16 May J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Awards $500,000 Capital Grant to the YMCA of Greater Kansas City

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City recently received a grant for $500,000 from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to support capital funding for the Downtown Y/Kirk Family Community Center.

The $500,000 will be used towards the construction of a 60,000-square-foot Downtown Y/Kirk Family Community Center (Downtown Y). In partnership with Truman Medical Center (TMC), the building represents a new journey for the Y, focused on improving the health and wellness of residents across the Greater Kansas City area. In addition to offering programs and amenities that support individuals’ overall health and well-being, the new Downtown Y will house an integrated health primary care team staffed by eleven physicians and clinicians from TMC.

This new facility will provide a range of services addressing the health needs of individuals and families in the Kansas City community. In addition, the Y is positioned to address the root causes of poor social determinants with programs focused on positive youth enrichment and mentoring, life skills development and post-secondary preparation, and volunteerism.

The Downtown YMCA/Kirk Family Community Center is intended to serve downtown and the entire Kansas City area. The Downtown Y will serve people in an inclusive environment regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual identification, and socio-economic background.  However, the programs and services will specifically address the unique needs of an increasingly diverse population that calls downtown Kansas City home.  More than 8,000 individuals will have access to Y membership, including those that are able to join because of the Y’s financial assistance program who would otherwise not be able to afford it.