this
community support, the Y would not be in the position that Stinehelfer
we are in today.
As we look to the future and what it will take for the Y
to be prevalent in the community, one word comes to mind…collaborations.
There is not one organization that can do it on its own anymore.
Resources are strained by our struggling economy, so we need to have as
many partnering agencies to help lessen the burden for everyone. The example
that comes to mind is our project at Foundation Park. This is one of our largest
collaborations for the Y to date. There are 5 major collaborating agencies that
are working to better our largest park in Fostoria.
One of the other things that have made our Y successful has been a strong
volunteer base. The Y has benefitted from very dedicated volunteers that believe
in the YMCA movement and mission so much that they brought the Y to Fostoria. Today our current volunteer coaches, instructors and policy volunteers
have continued to lead us in a positive direction. We have been blessed with
some of Fostoria’s prominent leaders, coaches and instructors.
We are very proud and thankful of our tradition in our community and look
forward to another 100 years in Fostoria.
Yours in health,
Eric Stinehelfer
Executive Director
YMCA’s logo
in 1891
YMCA’s
current logo
3
Geary Family YMCA
2012 Board of Trustees
PRESIDENT
Mark Curtis — 4 years, term expires 2013
Ex-officio ALL Committees
Executive Committee — Chair
VICE PRESIDENT
Jacob Frankart — 1 year, term expires 2013
Executive Committee
Building & Grounds Committee
Operations Committee
TREASURER
Nathan Lynch — 1 year, term expires 2013
Executive Committee
Financial Development Committee —Chair
Rose Ann Campbell — 3 years, term expires 2014
Program Committee
Membership/Marketing Committee
Kurt Dauterman — 5 years, term expires 2012
Executive Committee
Don Mennel — 5 years, term expires 2012
Executive Committee
Financial Development Committee
Leslie DiCesare — 3 years, term expires 2014
Wonderland Committee
Mike Painter — 5 years, term expires 2012
Program Committee
Katie Bugner — 1 year, term expires 2014
Evelyn Marker — 2 years, term expires 2012
Joe Droll — 1 year, term expires 2013
Building & Grounds Committee — Chair
Program Committee
John Schuld — 1 year, term expires 2014
Financial Development Committee
Honoring dedication
By ALEX ASPACHER
STAFF WRITER
When Lewis Wade Sr. saw a newspaper advertisement and applied to be
a part-time tote room employee at the
local YMCA, gasoline cost well below
fifty cents per gallon.
Much has changed since 1968, but
plenty has stayed the same, too. Wade,
now 80, has switched between fulland part-time work throughout his
45 years on staff. He fashions himself
a “behind-the-scenes guy,” but he’s
still a familiar face around the Geary
Family YMCA.
“It’s changed a lot” since then,
Wade said. “When I first started there
was nothing but baskets and towels
and a washing machine and a dryer.
I had to keep that up plus check the
people in when I was working the
counter.”
Fast-forward a few decades and
Wade has long since retired from his
job as a foundry worker, but he never
quite got away from the Y.
Executive Director Eric Stinehelfer
decided to honor Wade’s dedication
and longevity last year with a new
tradition intended to stick around
even longer than the man himself.
At the annual employee meeting in
2011, Stinehelfer called Lewis before
his peers and coworkers to pay tribute
with an award named in his honor.
He wasn’t quite sure how to feel
when unexpectedly presented with the
Lewis Wade Outstanding Employee of
the Year Award that day. “Surprised”
and “overwhelming” were two words
that came to mind.
“I don’t like to be in the spotlight,”
he said. But more than anything else,
Wade said he felt just the way Stinehelfer wanted him to — he was honored.
Another employee was awarded
this year with Lewis’ namesake,
which is quickly becoming a way for
Stinehelfer to express appreciation
for those who have dedicated their
CONGRATULATIONS ON
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS!
