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ABOUT THE Y
HISTORY
The YMCA of Wood Buffalo has been serving the residents of Fort
McMurray and region since 1975 and after registering as a Society
and affiliating with the YW-YMCA, ran the first program that January.
The Association became solely affiliated with the YMCA in 1977.
 The
YMCA of Wood Buffalo made its mark on the history of YMCA's in Alberta
by contracting with Northward Developments, Syncrude Canada Ltd.’s
housing arm, to deliver programs and services to the employee community
through five leisure centers located in the Syncrude housing complexes.
After years of moving from one place to another, a storefront operation
opened on Biggs Avenue in 1983. This was a permanent home to the
necessary office space required for the operation, plus facilities
for an exercise area, weight room, 45 child day care center, whirlpool
and locker rooms.
In 1984, a joint development agreement was entered into with the
Public School Board for a high school and YMCA complex. The Westwood
YMCA complex was completed in 1987 but the YMCA facility continues
to expand. Since the original development, the YMCA of Fort McMurray
has added a Fitness Center with an indoor running track, . After being identified by the Regional
Camping Association as the ideal organization to develop a youth
residential camp, the YMCA has acquired the Camp Many Trees location
at Gregoire Lake. This facility, currently under development, will
provide year round camping facilities for not only YMCA programs
but also the community at large.
In 1997, the YMCA touched the lives of over 2400 members who used
the facilities for a sum of 250,000 usages. Our Childcare program
includes licensed spots for 33 children, with an Out of School Program
of 80 licensed spots and a Pre-School program licensed for 40. The
Community School Program in partnership with the Westwood High School
was used an estimated 1535 times by community organizations on weekends
and evenings.
This history reflects the actions and dedication of a great deal
of people including both volunteers and staff. The future of the
Wood Buffalo region holds exciting possibilities and therefore an
exciting challenge for the YMCA facilities and programs.
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