BUILDING BRIDGES
DEAR FRIENDS, YMCA OF GREATER RICHMOND BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025
For 170 years, the YMCA OF GREATER RICHMOND has been a place where people come together—across neighborhoods, backgrounds and generations. This year, we are especially grateful for the community that makes our work possible. Because of the generosity of our donors, the dedication of our staff and volunteers and the trust of our members and partners, the Y continues to build bridges that help individuals and families thrive.
Guided by our Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, we are working toward a bold goal: helping 30% of our community—500,000 people— thrive through healthy social connections that foster achievement, relationships and belonging.
We focus our efforts where they can make the greatest difference: preventing drowning, enriching learning and advancing whole health. Through swim safety, youth development and programs that strengthen physical and mental well-being, we are creating opportunities for people of all ages to grow, connect and succeed.
Our work is about more than participation—it’s about transformation. Every day, the Y creates spaces where people build resilience, form meaningful relationships and experience a true sense of belonging.
Thank you for being part of this mission and for helping the YMCA continue to build bridges to stronger, healthier communities.
JODY A. ALEXANDER President and CEO
M. SHOCKLEY Association Board Chair
Christopher M. Shockley Board Chair, Virginia Credit Union, President and CEO
James W. Warren Board Chair Elect, Share More Stories, Founder and CEO
John T. Lancaster
Adam P. Carter
Kristian M. Gathright
Board Treasurer – Weinstein Properties, Co-President and CFO
Board Secretary – WestRock, Senior Vice President, Global Paperboard Sales
Immediate Past Chair, Apple Hospitality REIT, Board Member, Retired COO
Anedra W. Bourne Venture Richmond, Deputy Executive Director
Julia A. Calamita Community Volunteer
Diana F. Cantor Alternative Investment Management, LLC, Partner
Todd G. Cassidy Capital One, Managing Vice President, Technology
Alex C. Cecil Markel Corporation, Managing Director, Compliance (Retired)
James Y. Chou SingleStone, Chief Executive Officer
Mark A. Christian Corporate Living Solutions, Managing Partner and Owner (Retired)
Richard D. Dickinson TowneBank, Executive Vice President
William C. Fiege Brightpoint Community College, President
Gordon W. Fruetel Altria Group, Inc., VP, Corporate Audit (Retired)
Tanya M. Gonzalez Sacred Heart Center, Executive Director
Elizabeth Chu Harkless Valorem Advisors, Owner, Managing Partner
Shadae T. Harris Groundwork Consulting, President and CEO | Asst. Professor/Special Asst. to Dean of Education, VSU
Katja H. Hill Whiteford | Taylor | Preston, Partner
Lane S. Hopkins Harris Williams, Managing Director, Chief Talent Officer
Eric C. Lin The VIE Group, Principal
Peter E. Mahoney Truist Financial Corporation, Executive Vice President
Urvi Neelakantan Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Senior Policy Economist
Morgan Blackwood Patel Blackwood Development Company, Partner
Joseph K. Reid, III McGuireWoods LLP, Partner
Pamela J. Royal Royal Dermatology, President
Ryan E. Stuhlreyer Bon Secours Health System, Vice President, Service Line Strategy
Maria Pia Tamburri Dominion Energy, Vice President Intergovernmental Affairs and Economic Development
Fitz R. Totten Find The Right College, Founder
E. Massie Valentine, Jr. Davenport and Company, LLC, Managing Director
Mark O. Webb Dominion Energy, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer (Retired)
Charles N. Whitaker Altria Group, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Compliance Officer
Corey J. Widmer Third Church-Richmond, Lead Pastor
Karen A. Wilson Bank of America, Senior Vice President
V. Elizabeth Randall Winkle CoStar Group, Senior Vice President CoStar Product
YMCA OF GREATER RICHMOND
CHRISTOPHER
YMCA OF GREATER RICHMOND
SUPPORTING VISION 2030
Our core impact areas contribute to the YMCA of Greater Richmond’s Vision 2030 goal of helping 500,000 people—30% of our community—thrive through healthy social connections.
PREVENTING DROWNING
BUILDING BRIDGES TO SAFETY, CONFIDENCE AND LIFELONG SKILLS
As the largest provider of aquatics programming in the region, the Y expands access to swim lessons and water safety education so children and families can feel confident in and around water.