434 E. North Street
419-435-4220
www.frankartelectric.com
ALEX ASPACHER / the Review Times
LEWIS WADE SR. and Sharon Bayes were the ﬁrst two winners of the
Lewis Wade Outstanding Employee of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012,
respectively.
careers to helping the YMCA help
Fostoria. The 2012 Lewis Wade Outstanding Employee of the Year winner
was Sharon Bayes, who started at the
Y as a preschool assistant in 1987, also
after answering a newspaper ad.
In Bayes’ presence, preschool at the
Geary Family YMCA has expanded to
a multi-faceted childcare center. Since
starting, Bayes earned an associate’s
degree and became lead preschool
teacher, and the Wonderland Enrichment Center expanded its services to
offer childcare for 3- to 5-year-olds.
Bayes, 60, said she enjoys working
with children because “they’re challenging, but they are fun to be with
and I enjoy teaching them new things
— not only just to prepare for school,
but to prepare to socialize with other
people when they get out there in kindergarten.”
Bayes is a believer in the social
aspect of early childhood education
and says Wonderland encourages
hands-on activities to foster interaction.
“We have open learning centers
where they learn as they go,” she said.
“We’re not a sit-down class. They ‘do’
on their own and we work with them.”
Bayes said she was in “total shock”
when Stinehelfer, just as he did with
Lewis the year prior, called her to the
front during the all-staff meeting earlier this year.
“They had passed out awards for
five years, 10 years, and then they
gave me a real nice service jacket
(for) 25 years,” Bayes said. “Then he
called me up to the front and he had
a small profile of my work here. He
read that off and he asked me to do a
speech, and I couldn’t give a speech.
I was pretty nervous.
“I feel honored that they did (that).
My peers congratulated me all week
and really made me feel good that I
had accomplished that.”
Bayes said she plans to keep teaching for at least a few more years. She
feels responsible for educating what
she hopes will be the next generation
of YMCA members and staffers.
“With us having the preschool/
daycare there I felt that the children,
they are the Y’s future,” she said. “And
the next few years — a hundred years
maybe — they’re going to be the ones
that’ll be coming to the Y. That’s why I
really appreciate being able to be with
them throughout these 25 years, and I
hope these kids will keep coming back
and help us keep the Y going too.”
investing in you.
Just like a bank helps families with
their needs, the Geary Family
YMCA has been helping families
for a generation. Thanks for all
you do for the community.
Member FDIC
4
YMCA Executive Directors
1911-1914
1914-1916
1916-1918
1918-1919
1919-1923
1924-1941
1942-1943
1944-1946
1947-1950
1951
1952
1953-1956
1957-1960
1961-1985
1986-2004
2005-present
E.J. ogers R
I.H. ass
B
A.J. Cash
not listed
John M. Jerpe
W.L. rshawKe
Franklin . agy H N
James M. Williams
Herman W. Geyer
Frederick L. Beachler
not isted l
Carl E. Niemeyer
O. Richard Lash
John G. MacMillan
Bill McAllister
Eric Stinehelfer
Volunteers of the Year
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
Meyers
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1985
Willard Hay
Melvin Murray
John Bender
Ormal Jones
Victor Smith
Harry Smith
O.K. Caldwell
Harry Loving
Donald M. Mennel
Howard E. (Bill) Kirian
C. Richard Smith
Frank J. Kinn
Gertrude Fink and Ellene
Robert Harrison
Dr. Robert H. Schroeter
Mark Mullins
Joe E. Keyes
Norma R. Smith
Thomas Fant
Karmin J. (Fields) Reeves
Irvin F. (Bud) Niswander
James R. Mennel
Donald P. Miller
Anne M. Krupp
Barbara J. Meyers
Donald C. Kisabeth
William L. Moyer
1986 Donald L. Mennel
1987 James Schuett
1988 Elinor Fruth
1989 Dennis Cline
1990 Herbert L. Ford
1991 Kenneth Roush
1992 Donna Warnecke
1993 Jean Hirt
1994 Mark Baker
1995 William Brenner
1996 Mike Kraus
1997 Jacque Botimer
1998 Jeff Shiff
1999 Duane Hammer
2000 Darnell Cousin
2001 Tina Hark
2002 Greg Noel
2003 Lovell (Gene) Brown
2004 Henry (Spud) Robinson
2005 Walt & Pam Burrow
2006 Beverly Deerwester
2007 Ryan Smith
2008 Laverne Anderson, Sandy
Berrier, Joe Lucas, Dottie Riser, Jim
Siewert
2009 Jim Beeson
2010 Kevin Ritchey
2011 Donald L. Mennel
Photo courtesy of Geary Family YMCA
The group of individuals that secured the money to build the YMCA. On April 2, 1911, some of these men gathered
at J.L. Cruikshank’s home and decided the movement to a “Y” was necessary, and the time was right to begin
raising funds for its construction. On Oct. 20, 1912, the laying of the building’s cornerstone occurred.
