YMCA raises funds for new HQ

It’s very much a part of the new youth initiative and in the not-too-distant future Belize’s YMCA will have more room to expand its activities. We caught up with the organisation’s director at the work site on Faber’s Road.

Carolyn Gentle Genitty, Executive Director, YMCA

“If people are aware of where we are at number 12 Eve St., it’s a rented three storey wooden structure and after years of being up, there’s years of work that going into work of maintenance and repair, which we had bear because we got a lower renting cost. So it’s been something that we’re been trying to realise, I think ever since the Y started. A little bit after we got incorporated in ’95, we had the dream in 1989 when we got the land.”

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

YMCA’s Executive Director, Carolyn Gentle Genitty says lack of finance set back the construction, but thanks to fund raising drives and donations, work on the new building finally started in March. According to Genitty, the new YMCA location is ideal for the programmes they plan to offer youths.

Carolyn Gentle Genitty

“Well the good thing is there’s not a lot of issues with parking or the safety of kids, the accessibility. And because it’s a three-acre land, it gives us the opportunity to have all our programmes from one location. So hopefully, the idea would be that we could run most of our programmes from here, whether it’s basketball or our education programme.”

The new YMCA headquarters is scheduled to open in August. If you would like to donate towards the project, please contact the YMCA at 223-1514. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.

On Friday, Port Loyola’s area representative, Dolores Balderamos Garcia, presented a cheque for five thousand dollars to the YMCA. The money will be used for the YMCA Youth Centre. Meanwhile on Saturday the YMCA held it’s annual Save the Last Dance competition. The event was won by Griselle Zabaneh and Lucas Gutierrez of Dangriga.