Gallatin Valley YMCA

The Gallatin Valley YMCA began in the spring of 2002, when a group of caring individuals realized there was a huge gap in the Gallatin Valley for families and children seeking programs for affordable out-of-school time opportunities for children. And although the Gallatin Valley YMCA has been offering programs since 2002, it never had a home of its own until August 2017 when $6 million dollars was raised to construct the first YMCA in Bozeman.

The new facility allows the Y to meet the growing demand for its programs not just for kids, but a new population as well: families and seniors.

In 2018, the Y served 17,000 people with a variety of programs that encouraged people to build a healthy spirit, mind and body. In 2019, the Gallatin Valley Y expects it will almost double the amount of people served.

As demand continues to grow for services, The Gallatin Valley YMCA is quickly outgrowing its new 24,000-square-foot facility, which includes:

• Two program rooms
• Child Watch room
• Locker rooms 
• Teen/multi-generational room
• Cardio and strength areas
• Group fitness studio
• Large welcoming lobby that accommodates dance recitals and various community events
• A conference room that benefits many local nonprofits by offering a free meeting space
• Administrative offices
• Large field areas for outdoor activities

In the first planning phase of the building, intentional emphasis was directed toward future expansions, which include a gym, increased Child Watch and Makers Space areas, expanded cardio-strength training areas and even a pool.

For the past several years, the primary focus of the Gallatin Valley YMCA was providing high-quality programs for youth — summer camps, youth sports leagues and out-of-school time programs. But now with the new facility, we’ve expanded their reach to include families, seniors, adults and lots more kids.

The past year was another year of growth for the Y as we expanded programming to include:

• Re-Charged is the Gallatin Valley YMCA’s cancer wellness program. It is a free 12-week rehabilitation program for current cancer patients and for survivors  up to five years post-cancer treatment. The ReCharged program consists of two stages over the course of 12 weeks.
• Teen Outdoor Club is the first program of its kind in the Gallatin Valley. It’s part of our commitment that all students have the opportunity to participate in healthy activities, regardless of ability to pay. The winter program is geared towards low-income youth, ages 11 to 14, who haven’t had the opportunity to participate in winter activities that may be time or cost prohibitive.
• The Teen and Young Program provides parenting support to pregnant and parenting high-school or post-secondary students, mothers or fathers, as well as childcare to their infants and children while parents attend classes. The program provides high-quality childcare to teen parents at no cost or an extremely low cost ($10 per month) to Bozeman High School students or Bozeman High School graduates attending post-secondary education classes.
• The Y-Achievers program takes place five days a week, for six consecutive weeks in the summer. Through pre and post-testing, the Y-Achievers program has demonstrated over the past five years significant success in helping struggling students raise their reading level reading to grade level or above. Annual testing proves the goals of the Y-Achievers program are being reached and, in many cases, being exceeded.

• 2,400 youth and teens found out that out-of-school time is about way more than video games.
• Over 1,500 arrows flew in the Field and Stream Camp — the fly fishing and archery camp.
• 300 gallons of milk were served along with healthy lunches and snacks in the YMCA Hawk’s Nest Early Learning Center.
• 770 touchdowns were scored in the YMCA flag football league.
• 150 vinegar and baking soda rockets were launched during summer camp.

Facts and photos courtesy of Andrea Stevenson, the CEO of Gallatin Valley YMCA.