How our Y came to be
Just 168 years ago (1844) the
Young Men’s Christian Association
was founded in England to promote
the physical, intellectual and spiritual
well being of young men. Seven years
later, (1851) the program was established in the United States at Boston.
It was not until 1911 when a new
corporation was formed indicating the
same purposes but further stipulating
that a building campaign should be
pursued to raise, by public subscription, $50,000 for the erection of a
building to be used exclusively by the
YMCA to carry on its program for the
youth of Fostoria.
Mr. J.L. Cruikshank, who was
more responsible for the success of
the movement than any one single
individual, made up his mind that if
Fostoria was ever to have a YMCA,
the time had come to obtain it. Mr.
Cruikshank invited a number of men
who he knew to be interested in the
Congratulations
Geary Family YMCA on
100 Years Serving Fostoria
movement to his house for a dinner.
The date, April 2, 1911. Those present were: J.L. Cruikshank, E.W. Allen,
H.J. Adams, Charles Ash, W.O. Allen,
D.F. McCarthy, W.E. Ashcroft, Judd
Asire, Alonzo Emerine, Dwight L.
Rogers and L.C. Boles.
After a very bountiful meal, served
in a very charming manner by Mrs.
Cruikshank, those men decided the
movement to a “Y” was necessary, and
the time was right.
On Monday, May 15, the final
reporting day, over $55,000 had
been subscribed. The campaign was
extended until 6 p.m. that day in hope
of obtaining $60,000. When the teams
met at 6 p.m. they were slightly short
of the goal, but with additional contributions of their own, made a grand
total of $60,014.92.
At a meeting on June 21, 1911, 15
trustees were elected to form the governing body of the association and on
the 26th of the same month the first
constitution was adopted and the first
officers of the Association elected. Mr.
McCarthy was the president.
Also elected was a building committee comprised of these men:
Charles Ash, Mr. E.W. Allen, Alonzo
Emerine, B.F. Barbeau and A.C Hoyt.
On July 24, 1911, Mr. E.J. Rogers was
elected the first general secretary and
on Nov. 22.
On Saturday, Oct. 20, 1912, one of
the most notable events in the history
of Fostoria took place in that decade,
the laying of the cornerstone.
Several capital campaigns and
expansions later, it brings us to current day. As we celebrate our 100th
year serving the Fostoria Community
we are humbled by the support we
have received throughout the years
and look forward to continue supporting Fostoria for another 100 years.
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5
Facts about the Annex helps Y meet needs
national YMCA
• The global YMCA movement
began in 1844 in London, England.
Founder George Williams started the
first Y at the age of 22 for “young men
seeking escape from the hazards of life
on the streets.”
• Inspired by tales of the YMCA in
England, retired sea captain Thomas
Valentine Sullivan formed the first
U.S. location at the Old South Church
in Boston on December 29, 1851 as a
“home away from home” for sailors
and merchants.
• The first YMCA for black individuals was founded in Washington,
D.C. by Anthony Bowen, a freed slave.
