After months of uncertainty, the North Central Florida YMCA announced Monday its doors will remain open.
The center, located at 5201 NW 34th Blvd., removed its self-imposed deadline, set for Monday, after the organization found success in fundraising in the past month, said CEO John Bonacci.
About $940,000 in donations has been pledged and $11,000 was collected at a recent fundraiser, but nearly $250,000 is still needed to have the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s case against the YMCA dismissed, Board President Robert Walpole wrote in an announcement Monday.
Bonacci said the organization was not yet in the clear.
“There is still a threat that we could be closed down — not by my board, but by the courts,” he said.
Hearings and negotiations about the bankruptcy are ongoing, Bonacci said.
On top of the debt, an additional $300,000 will be needed for critical facility renovations, he said.
“The process itself is very taxing, absolutely exhausting,” Bonacci said of the fundraising process. “Every little battle, every little success definitely reminds us why we’re here — it gives us hope for winning the overall war.”
Gainesville’s YMCA serves more than 5,000 people a year, with 2,000 of those members being children and 1,800 senior citizens.
The YMCA offers the SilverSneakers program to help senior citizens maintain a fitness membership, one of few in Gainesville, Bonacci said.
Longtime YMCA member Leslie Galloway, who started the Facebook page “NCF YMCA Advocates” in December to spread the word about the organization’s financial dilemma, said she felt relieved when she heard the facilities would stay open.
The 28-year-old spends about two hours a day fundraising and spreading the word about the YMCA’s financial dilemma, which has become like a part-time job, she said.
Galloway, whose family has been a part of the 49-year-old YMCA for more than 30 years, said she’s looking forward to helping raise the rest of the money.
“So many people have some type of experience at our Y, whether it’s learning to swim or they were part of the soccer program,” she said. “In some way, it has affected everybody’s life.”
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