Since 1920, the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg has been effectively meeting the holistic needs of St. Petersburg’s residents through programs developed in direct response to the ever-changing needs and realities of our community.

1920 St. Petersburg YMCA founded at the home of Judge S.D. Harris, with additional foundational meetings taking place at Baynard Bros. Realty. Gilbert Bush is named the YMCA’s first executive secretary.

Gilbert W. Bush (1920 - 1930): was the first secretary of the St. Petersburg YMCA. He held the position for 10 years starting in 1920, which was the year he moved to St. Petersburg. One of Bush’s major projects was raising funds for the first YMCA building downtown on Fifth Street S. and Second Avenue. After his tenure with the Y, Bush became the Scout Executive of the Pinellas Area Council. In 1937, he was appointed deputy executive, Region Six of the Boy Scouts of America, which included Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Bush also was a major figure in the development of St. Petersburg’s Masonic Temple and Home. Bush and his wife Esther owned the Esther Bush Hotel on Fourth Street N..

1921 YMCA Executive Secretary Gilbert Bush and Walter Fuller, well known local historian, real estate investor and author, organize a football oriented summer camp near Indian Rocks. Other YMCA boys visit the Tampa YMCA’s summer camp, and local doctor A.W. Anderson is inspired to purchase lands for a similar campground for the St. Petersburg Y.
1922 Just three decades after James Naismith invented basketball at the YMCA International Training School in Massachusetts (also known as Springfield College), the YMCA basketball team plays the team from St. Petersburg High, 17-17. The ambitious squad hopes to play teams from Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and other cities around the state.
1923 Camp Mawian, the YMCA’s summer camp on Mound Lake in Hillsborough County, opens, becoming a summer tradition for decades of YMCA youth.

1924 A building fund for a YMCA building gets under way with the proposition of a community chest from the Civitan Club, a local community-service organization. Developer Cade Allen, namesake of St. Petersburg’s Allendale neighborhood, becomes chair of the fundraising campaign.
1925 Plans for the new YMCA facility are drawn to include a dormitory, swimming pool, Turkish baths, a gymnasium, and locker rooms.

In 1926, construction begins on the new downtown facility.

Plans call for a strong relationship with area churches, including the establishment of men’s Bible classes, offering a meeting place for city ministers, and providing help to boys’ Sunday school classes.

1927 On the seventh anniversary of its founding, the YMCA dedicates the new building at 115 Fifth Street S. YMCA President Gilbert Bush declares, “It is our ambition to make this more than a YMCA building. We have hopes of making it a real community center, a service to the city. We want the people of St. Petersburg who have been so generous in helping us obtain it, to feel that they are always welcome within its walls. We want all the people to feel that they are always welcome here.”
1928 The YMCA conducts a membership drive with the goal of doubling its membership to 3,000 people. It also begins a physical instruction program in local grade schools, a forerunner to the Gra-Y program established later.
1929 Renowned football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg pays a visit to the YMCA and declares it the most beautiful facility he has seen. In addition to his legendary status as a player and coach in football, Stagg enjoyed success in many sports including baseball and basketball, and he coached the US Track and Field Team at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Also this year, the University of Havana football team is quartered at the Y before its game with the University of Florida reserves.
1930 YMCA growth includes the addition of women’s swimming and gym programs, a burgeoning handball league, and a 25-piece band. The year is highlighted by Babe Ruth’s appearance at the fundraising dinner.
1931 Lyman Pickett succeeds Gilbert Bush as Executive Secretary.

Lyman Pickett (1931 - 1932): Lyman Pickett, a graduate of the University of Oregon, entered YMCA work in 1914 immediately after college. He served as field secretary and held secretary posts in Oregon and Minnesota before accepting the executive secretary’s job at the St. Petersburg YMCA. While in St. Petersburg, he helped rent Camp Mawian to families during the summer and campaigned for YMCA support through the Community Chest campaign, a precursor to United Way. Later, Pickett served in the USO and U.S. Civil Service Commission, specializing in finding government jobs for discharged veterans.