• YMCA began offering English
as a Second Language (ESL) classes
for German immigrants at a Y in Cincinnati.
• The first YMCA buildings with
gymnasiums opened in 1869. In 1881,
Boston YMCA staffer Robert J. Roberts coined the term “body building”
and developed exercise classes that
anticipated today’s fitness workouts.
• The first Railroad YMCA was
organized in Cleveland in 1872 as a
partnership between the Y and rail
companies to provide overnight lodging and meeting space for railroad
workers.
• Camping became a cornerstone of the YMCA in 1885 when the
organization started Camp Dudley,
America’s first known summer camp
program, at Orange Lake, NY.
• In 1891 Dr. Luther Gulick, director of the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Mass., gave
physical education instructor James
Naismith two weeks to devise a new
indoor game. Naismith hung peach
baskets from the bottom of a second-level running track and created
basketball, which is now the second
most popular sport in the world next
to soccer.
• YMCA instructor William
Morgan combined elements of basketball, tennis and handball to “mintonette,” later known as volleyball, in
the 1890s.
• Swimming lessons became a
staple of the YMCA in 1909, when
George Corsan responded to a campaign “to teach every man and boy in
North America to swim.” Land exercises to build confidence and group
swim lessons helped Corsan to teach
800 boys in the Newark, NJ area to
swim in only four weeks. Swimming
classes later expanded to include families and individuals with disabilities.
• Sponsored by the New York
State YMCA, the Y’s Youth and Government program began in Albany
in 1936 to encourage high school
students to understand the processes
of government and to prepare to participate in it.
• Many black YMCAs became
meeting places and rallying points
during the civil rights movement.
Racial discrimination was banned in
all YMCAs in 1967.
• YMCA conducted its first
national Healthy Kids Day in 1992 to
encourage the healthy development
of youth. Free and open to the public,
it became an annual April event
designed to emphasize the importance of play in keeping kids healthy.
• On June 2, 2001, YMCAs across
the United States hosted 700 “World’s
Largest Run” events to celebrate the
150th anniversary of the YMCA in
America and highlight the importance
of physical activity for children and
parents. More than 15,000 volunteers
and 54,000 youth and adults participated, with proceeds benefiting local
YMCA programs.
Food program,
senior center,
massage therapy,
rental units there
The Y Annex, formally known as
the Stahl building, was acquired in
2002.
The Annex, located on West North
Street, was rented out until September 2011 to the Hedges and Highway
Ministries Church. The church held
meetings, services, and its emergency
food program from that facility. The
Y needed to expand its programming
capabilities, so it needed the church
to relocate, but continued to accommodate its emergency food program.
The Y then renovated the building
to accommodate rentals in the front
part of the building, which can accommodate up to 80 people.
The Y also runs its Fostoria Food
Connection program from there. The
File photo
THE Y ANNEX, formally known as the Stahl building, was acquired by the
YMCA in 2002.
FFC is the Y’s weekend food program
for 3-6 graders at Fostoria Community Schools. Linda Manecke - LMT
massage therapy services was also
relocated from the main facility to the
Annex after the renovations.
Most recently the Fostoria Senior
Center has relocated to the Annex as
well. The Y has put in over $100,000
in building repairs, renovations and
equipment for the Annex.
YMCA’s expansion abounds
The YMCA movement in Fostoria began in 1910. A committee of
interested citizens was organized on
April 2, 1911. A month later (May)
pledges received were $60,015 which
exceeded the original goal of $55,000.
Ground was broken for the building on
Memorial Day in 1912.
