The year was 1986, and Greater Houston had its own YMCA! In fact, it was the first one in the country to do so.
The idea came from a local businessman who saw a need for a local YMCA and wanted to help fill it. He created the YMCA of Greater Houston as an independent organization to support its mission of wellness and community service.
Today, the YMCA of Greater Houston has over 1,000 members and serves more than just people to fitness and health benefits. It also plays an important role in educating the public about fitness and health issues.
This year alone, the YMCA will host more than 20 annual fitness challenge events where members compete against each other and against the clock in order to achieve their goals.
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Houston YMCA
The Houston YMCA was founded in 1921 by hotel owners and civic leaders who wanted to create a social center for the city’s working class.
The founders wanted it to be a place where people could go for activities such as dance, sport, and meeting groups. Today, the Houston YMCA has over 6,000 members and offers more than 150 programs and events per year.
Some of the popular programs include swimming lessons, group exercise classes, group work, and internet-based counseling. All members are free to use the gym facilities however there is a fee for using the computers and telephones.
The Houston YMCA is a great place to find answers to questions about fitness and health.
Founders of the Houston YMCA
The history of the Houston YMCA begins with a couple named Lenihan and Geraldine Thomas. The Thomas’ were very active members of the community, having served on many boards and working as volunteers on many more.
In 1963, Geraldine Thomas was looking for a way to get together some members and to provide a healthy exercise program for the community. She met Dr. Robert Anderson, who was then head coach of the Houston Astros baseball team, and convinced him to come on board as director of the program.
Dr. Anderson became the first man to lead the program, which at that time was simply called an exercise club. Over time, it became a health club, then later a YMCA in 1974 when Dr. Anderson passed away.
Through his retirement funds, he gifted $50,000 toward establishing the Houston YMCA Foundation in his name.
Charles L. Hughes
The Charles L. Hughes YMCA was founded in 1921, making it the oldest YMCA in Texas. It was named one of the top 10 largest YMCAs in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine in 2009 and 2010 due to its large size.
The name Charles L. Hughes comes from a local businessman who donated $100,000 to the organization to build a swimming pool at the location of his former company, Hughes Industries, now called The Hughes Center for Business and Community Innovation. The center opened in 2004 and bears its name today.
Today, the Hughes Center oversees two other pools located downtown: one for adults and one for children. The adult pool is named after an early benefactor who died before it was built and completed in 1955; the child pool is still under construction but will have a water theme and water fun games to attract more kids to use it.
William A. Porter
The first YMCA in the Houston area was founded by William A. Porter in 1968 as The Y, later changing to the contemporary figure of The Ymca of Greater Houston.
In the late 1980s, when Mike James became the new president, they decided to focus on water fitness and diving as his top priorities. This is still reflected in the program today!
Since then, there have been several updates to the program, including having women leadership in the 1970s and early 1980s, plus recent updates that added holistic medicine and spirituality.
Today, women make up about two thirds of members at The Ymca of Greater Houston and enjoy different programs for different times of day! Even though women outnumber men at The Ymca of Greater Houston, there have been no major changes made to accommodate both genders.
Joseph S. Cullinan
Joseph S. Cullinan was a businessman who helped found the Houston YMCA in 1906. It was his vision that led to its founding.
The YMCA of Greater Houston is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the Houston area with over 1,400 members. It provides a wide range of programs and services for young people, families, and community members.
Its headquarters are located in the Galleria area just north of downtown. The building itself is gorgeous with many architectural styles combined together. You can find all sorts of programs and services inside, so no need to venture out into the cold and snow if you are not ready to leave the warmness of your office or lobby!
This non-profit was formed more than a century ago as a training center for members who wanted to take their initial learning experience at the YMCA.
Dr. James H. Baker
Dr. Baker was the first president of the Houston YMCA and he served in that position for thirty years. He was a pediatrician and surgeon, which made him a great leader.
During his tenure at the Y, he helped establish several important programs including the Metabolism Treatment Program, swim lessons, infant classes, and adult swimming lessons.
The swim lesson program is still in operation today and is an important component of the Y’s services. Many people use it to recoup after a long day of work or spending time with their family.
Swimming is a great activity that anyone can do even if they have no experience. It not only helps improve your health but also those around you can benefit from it too.
Early support for the YMCA
The early support for the YMCA of Greater Houston is found in local newspapers and radio programs. Two prominent radio shows were The Joyful Heart and The Community Hour. Both hosted experts in various fields to discuss health and wellness topics.
The Community Hour was a popular show that lasted for several years as it focused on different topics each month. It was hosted by a family member or close friend and wasn’t designed to be a weekly broadcast.
The Joyful Heart was a weekly broadcast that ran for several months and focused on specific health issues or people with health issues. It was designed to be an ongoing show where the hosts would cover new information each week.
Since then, there have been changes to the organization making it less diverse in terms of disease prevention, education, and treatment. This has lead to lower attendance rates which is discouraging.
Early structure of the YMCA
The early history of the YMCA of Greater Houston is filled with stories of people looking to share experiences and building communities through sport, education, and fun.
In 1927, a group of business leaders organized the Houston Inter-Community Council to address community issues. One of their goals was to bring together groups with similar interests into a single organization.
The members decided to combine their efforts and create the Houston Inter-Community Council YMCA, which became the first publicly funded chapter of the YMCA. The goal was for members to meet weekly to share ideas and practices in order for them to maintain their membership.
During the Great Depression, there was not much that could be done, so they formed an unemployment relief program called Project Hardtimes. This allowed people who were not in need but wanted to be part of a community to do so.