YMCA hopes to kick off fundraising campaign by late spring
Posted on Friday, March 9, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/46365/
BENTONVILLE — Volunteers are still working to bring the first YMCA to the region and hope to kick off a threeyear fundraising campaign by the end of the spring.
“ We are in the process of putting together the timeline for the founders’ campaign, ” said Chris Sooter, president of the YMCA of Northwest Arkansas Board of Directors.
Sooter said the board hopes to kick off the campaign in May. The campaign, which will last 90 to 120 days, will be held consecutively over the next three years.
Plans have been in the works for a YMCA in the area since last year, when the Freeman Southwest Family YMCA in Neosho, Mo., conducted interviews to gauge interest in a local facility.
Upon determining that the need existed, a board of directors for the YMCA of Northwest Arkansas was formed — and since then, members of the board have been working to get a YMCA off the ground.
No locations have been determined for the YMCA, although city-owned park space and Northwest Arkansas Community College have been named as possible locations. The YMCA will conduct a feasibility study at a later date to determine the best possible location for a facility.