Some of the original Board Members were: W.O. Allen, Fred Gerlinger,
Judd Aspire, George M. Gray, Alex
Ballentine, D.P. McCarthy, W.C. Beckwith, Otto Peter, J.L. Cruikshank,
Dewey St. John, Alonzo Emerine,
George Schlatter, N.B. Flack, George
Shaffer, Carl Smith, L.C. Bowes —
Secretary
The original YMCA’s cornerstone
was put in place on October 20th,
1912. Phase I expansion was in 1969
and included: swimming pool, locker
rooms, squash court, and a health and
fitness center. Phase II was in 1977
and included: two handball / racquetball courts, main gym with suspended
running track, an auxiliary gym, and
outdoor tennis court. Phase III was
in 1988 and included: building the
small pool. Phase IV was in 1991
and included: tearing down most of
the original building and rebuilding
and making a more modern facility.
Wonderland, free weight room, and
aerobic rooms were also built. Phase
V was in 1997 and included: two
meeting rooms, elevator to 2nd floor,
full service kitchen, Youth Adventure
Center (YAC), girl’s locker room,
Cardio Room, and Cybex Room.
• In 1937 there were 308 members
• In 1979 there were 3,676 members
Mission Statement
To put Christian principles into
practice through programs that build
a healthy Spirit, Mind, and Body for
all.
CONGRATULATIONS
ON 100 YEARS!
REINEKE FORD
“Your Hometown Dealer!”
FOSTORIA
419-435-7741
800-531-2613
1303 PERRYSBURG ROAD
8
Financing of
the YMCA
• The YMCA in Fostoria has been
an agency of the United Way of Fostoria since it was founded in 1957.
• United Way funds are used to
subsidize youth programs, memberships, and childcare at Wonderland
Enrichment Center.
• Since 2006, the Geary Family
YMCA has provided financial assistance to more than 5,000 individuals.
Financing the Geary
Family YMCA
Sources of Operating Income are
approximately:
• Membership dues: 34%
• Investments/Foundations: 29%
• Program Fees, including Wonderland: 27%
• Grants: 7%
• United Way: 2% (This number
has steadily decreased from 49% in
1971
• Contributions: .5%
• Miscellaneous: .5%
INVESTMENTS/
FOUNDATIONS
Endowment Fund (EF):
Approximately $827,645
• Approximately half of the EF
is restricted funds from the Cranch
estate and may only be used for purchase, repair, and maintenance of the
building and its grounds.
• Only the fund’s earnings may be
used, not the principle.
• The value of the EF grows from
estate bequests and memorial donations.
• The fund is held and maintained
by Trust and Investment Management
Services (TIMS) department of Key
Private Bank
Geary Memorial Foundation:
Approximately $6,302,479
• The YMCA receives 40% of the
foundation and quarterly interest payments.
Photo courtesy of Geary Family YMCA
Henry Geary
• Funds are used primarily for
new program support, building maintenance and Fruth Outdoor Center
enhancements.
• The foundation is held and managed by Trust and Investment Management Services (TIMS) department
of Key Private Bank
Cranch Foundation: Approximately $753,622
• This fund cannot be used
for ordinary or routine operating
expenses, but may be used for the
purchase or lease of land, building,
furnishing, supplies and equipment.
• The fund has been set up to provide scholarships for seniors furthering their education after high school.
They must meet the requirements set
by the Board of Directors.
Aubrey Beaston Memorial
Fund: Approximately $4,000
(started in 2011)
• This fund is restricted for financial assistance of youth sports only.
It will be administered by the executive director in collaboration with
the YMCA’s program directors and
coordinators.
9
Provided courtesy of the Geary Family YMCA
A copy of the program distributed at the laying of the cornerstone of the Fostoria YMCA building Oct. 20, 1912
100-year shirts
available now
The Geary Family YMCA is selling clothing items (with
the logo at right) to celebrate its 100-year anniversary. The
items are currently available for purchase at the Y. T-shirts
are $9 for adult S-XL ($11 for XXL); long sleeve T-shirt,
$13 and $15; crew, $18 and $21; and hooded sweatshirt,
$26 and $30.
on your
100 th Anniversary
on
100 YEARS
Steven P. Geroski
D.D.S.
