To instill values and provide opportunities for lifelong personal growth and the development of a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.
OUR VALUES
the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility are basic components for all YMCA operations, program development, and staff recruitment and training. In today's society, the essential job of the Y is to give youth and adults the experiences that help them develop a set of positive values, morals, and ethics that they will live by.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME
It is our policy to make membership available to all persons regardless of race color, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or financial circumstances without discrimination. YMCA branches and their programs embrace diversity, reflecting the composition of the communities they serve.
YMCA OF GREATER NASHUA HISTORY
Officially founded on October 6, 1887 as the YMCA of Nashua.
Elijah M. Shaw was the first board president.
Bible studies and mechanical drawing were the first classes offered by
the Nashua YMCA. They were held in rented rooms on Main Street.
The YMCA Women's Auxiliary was formed in 1889 and was active through 1980.
In 1899 a lot on the corner of Temple and Spring Streets was purchased
with a residence for the YMCA's first facility.
On March 19, 1912 President William Howard Taft laid the cornerstone
of the YMCA's building.
In 1924 a camp site was purchased on Lake Naticook in Merrimack. It
became a YMCA overnight camp for boys and named Camp Sargent in
honor of Eaton B. Sargent who was Mayor of Nashua and also the
YMCA board president at that time.
In 1961 Camp Sargent was changed to a day camp for both boys and girls.
In 1964 the YMCA and YWCA combined efforts to build a joint
facility at 17 Prospect Street in Nashua.
The YMCA purchased the former Merrimack Athletic Club in December
1992. The facility became the Merrimack YMCA, a branch of the YMCA
of Nashua association.
Darlene Stromstad became the first woman to hold the office of
YMCA board president in 1993.
In the summer of 1995 the Nashua YMCA renovated its facility on
Prospect Street following the relocation of the YWCA.
Sadly, in November of 1997 Frederic E. Shaw passed away. He had
played a significant role in the YMCA's history, especially in the
development of Camp Sargent. He was a lifelong YMCA member,
board president, volunteer, and contributor.
In 2004 the YMCA board approved an association name change to the
YMCA of Greater Nashua to best reflect the overall service area.
The YMCA mission was updated at the same time.
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