Learning to swim does more than prevent drowning—it builds confidence, resilience and a powerful sense of achievement. Through inclusive programs and partnerships with schools and community organizations, the Y is building bridges to safety while helping youth develop lifelong skills.
ENRICHING LEARNING
BUILDING BRIDGES TO OPPORTUNITY, CONFIDENCE AND LIFELONG LEARNING
As the largest childcare provider in our region, the Y offers programs that nurture curiosity, creativity and confidence. These experiences help youth build critical social and emotional skills—like teamwork, resilience and problem-solving—while exploring their interests and forming lasting friendships.
By investing in youth development and removing barriers through financial assistance, the Y builds bridges to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to experiences that support learning, belonging and personal growth.
ADVANCING WHOLE HEALTH
BUILDING BRIDGES TO HEALTH, CONNECTION AND WELLBEING
By partnering with community organizations and leveraging resources, the Y helps address the social determinants of health, connecting families to services that support basic needs and long-term wellbeing. These connections build bridges—linking individuals to resources, relationships and opportunities that strengthen personal health and community resilience.
Through accessible programs and a commitment to being Open For All, the Y meets people where they are, helping them move from participation toward greater belonging, confidence and wellbeing.
15,000 VOLUNTEERS provided 65,000 HOURS of service to our community.
More than 290,000 PEOPLE were served by a YMCA.
$7 MILLION in Financial Assistance was provided to keep the Y OPEN FOR ALL.
Held inaugural Safety Around Water, Bright Beginnings and Symposium SIGNATURE EVENTS.
2025 FINANCIALS
16,500 600 1,600 170 5,900
Children learned critical water safety skills through Y swim lessons.
Lifeguard/AED certifications were awarded to grow the next generation of aquatics professionals.
Youth participated in swim teams and clinics, building skills and confidence in the water.
For Nathan, the Y is where safety and passion meet.
When Nathan first got into the water during a swim lesson, he remembers needing to be rescued. Experiences like that can easily turn someone away from the water for good. But Nathan’s perspective began to change when he started working at the Y. He saw firsthand how aquatics programs were teaching children like him the lifesaving skills they need to stay safe in and around water. Today, Nathan is a YMCA swim instructor and lifeguard instructor. He is especially passionate about working with children who are afraid of the water, because he understands that fear.
PREVENTING DROWNING
Children with autism were given inclusive swim instruction.
Accessed free lessons and education to help prevent drowning during Safety Around Water Week.
2,500 1,600 5,700 50% 3,300
Students were equipped through Bright Beginnings with the supplies needed to start school.
Teens developed leadership skills to support lifelong learning.
Youth explored the outdoors and built lasting friendships through Y Summer Camp.
Of families relied on Financial Assistance to access these opportunities.
Children received care through Y Before and After School.
For Safa, the Y is where skills are learned and confidence is nurtured.
When Safa’s family immigrated to the US when she was a child, everything felt new — the language, the school system, the expectations. It made her feel like she wasn’t enough and she wondered if she would even be able to keep up. What started as homework help quickly became something more. At the Y, she wasn’t defined by what she didn’t know. She was encouraged for what she could become. The support she received strengthened not only her school performance, but how she saw herself.
ENRICHING LEARNING
19,000 9,400 60 27,600 180
Seniors found community, connection and belonging through Y programs and wellness activities.
Individuals received 290,000 pounds of food through Y community food distribution.
Youth and adults with disabilities experienced the joy of baseball through Y Miracle League.
For Janice, the Y is where wellness, routine and community come together.
Three mornings a week, Janice arrives at the pool. At 72 years old, the water offers more than exercise. She calls it her “S&P time”—swim and pray. Requiring no expensive equipment or partner, Janice enjoys the quiet rhythm of the water and the opportunity to focus on her health and wellbeing. Along the way, she has also found connection. Friendly conversations and familiar faces at the pool have turned fellow swimmers into friends.
ADVANCING WHOLE HEALTH
Individuals and families were connected to critical community resources through Help1RVA.
Leaders, partners and community members gathered at the Symposium to strengthen wellbeing, amplifying the need for diversity, equity and inclusion.
