The Board of the Greater Wichita YMCA, today, added the name of longtime supporter, Jim Farha, to the Andover YMCA.
DR. JIM FARHA'S NAME ADDED TO ANDOVER YMCA BRANCH LOCATION
(Monday, June 11, 2019, Wichita, KS) -- The Greater Wichita YMCA, today, officially added the name of Dr. Jim Farha to the Andover YMCA. This is the first branch location named for Dr. Farha but the association's three Sports Centers, with acres of enclosed turf fields for soccer, equipment for gymnastics competitions, and hundreds of thousands of square feet of hardwood floors for basketball, volleyball, and cheer competitions, also bear the Farha name.
"I'm honored to have had this opportunity to help and give something back," said Dr. Jim Farha. "The work the YMCA does in our community should be celebrated. God bless us all."
The Andover YMCA branch is not the first facility within the Greater Wichita YMCA to be named for a supporter. The Downtown YMCA in central Wichita was, when re-built and re-opened in 2012, named for Robert D. Love. The South YMCA in South Wichita is named for longtime supporter Richard A. DeVore. The North YMCA, in northeast Wichita, was named in honor of former CEO/President and friend Dennis Schoenebeck, and - upon opening in early 2020 - the YMCA and Wellness Center on the Wichita State University Campus will carry Steve Clark's name.
"We are very fortunate to benefit from the generosity of Dr. Farha and so many others," said Ronn McMahon, CEO and President of the Greater Wichita YMCA. "Dr. Farha's leadership, time, effort, and financial support, specifically, has made our YMCA one of the best in the nation and has ensured us the resources to, in turn, improve the lives of those in our community and elevate our region's health and status nationally."
The event, where new signage on the exterior of the building and at the roadside entrance, featured brief remarks and refreshments. The signage unveiling was attended by approximately 75 guests including board members, staff leadership, employees, volunteers, and children served through the Greater Wichita YMCA as well as Dr. Jim Farha and his family.
The Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA is located at 1115 E, US-54, Andover, KS 67002 and includes a fitness center, Kid Zone Drop-In Nursery, open courts, racket courts, a lane / lap pool, family pool, group exercise studios, an indoor track, a climbing wall, an Early Learning Center, and an outdoor water park. YMCA members can use the facility through membership and guest passes are available for $10/person or $18/family. Learn more about the facility and the services offered online.
ABOUT THE GREATER WICHITA YMCA
As a nonprofit organization, the Greater Wichita YMCA has - since 1885 - sought "To put Christian principles into practice through programs that promote healthy lifestyles, strong families, and positive youth development to build healthy spirit, mind and body for all, regardless of ability to pay".
The Y serves 300,000+ neighbors (including 180,000+ members) through nine branches, four water parks, three sports centers, 1,000+ employees, 800+ weekly group exercise classes, and hundreds of programs including organized sports, education, empowerment, and support in Andover, El Dorado, Newton, and Wichita and throughout South Central Kansas including Butler, Harvey, and Sedgwick Counties.
The Y is also the region's largest provider of swimming lessons, child care, before and after school support, and summer programs and is the area's largest single resource for health and wellness and all services are free or offer ability-to-pay-based pricing.