Brazos Valley YMCA Founder’s Group is over halfway to reaching its fundraising goal

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Brazos Valley might be getting a YMCA here soon, with the founder’s group now halfway to their goal.

Bringing a YMCA to the Brazos Valley has been in the works for years, dating back to even before the pandemic. While COVID-19 might have slowed the process down by two years, CEO and President of YMCA of Central Texas, Jeff Andresen is surprised at how much The Brazos Valley YMCA Founders Group has already raised. According to Andresen, the group has already raised over 50 percent of its $300,000 goal. Once they reach their goal the YMCA of Central Texas will match it.

Andresen said when the founder’s group reaches 85 percent the YMCA will look to hire someone who will start running programs and activities.

“At the rate they’re going we plan on posting a job somewhere in that March April time frame to hire a staff person and place them in that College Station, Bryan, Brazos Valley area,” Andresen said.

While the founder’s group has been working on funding, Andresen said the YMCA has been doing a Gap Study to find whatever activities might be lacking in the area.

“What our Gap Analysis has found is there is a definite need for additional after-school child care, if there are school needs then that means there are summer day camp needs,” Andresen said. “We also know there are a variety of activities across parts of your community where there are activities in this section of the community but not in this section. So there may be youth sports activities that are needed or youth aquatics activities.”

Market research done about four years ago has shown that the Brazos Valley demand for the type of services that a YMCA provides was much higher than the national average and that demand is expected to grow along with the area, Andersen said.

“You have a much higher population of young families and then you got folks who may have gone to the university that are coming back to your community and are looking for things to do in retirement,” Andersen said. “That sweet spot for YMCAs is that young family that needs things as a family to go to. That other sweet spot is for that senior and active older population.”

The process in the Brazos Valley has been very similar to the one in Georgetown which started five years ago as a storefront operation, Andersen said.

“We ran a variety of programs from a fun bus where we picked up kids from preschool and took them to that storefront to do activities, a day camp in the summer we had 185 kids, today flash forward five years that little operation has an operating budget of $685,000, they’ve switched from raising funds for the operating dollars to raising scholarship dollars for kids who can’t afford those programs and they’ve successfully put a partnership together with the city and will be building a 5,300 square foot YMCA facility.”

If a YMCA does successfully make its way to the Brazos Valley, Andresen said he expects it will be very successful and just in a 7-mile radius alone serve 4.3 percent of households.

“I think your study came back between 3,000 to 4,000 units of membership would join, pay annual dues to have access and that has nothing to do with folks who come for daily visits or participate in a class,” Andresen said.

Andersen said that he couldn’t be more pleased with the progress that is being made in the Brazos Valley and the group is exceeding his expectations.

“There isn’t a week that goes by where we don’t get a donation from an individual or corporation in the Brazos Valley for this founder’s group project,” Andersen said. “The energy and enthusiasm that that group of 11 people has. Every one of them has had some exposure and experience with the YMCA in their past and they know what the Y does for the community.”