1932 Improvements to Camp Mawian make it one of the best-equipped YMCA summer camp facilities in the South.
1933 - 34 With the deepening Great Depression, the YMCA falls on hard financial times, declaring bankruptcy. William Coxhead, who will be instrumental in turning the YMCA around, comes on as Executive Secretary. Despite financial woes, more than 2,300 men and boys are served by YMCA programs in a single month.

William G. Coxhead (1933 - 1945): William G. Coxhead did YMCA work for 41 years, including 12 at St. Petersburg’s Y as executive secretary. He arrived to take on a tough job in 1934 St. Petersburg: guiding the Y through the Great Depression, bankruptcy, and debt. Coxhead led Y members, trustees, and St. Petersburg residents in the successful effort to put the Y back on its feet. He later pursued careers at two junior colleges, where he also taught Spanish. He led the establishment of adult education at St. Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg College). Coxhead became the executive secretary for the St. Petersburg Board of Realtors in 1955. He also served on the Council on Human Relations of Greater St. Petersburg.

1935 The YMCA hosts a reunion of 25 retired former YMCA general secretaries from across the nation. “Hi - Y” clubs expand into five St. Petersburg junior high schools. Y executive secretary William Coxhead is appointed chair of the state YMCA organization’s foreign work committee. Coxhead’s interest in foreign work stems from his tenure as secretary in Mexico City, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he spent the years 1905 to 1926.
1936 To attract members from the business community, YMCA organizes a businessman’s health club, offering 15 minutes of calisthenics followed by a shower. The YMCA’s 87-bed dormitory is close to full occupancy, serving many young men who work in the city’s hospitality industry. The Y helps approximately 50 of the men housed at the dormitory each year get jobs. The Y also provides a list of rooms for rent to winter visitors - the rooms have been personally inspected by YMCA personnel.
1937 The YMCA continues its community outreach by opening its doors to the St. Petersburg Choral Society’s rehearsals.

1938 - 39 After falling behind on its facility loan, the YMCA successfully negotiates a foreclosure settlement with New York Life Insurance Company. Crucial gifts are received from the estates of Miss Debo A. McDonald and Mrs. M. Augusta Barden, which help turn around the financial situation. 124 boys complete the newly launched “Learn to Swim” program. The twice-enlarged massage department of the YMCA is to be named after Al Lang, father of baseball’s spring training, for his interest and patronage.
1940 YMCA launches the first citywide tournament in the increasingly popular sport of badminton. Fall youth programs include fencing, boxing, and wrestling.
1941 Recreational groups continue to grow with strong participation in gardening, poetry hour, harmonica band, model airplane club, the St. Petersburg Round Table Club, and the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
1942 Over five months, more than 1,700 World War II servicemen on leave from nearby airfields are housed at the YMCA for 50 cents per night.
1943 The St. Petersburg Chapter of the Florida Council of the Commission of Inter-Racial Cooperation holds its inaugural meeting at the YMCA. The CIC based in Atlanta is a significant voice against lynching and mob violence.
1944 YMCA President R.J. McCutcheon Jr. announces a $125,000 campaign to pay off building debt and finance renovations.

In 1945

The Colored Branch YMCA is established with Dean Mohr named as Florida's first black YMCA director. Charter members of the Colored Branch are H.B. Wynns, Allfred Williams, William Butler, Dr. B.F. Jones, L.A. Dominis, F.A. Dunn, J.H. Hopkins, Dr. G.H. Leggett, Dr. F. B. Martin, E.H. McLin, G.W. Perkins, W.G. Coxhead, and Dean Mohr.

1946 General Secretary W.G. Coxhead retires after 12 years of service and is succeeded by Harold F. McKee, who had been program secretary. The private library of the late Dr. Charles A. Lauffer, consisting of 250 books, is left to the Colored Branch YMCA.

