History
Just eleven years after the founding of the Young Men's Christian Association in 1844, the YMCA of Savannah was organized by R.B. Hilton and fifteen other men of vision. The Savannah chapter was the 13th YMCA to be instituted in the United States. It's stated purpose was to be of Christian service to young men.
For the next 50 years, the YMCA had no permenant home. Around 1905, the first capital funds campaign was successful enough to build a YMCA building on Bull Street facing Madison Square, and it remained in use for another 50 years. Many thousands of Savannahians spent untold hours of friendly recreation and learning in that building.
In the early 1960's, J.C. Lewis, Jr., a former YMCA president, donated 8.5 acres of land on South Habersham Street and went on to lead the 1964 capital funds campaign. The result of those generous efforts on the part of Mr. Lewis, as well as Frank S. Cheatham, Robert H. Demere, W.W. Sprague, Jr., and many others was the YMCA Family Center on Habersham (now known as the Habersham Branch YMCA).
With the Family Center, the YMCA of Coastal Georgia broadened its focus to include men and women of all ages and their families. The Family Center and its multitude of services almost immediately led to a tremendous increase in memberships; an increase accelerating to this day. In addition, the increasing population of southeast Georgia created a need for more facilities.
The YMCA of Coastal Georgia has become many things to many people, but always with the goal of serving people by strengthening their spirit, mind, and body. Youth and their spiritual, mental, and physical development remain fundamental to our purpose today. But today, the YMCA serves business and professional people from all walks of life as they seek new skills, catch up on their physical conditioning, continue their education, and, in many cases, just relax in a healthy and friendly environment.
Today the YMCA of Coastal Georgia reaches from Tybee Island to Hinesville, Richmond Hill to Rincon, with ten operating branches in and around the greater Savannah area. With continuing emphasis on family, the YMCA offers a broad selection of activities including preschool childcare, school age care, summer camps, parenting groups, youth and adult sports, family activities, teen fellowship, and spiritual rejuvenation, adult wellness, weight management, nutritional counseling, stress management, weight training, aerobics, dancing, yoga, swimming, and much... much more.
