The Y is home to the only indoor public pool in Gary
(Gary, Indiana) – After a yearlong stint of renovations, the YWCA of NWI will host a Grand Re-Opening Celebration of its swimming pool on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.. at 150 W. 15th Avenue in Gary. The YWCA staff, board and members will join public officials, donors and community supporters in a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a first look at the pool and all of the accompanying improvements to the space.
“We want to thank the community for their patience as we endured a very involved process to update the pool,” said YWCA of NWI Executive Director Caren Jones. “Thanks to the generosity of donors, grants and support from the City of Gary, we are back in operation. We thought that holding the celebration on Juneteenth would make the occasion all the more significant.”
The YWCA of NWI opened its doors in December 2000 and is currently home to the only indoor public pool in the city of Gary. Outside entities such as the West Side Leadership Academy swim team have used the facility for practice. Water aerobics and swim lessons are also staples in the aquatics program that come with a Y membership.
Now that school is out for the summer and news continues to spread about the pool re-opening, membership at the YWCA of NWI is on the rise. Parents are expressing interest in their children learning to swim or capitilizing on the inclusion of recreational swim time during the youth summer camp program. Faithful participants of the water aerobics class are also eager to return to the pool.
“The lack of public pools in our city directly impacts our children’s inability to swim,” added Jones. “That’s the main reason we were eager to get the pool open as soon as possible and happy to provide this critical life skill to the loyal community we serve.”
According to a recent study by the Y’s USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis, 64% of African American children cannot swim and are more likely to drown than their white counterparts.
The ceremony will include remarks by Jones, a YWCA board member and representatives from the City of Gary and the Gary Common Council. Youth members of the YWCA of NWI will demonstrate basic aquatic skills, and light refreshments will be served. The ceremony will be broadcast live via the YWCA of Northwest Indiana Facebook page.
For more information about the YWCA of NWI, visit http://www.ywcanwi.org or call 219-881-9922.