Harold F. McKee (1946 - 1952): Harold F. McKee assumed the general secretary’s post after serving as the YMCA’s program secretary, when he was credited with establishing youth programs at several high schools and elementary schools. He served in the Navy during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant. He returned to his old job at the Y and soon was promoted to general secretary. Working with St. Petersburg churches, McKee established the Interchurch Young People’s Council. He also established a family counseling center at the Y, organized taxi service to take blind African Americans to classes at the Melrose branch, and oversaw the state AAU volleyball tournament at the Y.

1947 The name of the Colored Branch YMCA is changed to Melrose Park YMCA to conform to national YMCA rules disallowing naming an association after a racial group.
1948 Actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson appears at the Melrose Park YMCA. The former Rutgers All-America football player and Phi Beta Kappa told a mixed audience of black and white people that “I have seen that the struggle of oppressed peoples is a common one all over the world.”
1949 Taxi service is organized to take blind African Americans to braille and craft classes at the Melrose Park YMCA. United Churches of Greater St. Petersburg establishes a family counseling center at the Y. The St. Pete Y team wins the first half of the Intercity Volleyball League, defeating the Tampa YMCA in a playoff match.
1950 The YMCA hosts the state AAU volleyball tournament, which includes teams from the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida Southern College, and YMCA teams from St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Palm Beach.
1951 The Y continues its classes in “Modern Living” with instruction provided in spoken French and Spanish; interior decorating, painting and sketching; swimming; beginning and advanced contract bridge; effective speaking; and square and folk dancing.
1952 A new membership drive aims to offset budget cuts. Increases in membership at the Melrose Park YMCA fund the Summer Town Camp, a day camp for black children.

William F. Crick (1952 - 1970): During William F. Crick’s tenure as executive director, the Y expanded its aquatics program, designating two nights per week for women. The Y started classes for girls in ballet, tap dancing, and baton twirling. The gymnastics team won the national championship, and the Y entertained thousands of youngsters during its weekly rock ‘n’ roll Platter Parties. Camp Mawian was expanded. The Y entered floats in the annual Festival of States Parade. Wrestling and judo competitions grew in popularity. Crick left the YMCA under scrutiny and was later convicted of larceny for misappropriation of Y funds.

1953 With William F. Crick as the YMCA’s Executive Director, the aquatics programs expanded to include two nights of classes for women.
1954 National YMCA Council goes on record against segregation.

In 1955

YMCA expansion includes classes in ballet, baton twirling, and tap dancing for girls. A campaign begins to raise funds for a recreation area at the Melrose YMCA. The National Champion Florida State University gymnastics team hosts the University of Minnesota at the YMCA facility.

1956 - 57 The YMCA hosts AAU women’s and girl’s gymnastics championships. An indication of a resurgence in the sport’s popularity, the St. Petersburg YMCA sends teams to compete at international competitions in Toronto and London, Ontario.
1958 After adopting a new name, the Downtown Family YMCA, the Y officially begins to offer classes for women; gives its first Humanities Award to Al Lang (St. Petersburg’s widely known “Baseball Ambassador”), and enters several floats in St. Petersburg’s annual Festival of States Parade, including ones with bouncing young trampoline artists and grappling judo players with black belts.
1959 The YMCA sends gymnastics competitors to the Caribbean Championships in Havana, Cuba.
1960 The YMCA hosts the Florida men’s and women’s state gymnastics championships.
1961 At Camp Mawian, organized labor unions help build a new $38,000 dining hall for just $8,000. Four YMCA judo club members compete at the AAU championships in California.
1962 The Y organizes a club for divorced women and widows; the St. Petersburg Civil Defense Department prepares fallout shelter plans in the Y’s building; more than 100 college wrestlers compete in an invitational meet at the YMCA; and Y fencers win a match with Gibbs Junior College, (but Gibbs wins a return match later in the year.)

1963 Renowned Judo coach, Taizo Sone, who relocated to St. Petersburg from the Northeast after World War II, leads the YMCA judo team to five trophies at the statewide competition in Miami.

