The Martinsville-Henry County YMCA announced they received a $500,000 gift from ValleyStar Credit Union to build the new Lester Family YMCA.
ValleyStar Credit Union, formerly known as Martinsville DuPont Credit Union (MDCU) was chartered in 1953 to serve the employees of the Martinsville DuPont Nylon Plant in Martinsville. ValleyStar has since expanded to serve 30 counties in the state of Virginia and North Carolina.
“On behalf of all of our members in Martinsville and Henry County, we are proud to be able to support such an important project in the community,” stated Mike Warrell, ValleyStar CEO. “This investment fits perfectly into the credit union philosophy of “people helping people” and ValleyStar’s corporate strategy to be more focused on the Martinsville area where the credit union was born over 73 years ago.”
In recognition of this leadership gift, the indoor aquatic center will be named for ValleyStar Credit Union. The indoor aquatic center is a major feature in the new facility and will include two pools for recreation, swim team use, senior water aerobics programs, swim lessons and lifeguard training. A small splash pad is also proposed for the indoor aquatics area.
“The YMCA will be able to expand its programs and services in aquatics with the new ValleyStar Aquatic Center” stated Brad Kinkema, CEO/ Executive Director of the YMCA.
The new YMCA will be located at the 7-acre site near the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Fayette Street. The former shopping center site will be strategically located to the Albert Harris Elementary School, the Fayette Historic District, Uptown Martinsville, and the new Five Points Neighborhood. In addition to the indoor aquatic center, the proposed facility will include a large fitness center, three full-court gymnasiums, indoor elevated walking track, and multiple group exercise and community rooms. An Early Learning Center and many outdoor amenities are also part of the plans, including a splash pad.
To date, the YMCA capital campaign has now raised over $6 million from local community leaders in addition to Harvest Foundation’s $12 million gift.
