Our Vision & History
George Williams and a dozen friends who lived and worked as clerks in a drapery (department store) founded the YMCA in London, England, in 1844. Their goal was to save fellow clerks lives from the wicked life on the London streets. The first members were evangelical Protestants who prayed and studied the Bible as an alternative to vice.
The YMCA has always been non-sectarian and today accepts those of all faiths at all levels of the organization, despite its unchanging name, the Young Men's Christian Association.
The first YMCA in the USA was started in Boston in 1851, the work of Thomas Sullivan, a retired sea captain who was also a lay missionary. YMCAs spread fast and soon were serving boys and older men as well as young men. Although, 5,143 women worked in military canteens in World War I, it was not until after World War II, that women and girls were admitted to full membership and participation in the US YMCA's. Today half of all YMCA members are 18 years and under.
Ralph J. Stolle Countryside YMCA
Research for the Ralph J. Stolle Countryside YMCA was started in 1971 by Ralph Stolle and George Henkle, two local businessmen. In 1973, they enlisted the help of Mike Norris, Marvin Young, Charles Hamilton, Neil Armstrong, Ellis Thompson and Jack Singerman. Visits were made to other YMCA's, plans were sketched and drawn, and eventually in 1975 floor plans were developed. In 1976 the fund raising campaign was launched. In 1977, a groundbreaking ceremony took place, and on September 15, 1978, the doors of the Ralph J. Stolle Countryside YMCA were opened to their members.