1964 Circuit Judge Allen C. Anderson rules in favor of Melrose Park YMCA expansion, after City of St. Petersburg officials denied a building permit.
1965 The YMCA honors the late John R. Mott, 1946 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Mott was the former president of the World YMCA. St. Petersburg YMCA president Carl N. Atkinson announces that the board of directors has pledged that the Y will allow no racial discrimination, reversing an unwritten segregation policy.
1966 Melrose YMCA holds an open house featuring sports figures who got their athletic start at the Y and went on to play for area high school and semi-pro teams. The same year, the Downtown Family YMCA quietly integrates its programs.
1967 - 68 YMCA programs expand to include hunting and home safety clinics, as well as a football basics class for women. More than 4,000 short-term classes are conducted, attended by 72,539 persons. Both are high-watermark figures. The same year, more than 460 children learn to swim at the YMCA.
1969 Circuit Judge Mark McGarry leads a six-member Y badminton team against the University of Florida team.

In 1970

Four Y weightlifters win titles in the state powerlifting tournament. Professional wrestlers Jack Briscoe, Eddie Graham, and Bob Roop entertain more than 400 youngsters at the annual Christmas party.

1971 The YMCA board asks the state attorney’s office to investigate a discrepancy in the organization’s bookkeeping. Eighteen-year Executive Director William F. Crick resigns after pleading guilty to larceny. Clarke E. Mitchell becomes the new Executive Director.

Clarke E. Mitchell (1971 - 1972): Clarke Mitchell came to St. Petersburg from the Fort Worth, Texas YMCA. He grew up in Oklahoma City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Idaho. It was a difficult time for the Y, and Mitchell stayed a little more than a year. Board officials praised Mitchell’s work in refining the Y’s accounting system, starting long-range planning, and expanding programs. He left to take the Shades Valley Y director’s job in Birmingham, Alabama.

1972 Judo expert Taizo Sone dies at age 71.The same year, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame along with Bruce Lee. Tom Masterson and Dewey Mitchell win championships in the North Florida Invitational judo tournament.
1973 Max Hadrika becomes Executive Director.

Max Hadrika (1973 - 1988): Cincinnati native Max Hadrika spent 36 years as a YMCA professional, 16 of those years as executive director at the Greater St. Petersburg Y. He began his career in Rhode Island, then came to St. Petersburg from Marblehead, Massachusetts, where he was director of the Y there. During the Ohio State graduate’s time here, Y programs expanded. Classes were offered in guitar, leathercraft and macramé, as were swim programs for younger children and special needs children. The “Tot Olympics” for children 18 months to 5 years encouraged swimming skills. A property appraisal on the downtown Y during Hadrika’s tenure was the first step in moving toward a new YMCA location.

1974 Three YMCA judo experts, Tom Masterson, Bob McAley, and Shawn Gibbons earn berths in the national competition.
1975 William G. Coxhead, involved with YMCA work for 41 years, and who guided the St. Pete Y through financial difficulties in the 1930s, dies at age 93.
1976 Judge Robert E. Beach, representing the YMCA, sets national age-group swimming records in the 1,650-, 500-, and 200-yard freestyle races.
1977 The Y conducts an extensive letter-writing campaign to encourage attendance at the Y Indian Guides program.
1978 The Y offers classes in folk guitar, leathercraft, and macramé. Children as young as six months take part in the “Gym and Swim” program, and there is a swim program for special needs children meeting such challenges as cerebral palsy and slow mental development. A new program center is opened at 3028 Ninth Street North, featuring dance instruction including disco, and babysitting. Volleyball teams for women are organized, as are spring basketball leagues for men. The YMCA sponsors the first Sunshine Handball Tournament.

