Find your Y: Creating connected communities in a variety of ways

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The Olympic Peninsula YMCA is more than what you might expect. We aren’t a “club,” nor are we just a “fitness center” or “the community pool”. We are way more than that.

We convene people. We find opportunities and overcome challenges to give everyone in our community the chance to serve their purpose. We’re employers of over 200 people across the peninsula.

We are your friends, neighbors and family members committed to empowering young people, improving health and well being, and inspiring action in and across the Olympic Peninsula.

Our mission is to strengthen communities through programs and services that build healthy spirit, mind and body. We have three branches, in Sequim, Port Angeles and Jefferson County.

Our focus is on a broad range of programs and services across all ages which are tailored to the unique needs of the communities in which we serve. At the core of our work, we aim to serve as a connection hub — not only as a provider of services, but as a navigation point to other local resources and organizations that serve the people.

Our three strategic priorities guide our programming decisions.

Priority 1: Children are confident, prepared to learn and care about others.

We want to provide families and children the opportunity to grow up with the Y as a vital resource throughout their lives. Because of this, we are committed to expanding and growing programs and services for youth, with an emphasis on childcare and early learning.

At the Y, caring for our community’s children is more than providing recreation. We help them develop skills and interests in things that will prepare them for learning. We want them to be confident in themselves and each other, so that as they grow up, they become caring and contributing members of the community.

We provide Play Care, Toddler Time, swim lessons, leadership clubs, out-of-school-time camps, after-school enrichment programs, lifeguard certification and job training, youth sports, and free or low-priced youth memberships.

Priority 2: Individuals of all ages are supported on their health journeys.

The term “health” certainly pertains to fitness activities, but at the Y we want to help support people in all aspects; social connections, mental health, physical well-being and more. Our commitment to this goal is to expand and grow a comprehensive suite of programs and services to meet the needs of the whole person.

We not only have full-service wellness centers, provide personal training, group exercise classes and swimming, we also provide special programming like outdoor excursions, programs specifically tailored for seniors and people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and opportunities to convene with like-minded people over activities like basketball, pickleball, rock-painting, knitting, or just working on puzzles and visiting over a cup of coffee.

Priority 3: Individuals and families of all types are part of a well-connected supportive community.

Since the Covid pandemic, our Ys across the Olympic Peninsula have been focusing on serving youth and families through very targeted services. In Sequim, we have a full-time YMCA-provided resource navigator who works from the Sequim School District office and has a strong emphasis on guiding McKinney-Vinto students (children or youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence), guiding them to community resources and opportunities that will help those in need to thrive.

The Y is a partner with Olympic Connect a community-wide organization dedicated to helping those in need to access services like housing, food assistance, health care, childcare and more. It has provided us with several more resource navigators.

For more information about Olympic Connect go to olympicconnect.org. To contact our resource navigators, go to olympicpeninsulaymca.org/youth-family-resource-services.

Nonprofit

Many people are surprised to learn that YMCAs are one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the U.S.

While we do have a membership program, we believe that everyone belongs. We offer financial support for membership and programs so that no one is turned away due to inability to pay.

Membership dues make up a good portion of our revenue, but we are also dependent on grants, program fees and fundraising to provide all of these valuable community services.

We invite you to stop in and check us out or visit olympicpeninsulaymca.org. When you’re out there looking for your “why,” you will surely find your Y.