$8 million Speer Foundation gift names new YMCA

When the Speer Foundation name goes on the building of the newest YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg wellness facility, it will signal a journey that has come full circle. 

The Speer Foundation donation of $8 million was the gift that got the Speer YMCA project off the ground. This support solidified the opportunity to carry the project forward and allowed construction to begin on the YMCA’s innovative collaboration with Pinellas County School Board to build a combined YMCA and middle school facility in a part of town that has been desperate for both. 

When the project broke ground in June 2022, Lisa Speer Vickers, speaking on behalf of the Speer Foundation, shared her background growing up in the area. “My family has a personal history with this neighborhood, and we know firsthand that it can be a special place to live and raise a family,” she said. “It means a great deal to us that education and wellness are at the heart of this endeavor and that neighbors of all ages will benefit from the excellence in learning and programming that will be found here every day.”

The Speer Foundation has deep roots in supporting YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, beginning with their investment in the YMCA Speer Preschool Academy in 2015. That naming-level donation was a catalyst for the project to renovate an existing preschool into a high-performing YMCA preschool academy that now serves the south St. Petersburg area.

“The Speer Foundation, with its commitment to education and health, has become a highly valued supporter of our YMCA and our education initiatives,” said David Jezek, president and CEO of YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. “This kind of transformational support brings enriching programs and services to the immediate area and strengthens families, youth, individuals and the community for generations to come.”

According to Cabot Pyle, executive director for the Speer Foundation, “This is an impressive partnership between Pinellas County Schools and the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. The leadership of both the School District and the Y are to be applauded for collaborating in this very innovative venture which will benefit the neighboring community for generations. Speer Foundation is honored to lend its support; this is the kind of project Speer Foundation is delighted to get behind.”

The Speer YMCA will open later this year with almost 75,000 square feet of space which includes an extensive fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, group exercise studios, an outdoor wellness terrace and an aquatics center. The newly named Mangrove Bay Middle School and the YMCA will share some common amenities including the athletic fields, a culinary center, dining hall and gymnasium.

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg is pleased to announce the launch of the community phase of the Y for Life Campaign for the Speer YMCA. 

“While engaged in quiet fundraising, the YMCA raised approximately $20 million of a $25 million goal and we are determined to raise an additional $5 million to complete the YMCA portion of the project through community support,” said Board Member Jane Link Ferguson, chairperson for the  Y for Life Campaign. “The building campaign for the new Speer YMCA is a key part of the YMCA's comprehensive fundraising strategy to include additional Association-wide capital improvements, endowment, expansion, redevelopment, programmatic expansion and support.”

The Community Fundraising Campaign will be led by Alexandra Feinberg and David Hood, both members of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg Board of Directors. 

Anyone interested in being involved in the campaign can contact the YMCA for more information.

# # #

About the Project
The joint campus will include a 111,757 square foot, two-story building with shared elements to be used by Mangrove Bay Middle School and the Speer YMCA. The middle school will be a health and wellness leadership magnet school for 600 students. The school’s magnet theme and elective offerings will be aligned to the YMCA’s areas of impact: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. The two organizations have worked together for decades to provide quality before-and-afterschool programs at many of the county’s elementary and middle schools. They share a commitment to the district’s goal of 100% student success.