YMCA board takes first steps
Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/News/36265/
BENTONVILLE — It will be a while before the YMCA of Northwest Arkansas opens its doors in Bentonville — but on Wednesday afternoon, volunteer board members met to get the ball rolling.
The Board of Directors for the YMCA of Northwest Arkansas held its first meeting at Northwest Arkansas Community College on Wednesday afternoon.
There, officers were elected, and board members were apprised of how a Young Men’s Christian Association operates — and what its goal is for the community.
The board voted to elect Chris Sooter as president, Kalene Griffith as vice president, James Smith as treasurer and Krista Khone as secretary. Griffith served as executive director of the YMCA in Carroll County, Mo., prior to her position as president of the Bentonville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Griffith addressed concerns from board members on how the YMCA will work with other community organizations — not to serve as competition, but to fill needs that aren’t met by current services.
“ We don’t have to have all the programs the YMCA offers, ” Griffith said. “ It’s (based on ) what the needs of the community are. ”
Board member Ted Fox, who also serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, sees the YMCA as an asset to the community. “ Are we a threat to the Boys and Girls Club ? Absolutely not, ” he said. “ We’re not going to duplicate, and that’s the message that we’re going to get out. ” Fox added that the Boys and Girls Club could benefit by services provided by the YMCA that the club is unable to offer.
One of those services is a family weight room, Sooter said. Griffith noted that another service is to provide activities for families to engage in as a whole.
“ There are plenty of things to do for kids, and things to do actively as an adult, but we’re very limited in things to do as a family with your children. That’s a key component of the YMCA, ” Griffith said.
The area currently falls under the service area of the Freeman Southwest Family YMCA in Neosho, Mo., but Sooter noted that the club plans to become a home branch — and open local branches in cities throughout the area. Until then, Freeman director Jenny Holweger has joined other YMCA directors to help get the northwest Arkansas facility on its feet.
But many steps remain, and the board is looking to form volunteer committees to campaign for funds, find a facility in which to operate the YMCA, and develop membership policies.
Anyone interested in serving on a committee may contact Sooter at csooter @ membserv. com or Griffith at kalene @ bentonvilleusa. org.