419-435-8577
1400 Sandusky Street
commercialcarpetandtile.com
General dentistry & orthodontics
430 Elm St., Fostoria • 435-5519
“Always Accepting New Patients”
10
Y membership remains a good value
Center offers mix of exercise, friendships
and Y-league basketball leagues as
a great way to have fun and stay in
shape.
With more options for exercise
After realizing how the Geary
and fellowship than ever before, mem- Family YMCA was helping their
bership at the Geary Family YMCA family stay active, Deb and Jesse
remains a bargain for those looking decided to give back.
to get or stay in shape, or even to just
Jesse started teaching a physimake some new friends.
cal education
“ I f you’re
course, while
“Right now it gives me a
talking longDeb began
term, we, in
teaching swim
place
to
go
where
I
can
town, are the
lessons
to
best bang for
everyone from
socialize. I work out and
you r b uc k ,”
six-month-old
stuff, but the main reason
said Executive
babies to older
Director Eric
folks in their
I go is I’m retired and a
S t i n e h e l f e r.
fifties.
lot of the people I worked
“We are the
“ It ’s j u s t
only place in
something I
with go there. It gives us a
town that has
enjoy doing,”
a pool, a full
chance to visit, to see each
Deb said. “I
line of circuit
enjoy seeing
other
and
keep
track
of
one
equipment
the smiles on
(and) a full line
another.”
the kids faces
of cardio equipwhen they learn
ment. We’re
to swim. I enjoy
- JESSE LATHAM
the only place
helping them
YMCA MEMBER
in town that
turn something
has licensed
that used to be
personal trainers, and we also have scary into something fun.”
worked with the hospital on the nutriAs he gets older, Jesse said the
tion aspect.”
YMCA provides the perfect place to
While physical fitness remains a blend exercise and friendly interacfocus around the Y, many members tion.
also rank socializing high on their list
“Right now it gives me a place to go
of reasons to visit.
where I can socialize,” he said. “I work
A lthough Debra and Jesse out and stuff, but the main reason I go
Latham’s children are moved out and is I’m retired and a lot of the people
grown up, the couple has maintained I worked with go there. It gives us a
its family membership off and on since chance to visit, to see each other and
the 1970s because it continues to pro- keep track of one another.”
vide a good value, they said.
Both Deb and Jesse still visit the
Jesse said he received a trial mem- Y frequently, though Deb said she
bership as part of a Welcome Wagon works out between five and seven
gift basket when his family moved days a week, and Stinehelfer joked
to Fostoria in 1966, and Deb got the that Jesse and his friends sometimes
same while living in Findlay.
only perform “the lean exercise.”
After getting married, Deb said
“They stand on a machine and
she saw YMCA membership as an talk to each other while they’re here,”
opportunity to provide wholesome Stinehelfer said. “It’s funny, but they’ll
activities for their children.
go work out for 20 minutes and get a
“We’ve always said having active good workout in, and then they’re here
kids was important, that they don’t for another hour and a half.”
have idle time,” Deb Latham said.
For whatever reasons each member
“The Y is a place to do everything — joins the YMCA, Deb Latham said she
basketball, baseball, swimming, soft- doubts many regret their purchase
ball — there’s a little bit of everything because “they get what they’re lookfor the kids to do.”
ing for.”
The Lathams played youth sports
“People look for certain things,”
growing up, and Jesse enjoyed the she said, “and the ones who join here
organized activities also, citing city find what they want.”
By ALEX ASPACHER
STAFF WRITER
Courtesy of Geary Family YMCA
MEMBERSHIP AT THE YMCA offers a lifetime of opportunities to get in shape and make friends at the same
time. While physical ﬁtness remains a focus around the Y, many members also rank socializing high on their list of
reasons to visit.
11
Forming a Foundation for the future
YMCA takes over
management of
renames the space
formerly known as
Meadowlark Park
By ALEX ASPACHER
STAFF WRITER
The Geary Family YMCA has hit
the ground running in its first year
managing the space formerly known
as Meadowlark Park.
