The La Porte County Family YMCA hosted the monthly Greater La Porte Chamber Luncheon on April 29. This luncheon was unique because the YMCA is getting ready to turn 105 years old.
The La Porte County Family YMCA is the oldest Y in the state of Indiana. Lots of history can be found within its walls, whether it's listening to the tales that an elderly YMCA member recounts to a willing ear or through the many photographs that document the journey and transformation of the Y.
Dave Kasarda, Director of Operations at the La Porte YMCA, shared his thoughts on the Y's century-long existence.
"I think it's a testament to the community. YMCAs succeed because of volunteers and participants. The city of La Porte and La Porte County have done an amazing job of providing leadership and financial resources to ensure that we've been here for 105 years and that we'll be around for another 105 years," Kasarda said.
The luncheon began with a lovely boxed lunch, followed by a great video that was put together about all of the great things that took place at the Y in 2013.
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Kasarda spoke on the progress that the YMCA has made, noting that not only does the Y serve La Porte, but the rest of the county as well. As a constantly changing and growing entity, the YMCA must evolve in order to serve its growing community and different generations. A trivia game was next in which Chamber members had their YMCA IQ tested. Interesting bits of information were revealed about the Y like: the very room where the luncheon was held used to be a swimming pool, in 1953 a nursery school was created, and the first female CEO was Cindy Berchem, who took the position in 2006.
Then, "volunteers" were selected to demonstrate the new TRX machine that stood in the back of the room. It's quite the contraption, sporting different components that allow users to get a multi-faceted workout from one machine.
Finally, Mike Seitz, President of the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce, closed out the luncheon with introductions of new members and a drawing for door prizes. Following those, tours were given of the YMCA's facility.
"We're happy to support such a great organization," Seitz said. "Stay local, shop local, and support each other."
"This is pretty awesome," Joy Zigler, Marketing Director at the YMCA said of the luncheon. Then she turned her attention to the future. "Starting in May we'll be hitting our 105th year and continuing our legacy that we've left behind and remembering all of the lives that we have touched."
Click here to see more photos from the luncheon!