As of January 1, 2020, the YMCA of Michiana and YMCA of Southwest Michigan have officially merged into one association: YMCA of Greater Michiana. The new association includes the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA in St. Joseph, MI; Niles-Buchanan YMCA in Niles. MI; South Bend-Mishawaka YMCA (formerly Riverview Family YMCA) in South Bend, IN; and YMCA Camp Eberhart in Three Rivers, MI.
Collectively, the new association currently serves over 16,500 members, employs more than 500 people, and has an annual operating budget of $10 million, which doubles the size of each former organization. The merge comes as a result of a management agreement that had been ongoing since April 2018.
“YMCAs across the country have been evaluating methods to have a greater and more meaningful impact,” said Mowitt S. Drew, III, YMCA of Greater Michiana Board President. “Based on our experience, collaboration and combining resources is the key to furthering the Y's mission. We are on the leading edge of this movement nationally and are now even better positioned to serve as an agent of change within our communities.”
The new association will be led by a team of 21 board members including Mowitt S. Drew III, President; Dallas Dreher, Vice President; Regan Jones, Vice President; Jim Reits, Treasurer; and Tom Doran, Secretary. Additional board members include Tim Baker, David Balkin, Jane Brandstatter, Bill Cerney, Matt Conklin, Brian French, Andre Gammage, Phil Iapalucci, Bob Kenagy, Brian Kubicki, Meryle Merritt, Mark Neal, Rick Sieb, Sara Senica, Chad Towner, and Kendall Troyer.
Mark Weber, YMCA of Southwest Michigan CEO and YMCA of Michiana interim CEO, will continue in his role as CEO of the new association and be assisted by managers at each location, all of which will continue to maintain their independent identities.
"With this merger, our members will continue to be served by an experienced and dedicated team. We have found that the cultural and procedural alignments across our new association are enhancing all aspects of our Y,” said Drew. “We are incredibly excited about this opportunity and are confident that the greatest impact of our merger will be realized in our local communities through increased outreach, enhanced programming, and collaborative services with our community partners.”
For more information on the YMCA of Greater Michiana, please visit ymcagm.org or contact your preferred branch location.
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