Mayor, City of Houston
Hundreds of esteemed community members, many of them YMCA alumni and disciples, packed a groundbreaking celebration for the construction of the Houston Texans YMCA. Houston Mayor Bill White echoed the sentiments of other dignitaries when he trumpeted the monumental contributions and importance of the YMCA in the cultural fabric of the community. It will serve as a beacon of light for all community members, particularly impressionable youth.
“We gather to celebrate a new beginning and those individuals who made this possible. Something like this is not just an ideal – ideals are cheap. It was a vision [that] a lot of people took part in,” White says. “The YMCA has played a critical function in the social fabric of this community with our senior citizens, with our young people, and it is a way that so many young people of so many ages have gotten their introduction to things that will last them a lifetime.”
White reiterated that from the fruitful seed of a YMCA sprouts other cultural amenities that help in the cultivation of young leaders and history makers.
“[Councilmembers] said, ‘Hey, let’s make sure that we develop this land in ways that are beneficial to the community,” White recalls about how local legislators implored the mayor to develop vacant land in the Third Ward. “We do not take credit for that. The credit goes to the men and women who work at the YMCA, to the volunteers who are essential to the mission of the YMCA, to the students and young people who work part time at the YMCA, and especially, to the donors.”
Thanks to the Houston Texans YMCA – which blossomed from a partnership with the NFL team and the city – many more well-balanced young people will grow from this community. –terry shropshire
For more information, log on to www.ymcahouston.org.
