Helena Family YMCA stabilizes after revenue struggles, community support grows
A $152,000 annual campaign helped Helena’s oldest YMCA steady its finances, keeping childcare, swim lessons and after-school care within reach for local families.
Helena Family YMCA has steadied after a stretch of pandemic-era revenue losses and leadership turnover, thanks to a community campaign that raised $152,000 and topped its goal. The nonprofit, which first was chartered in 1889 and is the oldest YMCA in Montana, operates at 1200 N. Last Chance Gulch in Helena.
The turnaround matters because the Y is built into daily life for many Lewis and Clark County families. Donations help provide a safe, accessible place to exercise for all ages, after-school programs for dozens of families and about $100,000 in scholarships each year. The Helena branch also offers childcare, summer day camp, middle school camp, after-school care, youth sports, swim lessons and fitness classes, with financial aid available for children, adults and families.
Some of the most tangible help shows up in the summer program calendar. The Y’s day camp at Camp Child near Elliston can take up to 150 kids a day. Out-of-school care costs $60 a day and includes activities, transportation and snacks, with Best Beginnings scholarships accepted. For working parents, those are not abstract offerings. They are the difference between a workable schedule and scrambling for backup care.
Ashley Callison, the YMCA’s chief operating officer, said, “It is humbling to see our community cares about us.” The message behind that support is broader than one fundraising season. The Helena Family YMCA is part of the YMCA of the USA network of more than 2,700 Ys in 10,000 communities, but the Helena branch still depends on local backing to keep its own programs stable.
That dependence leaves some challenges in place even after the annual campaign’s success. The Y has said it will continue offering donation opportunities throughout the year, a sign that the recent gains need to be sustained rather than assumed. For a 136-year-old institution that families rely on for childcare, swim lessons, youth sports and scholarships, the recovery looks real, but it still rests on whether Helena keeps investing in it.
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