Our History

Serving Warren County for over 40 years!  

The vision for this YMCA came from industrialist Ralph J. Stolle and land developer George Henkle, and they enlisted other community leaders to join them. Today, this YMCA serves Warren County's almost 215,000 residents and we have continually adapted our programming and renovated our building to meet the desires and needs of our community.  

Through all the decades, one thing that hasn’t changed is our mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

As the future unfolds we know that with our strength, flexibility, and enduring mission we will continue to serve our community in relevant ways for generations to come. 

More about The History of Countryside YMCA

It was in 1971, that our founder, the late Ralph J. Stolle, first saw an unfilled need for a community space built on the mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. He sought the help of other local business leaders - George Henkle, Charles Hamilton, Ellis Thompson, Neil Armstrong, Marvin Young, Mike Norris– to come up with a solution. Ralph and his group visited 27 YMCAs before opening the doors to Countryside YMCA in 1978. Since then, we have become the largest and most comprehensive YMCA in the country…and even one of the largest in the world.

What began as an eight-lane outdoor pool, has grown into a 230,000-square-foot facility. Adding summer day camp in 1988 and The Children's Center, our full-time child care program in 1989. With a significant expansion in 2001 seeing the creation of the Cardio Strength Center, Family Aquatic Center, Sports Arena, gym, and indoor track and partnering with Atrium Medical Center, and physical therapy and rehabilitation programs now on site. We offer a long list of activities - swimming, gymnastics, running, cycling, climbing, weight training, fitness, creative arts, sports, summer camp, scenic trails, licensed childcare, the Stolle Center for active seniors and the Motion Zone for active youth.

But this facility – as amazing as it is – would be just another building without our YMCA programs which are designed to meet the needs of this community. As society’s needs have changed over the past four decades, we have continuously evolved in order to better serve our neighborhoods and the people who live here. From preschool outreach to disease prevention programs, from youth sports to swim lessons for those with special needs, from camps to active older adult programs, we’ve adapted to the changing needs and we’ll continue to do so in order to provide the level of quality programs our community wants and deserves.

We are tasked with serving all of Warren County, a huge geographical space housing over 200,000 people. We recognized that in order to serve more of these people we would have to take Countryside YMCA into other locations. In 2007, we opened a small facility in Deerfield Township; in 2013 we partnered with Otterbein Retirement Community and opened a facility in their Life Enrichment Center; in 2016 we purchased a building in Maineville for childcare and other programs. And in 2017  renovations to our 1618 Deerfield Road building allow Before and Aftercare and preschool to move from Lebanon City Schools into this new location. What’s most valuable to us, however, is the fact that we’ve grown from serving 1,214 charter families to currently serving 8,500 families.

There are few opportunities in life when you are asked to share in a project vision that will yield results in your lifetime. Over the years thousands of children, seniors, young adults, and families have benefitted from our enriching and engaging programs. The positive impact that the YMCA mission has had on these lives is impossible to measure, but these endless possibilities for good is what will inspire us to continue to serve our community for generations to come. 

Founded at The YMCA

June 6 is YMCA Founder's Day. On this date in 1844, George Williams and 11 other young men held a meeting in London that would lead to the founding of the YMCA. Learn more about George Williams and the Christian Mission of the Y

Over the years the Y has been a place of creativity and invention, with the creation of several sports, programs, and even holidays.

Raquetball: Y volunteer Joe Sobek invented the sport in 1950 at the Greenwich, CT YMCA

Father's Day: Founded in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd at the Spokane, WA YMCA

Swim Lessons: Group swim lessons founded in 1909 by George Corsan at the Detroit, MI YMCA

Volleyball: Y instructor William Morgan invented the game called "mintonette", which became known as volleyball in 1896 at the Springfield, MA YMCA

Basketball: Invented in 1891 by James Naismith at the Springfield, MA YMCA

Summer Camp: Camp Dudley founded in 1885 at the Orange Lake, NY YMCA

English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes: Founded in 1856, taught to German immigrants at the Cincinnati, OH YMCA