1979 The YMCA holds its first “Tot Olympics” for children 18 months to five years old. They compete in such events as kickboard racing, diving for pennies, and survival floating.
1981 The YMCA begins its first steps in exploring a new location, getting an appraisal on the 1925 building and researching properties near the Central Plaza area.
1982 Two blind YMCA masseurs are recognized for their skills.
1983 Summer programs are expanded at the Pinellas Park Swim and Program Center as well as the Admiral Farragut Center; the main branch downtown also expands its offerings. The YMCA provides important support for the U.S. Triathlon Series at Ft. DeSoto Park.
1984 Dewey Mitchell, who practiced judo at the YMCA, reaches the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
1985 Beth “Miss Beth” Badgett begins a 15-year tenure nurturing young swimmers at the YMCA.

In 1986

Noon activities such as badminton, basketball, swimming, and weightlifting draw over 100 businessmen every day.

1987 YMCA member and former national high school champion, national Junior Olympic Champion, and AAU national champion Toni Whitelock makes the US women’s judo team for the Pan American Games. An “old-timers” basketball game is held for players who have participated for years in the Y’s twice weekly noon hoops sessions.
1988 YMCA judo club legend Tom Masterson manages the United States judo team at the Olympics in Seoul. Masterson also coached the national team from 1981 to 1988.
1989 - 90 Robert Stewart becomes CEO and President, and announces the pressing need to relocate as the facility’s age and lack of parking cause low membership.

Robert Stewart (1989 - 1990): St. Petersburg City Council member Robert Stewart briefly served as president and chief executive officer of the YMCA. His goals: mold a new image for the Y, create a broader financial footing, and raise the Y’s profile in St. Petersburg. He also worked to find a new location for the Y and to find a buyer for the old building. Under his watch, the Y finally closed its longtime dormitory, the last such Y facility in Florida. Stewart was a former vice president of marketing for C&S Bank and a former vice president for development at Florida Presbyterian College (which became Eckerd College.)

1991 Catholic priest John Cannon is named Executive Director. The Y’s downtown building is designated by the city as a historic landmark. Movie producers use the Y gym for scenes in a murder film called Hidden Fears.

John Cannon (1991 - 1998): Former Catholic priest John Cannon, who directed the St. Petersburg Grand Prix auto race for several years, guided the Y through an era of change. Cannon became president and CEO with specific missions: to increase membership and to continue the search for a new site. Cannon succeeded at both those jobs. Membership grew from 465 to 1,300. Y officials chose Central Plaza as a centrally located new site. But Cannon remained proudest of the community outreach programs he instituted. Examples include are the Y Achievers, which boosted youngsters toward academic success, and the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Christmas program, in which families “adopted” another less affluent family to provide holiday food and gifts. Meanwhile, before- and after-school programs expanded from seven schools and 250 children to 21 schools serving 1,300. In 1997, the St. Petersburg Bar Association gave Cannon the Liberty Bell Award for service to the community.

1992 St. Petersburg lawyer and future two-term mayor Rick Baker helps establish the YMCA Neighbor to Neighbor program bringing Christmas to disadvantaged families. John Cannon, Chester James, and Elder Clarence Welch also help launch the program. The US Olympic Badminton team trains at the YMCA in advance of the Barcelona games.

1993 The Y Achievers program for children four years old and up is launched, offering sessions for at least 50 at-risk students in such areas as academics, art, music, and self-esteem.
1994 Project Sunrise, a $5-million fundraising drive, begins. The YMCA brings underserved children to spring training baseball games where they have the opportunity to meet Major League players. The YMCA office conference room is dedicated to Stanley A. Brandimore in recognition of his critical leadership in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
1995 YMCA director John Cannon stresses regional unity while acting as master of ceremonies at a pep rally attended by thousands to cheer on Vince Naimoli and his new baseball expansion team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
1996 Due to waning interest in the sport, the YMCA’s long-running judo program holds its final classes in the downtown building.
1997 CEO John Cannon speaks to a large gathering for the first time about the Y’s vision for the 21st century, which includes a state-of-the-art building outside of, but still convenient to, downtown. Under his leadership, membership at the YMCA grew from 435 to 1,300 and before- and after-school programs expanded from seven schools serving 250 children to 21 schools and more than 1,000 students.
1998 Officials announce plans for a new YMCA building and Executive Director John Cannon steps down to become a full-time fundraiser for it. Doug Linder replaces Cannon as the president and CEO.

