Story by YMCA

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – North Clarksville residents will soon have another place to access health and wellness resources closer to home when the new North Clarksville YMCA opens December 21. A private ribbon cutting is set for the new facility on December 20.

The Y hopes the new, 20,000 sq ft facility will bring much needed wellness programs and services to one of Clarksville’s fastest growing areas. Local Executive Director O’Bee O’Bryant says a partnership with local developer Jeff Burkhart was instrumental in helping to bring a second Y to the city so quickly. “Since we opened the Clarksville Area YMCA Kimbrough Family Center in 1999, Clarksville’s population has grown by nearly 20%, but much of that growth has been in north Clarksville, nearly 10 miles away from our current Y. Jeff’s generous offer to build a facility for us to lease allowed us to establish a presence in north Clarksville much sooner than we might have been able to if we’d been reliant on a large-scale capital fundraising campaign.” O’Bryant also says current Clarksville YMCA board chair Katie Gambill and local architect Brad Martin of Lyle, Cook and Martin, deserve a great deal of credit for helping to make the dream of a second Y location a reality. “Through this entire process, we’ve just had incredibly committed volunteers and community supporters who worked tirelessly to make this effort a success.”

The new facility, located at 390 Needmore Road, will have many of the same offerings as the Hillcrest Drive location, including:
• A state-of-the-art wellness center with cardio equipment and free weights
• Group Exercise space for popular classes like Zumba®, Les Mills’ Body Pump®, yoga, indoor cycling and more
• Additional program space for affordable group and individual counseling through Restore Ministries, martial arts and self-defense classes, Parents Night
Out, CPR/First Aid Certification, art classes and summer day camp

Clarksville residents who belong to the Y will be able to use both facilities, so new members of the North Clarksville Y will be able to access the aquatics facility and gymnasium at the Hillcrest Drive location.

As the region’s leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y offers an income-based rate scale for its programs and services. To learn more about membership rates and joining, visit the Y’s website.

YMCA has rich history, legacy of community service in Clarksville
The first YMCA opened in Clarksville in 1858 and was led by Samuel J. Johnson. Since then, the YMCA has had many homes, including tents on Civil War battlefields and a former location at the edge of Commerce Street in 1894. Since its founding, the Y has sought to help people of all ages and backgrounds access the tools and support they need to learn, grow and thrive.

Today, the YMCA in Clarksville serves more than 12,000 individuals and families each year through its health and wellness programs, before-and after-school care and community outreach efforts. As a nonprofit organization, the Y relies on charitable gifts to keep its programs and services affordable and available to all. In 2012, the Clarksville Area YMCA awarded more than $500,000 in financial assistance to make Y membership and participation in life-changing programs accessible to adults and children who might otherwise not be able to afford to get the help and support they need to lead full and healthy lives.

O’Bryant says the Y’s impact is felt everyday “when a neighbor makes a healthy choice, when a caring adult mentors a child, and when our community comes together for the common good.”

Watch a video featuring O’Bryant:

About the Y
The YMCA of Middle Tennessee is a nonprofit, worldwide charitable fellowship united by a common loyalty to Jesus Christ for the purpose of helping people grow in spirit, mind and body. For more than 137 years, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee has been giving people of all ages the tools they need to learn, grow and thrive. Last year, the YMCA reached 368,318 lives—1 of every 6 people in the 13-county area it serves—by nurturing the potential of children and teens, improving the nation’s health and well-being and providing opportunities to serve others and support our neighbors.

The YMCA will begin selling memberships on December 2 at Daymar Institute, 2691 Trenton Road next to the 390 Needmore Road location of the North Clarksville YMCA.

See photos of the work below: