New Family Y gives thanks to supporters of area facility

Staff photo.

The Aiken County Family Y isn’t a miracle, but it has miracle-like qualities, Greater Augusta Family Y President Danny McConnell said at a VIP reception Friday.

“It was a part of God’s plan from the beginning,” he said, noting the sounds of children laughing and the encouragement of healthy lifestyles and social responsibilities.

McConnell presented artwork of the new Aiken/Graniteville facility on Trolley Line Road to a number of people who made the project possible – among them Richard Fine and Bob Deering of the FineDeering Co., which donated the land for the facility as its owners willingly worked with Family Y administrators through many challenges to make the project happen.

Fine and Deering were a critical part of the planning and implementation process. In just a few weeks since the grand opening, Family Y has gotten 1,851 new members to push the total to about 4,000, McConnell said.

Also cited were retired Cedar Creek Church pastor Richard Swift and the Rev. Wes Holbrook, pastor of Cedar Creek West, which will share the building with Family Y. The original discussions over a collaboration, Swift said with amusement, centered on sharing a parking lot.

McConnell had other ideas, and what made the project so appropriate, Swift said, is that Cedar Creek and the Family Y “share core values of caring, responsibility, inclusion and encouragement.”

Aiken branch director Catie McCauley said she too is delighted with the community’s response. Classes have been jammed with new and existing members, and lots of kids are enjoying the programs targeting them. Swim lessons are continuing at Hitchcock Healthcare, even as the Family Y waterpark should be ready for its own grand opening in early May.

“We’re excited about the impact and the feedback on how much we’re able to provide in Graniteville and Aiken,” McCauley said. “We’ve seen record highs on financial and program assistance. People are taking advantage of this opportunity. We’re raising more money to accommodate this because we know there’s a need in the area for it.”

Don Winslow, the Aiken branch board chairman, had been working on bringing a Family Y facility to Aiken for many years.

“It’s been a great ride, and now we’re seeing the fruits of our labor,” Winslow said. “It’s the people who work for this organization and those who are members. I’m thrilled to have this beautiful facility.”

Deering has been involved with Family Y for many years. While living in Houston in the 1990s, he helped send inner city kids to a Family Y camp in the country. He was touched when he saw the joyful reactions of a small boy as he slept in a cabin, paddled a canoe and relished his first trip ever outside of the city.

In helping bring Family Y and Cedar Creek Church together, “this is a model in how two organizations can come together and protect their resources,” Deering said. “This YMCA will be here for many generations to come. You are the spirit and heart of this community.”

Sanford Loyd, the Family Y Greater Augusta Board chairman, agreed. The relationship with the church and this facility is just the beginning, he said.

“They are approaching this with respect and support of each other,” said Loyd. “The end result will be outstanding.”

The project received a $6 million loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Initiative – funds that came through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Vernita Dore is the state director for the initiative.

“This is such a wonderful success,” she said. “Our mission is to improve economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for all rural Americans. When I look at this facility and hear the stories, I think that this Family Y represents a South Carolina that wins.”

When the foundation work was under way in 2011, Holbrook was inspired to place a Bible there while the concrete was being poured. The project manger woke up Holbrook one morning at 5 a.m. with the news that the concrete was ready to go.

He rushed to the site and encountered a very large and rather daunting man driving the gigantic machine that distributed the concrete and level it. The man got down and stared impassively at Holbrook as he explained his mission.

“The man then took the Bible and kissed it and placed it on the ground before getting back in his machine,” Holbrook said. “The Bible remains – a foundation on the word of God.”

Senior writer Rob Novit, a journalist for the past 41 years, joined the Aiken Standard staff in 2001. He covers education news and general assignments.