YMCA project now part of Community Foundation’s legacy

Making the large single donation in the history of the Putnam County Community Foundation, PCCF Executive Director presents $500,000 to YMCA of Wabash Valley CEO Ryan Penrod during a gathering at the Inn at DePauw earlier this month. Those present for the event include (from left) YMCA board members Doug Grim and Brenda Williams; PCCF President Jeff McCall; PCCF board members Mary Gould and Austin Malayer; Penrod; YMCA board member Doug Simonson; PCCF board member Jeff Blaydes; Wells; PCCF board member Anthony Tillman; YMCA board member LeRoy Sedgwick; PCCF Vice President Marianne Savage; PCCF Secretary Alan Zerkel; PCCF Treasurer Kyle Beasley; and PCCF board member Greg Linton.

Courtesy photo

Just over two years ago, Ryan Penrod, CEO of the Wabash Valley YMCA, visited my office to introduce me to a project many years in the making — the establishment of a YMCA in Putnam County.

Typical to most meetings, we exchanged pleasantries and backgrounds (imagine my surprise that Ryan and I both lived in Fresno, Calif., at the same time) and discussed the joys and challenges that come with our respective roles.

As the friendly banter transitioned to more of a business nature, I admittedly had one consistent thought “This guy is going to ask the Foundation for a lot of money.” Spoiler alert: I was right. If this were a movie, you would be listening to voiceover commentary right now to the visual of Ryan and me on Dec. 1, holding a giant check for $500,000, representing the largest single gift in our history.

Brandon Wells

To say a lot has happened in the two years since that day would be an understatement. The Community Foundation has had hundreds, if not thousands, of interactions with our generous donors. We’ve said goodbye to longtime supporters who’ve passed and hello to the new committee and board members. We combated a global pandemic on a local level by granting more than $100,000 to nonprofits, schools and agencies for COVID-19 related needs.

But, all the while in the background, officials and civic leaders, volunteers and YMCA staff were working diligently to ensure that this monumental project marched toward completion despite the challenges of our times.

While I’ve never had the hops to do it for real, advocating for the Foundation to support the Greencastle/Putnam County YMCA was a proverbial slam-dunk. The YMCA will be a place for families to practice healthy living and strengthen their bond by exercising together. It will host workshops and training sessions, volleyball tournaments, spirited pickup basketball games and vocational rehabilitation through the Putnam County Hospital.

The YMCA truly has the potential to be a gathering place that can change lives for the better in Putnam County, which is directly in line with the Foundation’s mission to “enrich lives and strengthen communities.”

Many longtime residents of Putnam County have told me that having a YMCA facility to call their own has been a dream for decades — a dream that, for many, seemed more and more unlikely to come to fruition as the years passed.

Your Putnam County Community Foundation hopes that our investment of $500,000 will reaffirm that the YMCA is indeed happening. I, for one, eagerly await the day when I can practice my jump shot in the Putnam County Community Foundation Gymnasium.

Looking ahead and pondering the future of the Community Foundation and Putnam County, I know it is very likely that other grantmaking opportunities may arise which will surpass the size of our gift to the YMCA.

Nevertheless, today I am proud to state alongside our Foundation family that this is the gift that is our largest. This gift will be a part of our legacy. And if you’ve ever given a single dollar to the Putnam County Community Foundation, this is a gift that will forever be a part of your legacy, too.

And that is priceless.