The fundraising effort for a new Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA got a significant head start Thursday with a $12 million donation from the Harvest Foundation.
The donation was part of a ceremony to kick off fundraising efforts for the $28 million project at 708 Memorial Blvd. in Martinsville.
“We believe it will be a transformative project for our community,” said Danny Wulff, who serves on the Harvest Foundation’s board.
[Disclosure: The Harvest Foundation is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
Martinsville’s existing YMCA opened on Starling Avenue in 1988. It offers amenities, including gyms, group exercise classes, child care and other programming. Growing interest in the Y’s offerings, coupled with limited space at the Starling Avenue location, contributed to the need for a larger Y.
Last year, officials announced their intention to establish a new location, and they launched a community input period. Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller said she felt the facility incorporates a range of ideas.
“The future Y will be the culmination of many people’s dreams,” Keller said.
The new location most recently housed a Family Dollar. The 7-acre site is larger than Martinsville’s existing YMCA, which sits on 5 acres.
Both Y and community officials said they hope the new facility will serve as a community revitalizer.
“Our hope is that this investment, along with the Five Points neighborhood, will inspire future growth, new amenities, and enhance beautification efforts,” Wulff said.
Keller said in a press release that she and others want the facility to positively impact Martinsville’s West Side area.
“The YMCA project has great potential to be transformative for the community,” Keller said, adding that the facility also has implications for community health, another point of concern among officials.
“As our community faces significant health challenges, the YMCA will offer a wellness center and other amenities that cater to people of all ages, from our most vulnerable population to the broader community, promoting healthier outcomes for all,” Keller said.
Last year the Virginia Department of Health presented a number of findings from a months-long study of health outcomes in Martinsville, Henry County and the surrounding region. They found that Martinsville and Henry County health outcomes didn’t measure up to state and national averages.
The Health Department continues to periodically meet up with residents to discuss best practices for implementing health-related programs, particularly in historically overlooked neighborhoods.
The new YMCA site is on the opposite side of Martinsville from the existing Y, in a community that city officials have said they want to invest more in. YMCA Executive Director Brad Kinkema said the new location would be an ideal spot not just for the facility but for the community at large.
“This checked all the boxes,” Kinkema said about traffic and visibility.
Both Kinkema and Keller said the planned site is strategic since it’s located near the city’s western entrance into Martinsville’s Uptown District.
“It is a vital step into creating an entrance that is welcoming and active,” Keller said.
Kinkema added, “When people … want to go Uptown they have to pass here. It will be a shining star going into Uptown.”
Current plans include three half-court gyms, an outdoor splash park, outdoor pickleball courts, two pools, and an expanded fitness center, according to Kinkema.
Keller called the proposed facility a modern YMCA. She said facilities like the YMCA impacted her and her family throughout her life.
“They are where community happens,” Keller said, adding that she has participated in the YMCA throughout her childhood and that her own kids are enrolled in programs there.
The Harvest Foundation’s donation kicks off the project’s capital campaign.
Officials hope to break ground toward the second or third quarter of 2026. The grand opening is planned for sometime in 2028.
“There’s been a lot of work done, but a project of this magnitude takes a long time to cultivate,” Kinkema said, adding that most of the project’s funding will come from state and federal agencies.
