YMCA receives largest institutional grant yet

$50,000 grant from Commerce Bancshares to fund construction projects in region

by Paul Schreiber

SBJ Reporter

pschreiber@sbj.net

The Springfield Family YMCA received a $50,000 grant from the William T. Kemper and Commerce Bancshares foundations. The grant, the largest institutional grant given to the local YMCA to date, will assist in funding the $2.5 million renovation at the Ward-Downtown YMCA.

Additionally, a portion of the grant will be applied to two capital improvement projects totaling $4.5 million, in Bolivar and Hollister. Together the three facilities serve more than 15,000 people annually in a 12-county region, according to a YMCA news release.

Downtown Springfield's Ward branch will see the bulk of the grant. The Ward branch will receive $30,000, while $15,000 goes to Bolivar's YMCA and $5,000 goes toward the Tri-Lakes YMCA, said Cathy Rippe, membership and marketing director at YMCA's Ward branch.

The dollars, which should be received by the end of the year, will become part of capital funding and be applied to renovation programs at the three sites, Rippe added.

The YMCA relies on gifts such as these to ensure its mission continues, Rippe said. "The grants and the donations are what helps us be able to do these things and offer it to the community," she said.

"Their commitment and vision to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities in southwest Missouri continues to have a positive impact on the quality of life in the communities we serve, " Commerce Bank Chairman John Himmel said in a news release. "On behalf of Commerce Bank and the William T. Kemper Foundation, I am proud to present a check for $50,000 to the YMCA."

The William T. Kemper Foundation was established in 1989 following Kemper's death. The Foundation concentrates on initiatives in education, health and human services, civic improvement and the arts, according the news release.

The YMCA is a not-for-profit charitable organization that believes no one should be denied access to memberships and programs due to an inability to pay. Last year, the YMCA awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships for such individuals, the release said.