Renamed in honor of the Greater
Fostoria Community Foundation,
which supplied a $25,000 grant to
fund the park’s operating expenses,
Foundation Park has already begun
to take a new shape.
“The park in the past has drawn
a lot of people to it, and through the
history of Fostoria junior baseball and
softball, there’s been a lot of kids who
went through that park,” said Eric
Stinehelfer, executive director of the
Geary Family YMCA. “This was a topnotch park.
“Our overall goal, with the help
from the foundation, is to make it
what it was back in its glory days,”
Stinehelfer said.
The first phase of the Geary Family
YMCA’s plan for the facility was a dog
park, added over the summer to give
patrons a safe place to walk their
pets. New fencing and signage were
installed, and a small tower offers
plastic bags for owners to clean up
after their animals.
Improvements are also underway
to add new dugouts to the baseball
fields. These projects represent the
first of many steps in the long-term
plan to spruce up and add to Foundation Park, Stinehelfer said.
“This park is completely different
than the parks they’re building now,”
Courtesy of the Geary Family YMCA
CREWS WORK ON dugouts at the ball ﬁelds at Foundation Park, which the YMCA took over managing this year. The YMCA hopes to return the park,
formerly known as Meadowlark Park, to its glory days when it was a top destination for games and tournaments.
he said, noting that new projects typically place an emphasis on lots of features, such as baseball fields, into one
condensed space.
“We’re one of the only parks around
that has 13 fields, so the uniqueness
of this park is definitely a plus for this
community because we can serve so
many different age groups just in this
small footprint.”
More fields, however, means more
space to maintain. As some fields have
been neglected in the past, the Y and
the foundation agreed to target fields
4 and 5, the most heavily used areas,
with the first upgrades and renovations.
“Basically what we decided to do
was take fields 4 and 5 and make those
our showcase fields,” Stinehelfer said.
“So everything there is going to be
top of the line (and) state of the art
— basically brand-new fields.”
New dugouts and a concession
stand should be complete by spring,
and a laser-guided tractor already
razed and leveled the infields to optimize drainage. Restrooms will also
Congratulations Geary Family YMCA
On Your 100th Anniversary
REVIEW TIMES
be constructed, relocated to the field
side of the road leading through the
park so children don’t have to cross
the street.
“They will remain on that side of
the park where 90 percent of the ball
diamonds are so kids aren’t having to
run across the road during busy times
to go use the restrooms,” Stinehelfer
said.
As the Y and the foundation seek
businesses and organizations to sponsor other fields in the future, they’ll be
able to point to what will have already
100
YEARS!!
been done to fields 4 and 5 to show
just how nice Foundation Park can be
with the right funding and attention.
“We intend to put some money
into every single field that we have
out there, it just will be a timeline of
how much money can be raised by the
GFCF and what we feel is a priority to
the certain fields we’re going to do in
a certain order. We chose fields 4 and
5 because we can accommodate about
80 percent through FJAA and tournaments of the age groups that use this
park — the younger kids.”
CONGRATULATIONS
from your friends at:
Sewer, Septic,
and Portable
Restrooms
(family owned & operated since 1976)
• NO
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P.O. Box 230, Fostoria
1-800-560-3977
www.bugnersservices.com/Find us on facebook
12
Proud to be your
community partner!
At ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital, every
one of us pledges to deliver quality care to you,
our neighbors.
That’s why we are proud to
say we were named one of
the Top 100 Critical Access
Hospitals in the nation.* It’s all
part of our mission to improve
your health and well-being.
Congratulations
on your 100th
Anniversary!
501 Van Buren St.
Fostoria, Ohio 44830
419-435-7734
promedica.org/fostoria
*Based on the 2011 – 2012 HealthStrong; Best in Strength Hospital Award
as part of the Hospital Strength IndexTM by iVantage Health Analytics
© 2012 ProMedica