Doug Linder (1998 - 2008): Doug Linder, with 30 years’ experience in YMCA work, came to the St. Petersburg Y in 1998 from the Champagne, Illinois YMCA, where he was also the president and CEO. Linder oversaw the biggest event in the Y’s history: the creation of a new building on a new site. The new YMCA came in under budget and opened in October 2001. Soon the Y had about 11,000 members, which meant hiring more staff, creating space, and acquiring more equipment. The project took a little more than two years and was hailed as a milestone in the history of both the Y and the city.

1999 Prominent eye surgeon Jim Gills and his wife Heather contribute a foundational naming gift for the new St. Petersburg YMCA facility as part of a $6-million gift to YMCAs throughout the region.
2000 The Chester James award is established. It honors recipients for their character, ethics, and community service. It is named for the late pastor who helped establish the Neighbor to Neighbor program for needy families. Several large gifts bring the YMCA to 70 percent of its fundraising goal for the new location.

In 2001

The YMCA moves into the new Jim and Heather Gills YMCA building at 3200 First Avenue South and the building is dedicated on Oct. 28. The building comes in on time and under budget.

2002 The YMCA is declared debt-free. The YMCA Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast begins, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Lee Roy Selmon is the speaker. A $345,000 grant from the City of St. Petersburg helps the YMCA open a Harbordale branch at 2421 Fourth St. South. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor Christmas program expands, reaching about 600 needy families with 1,878 children. Another program, the Christmas Toy Box, reaches 220 families with 623 children.
2003 St. Paul Catholic School’s fifth-grade class buys toys for the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, and the school’s Girl Scout troops make gifts.
2004 The YMCA is awarded the 2004 Outstanding Business of the Year by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Vector Properties purchases the old YMCA building for $1.045-million.
2005 The first YMCA Reads! program in St. Petersburg is hosted at Woodlawn and Maximo Elementary Schools.
2006 The YMCA’s Youth Enhancement Skills (YES) Program is honored by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
2007 Kelly Homman begins the Y Dance Academy in May with 45 students. Within just a few years, the popular program repeatedly outgrows its performance space.
2008 David Jezek, previously the chief operating officer at the YMCA of the Treasure Coast in Stuart, is hired as the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. The Childs Park YMCA is dedicated on October 14 in partnership with the City of St. Petersburg. It is the only YMCA in the country with a branch of the public library. The $3.1 million project included a major donation from philanthropist Bill Morean.

David Jezek (2008 - 2025): David Jezek brought a lifetime of YMCA experience to his roles as CEO after serving at YMCAs in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Florida. He has been a driving force in the organization’s substantial growth and sustainable community impact. During his tenure, he tripled the Association’s operating budget and maintained a healthy financial position. More than $40,000,000 in new capital projects highlight David’s leadership, including the Childs Park YMCA, Bardmoor YMCA, three thriving Preschool Academies, and the new Speer YMCA developed in partnership with the Pinellas County School Board. The innovative approach of building a Y in collaboration with a middle school was recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Community Impact Award in December 2022.

2009 The Childs Park YMCA receives the prestigious Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Award. After a failed redevelopment project, the former YMCA building on Fifth Street is again listed for sale for $ 2.2 million. YMCAs in the Tampa Bay area agree to seek opportunities for shared services, including combining IT service.
2010 Kelly and Bill Morean donate $1 million to the Childs Park YMCA. The YMCA is one of just 19 associations nationwide to receive a $100,000 grant from Y-USA to start the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program.
2011 Local philanthropist Russ Brandes and his son, politician Jeff Brandes, spearhead a partnership to establish a YMCA in the Cayman Islands in cooperation with YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg.
2012 The former YMCA building remains on the market after being under contract a dozen times.
2013 The YMCA is awarded Non-Profit of the Year in the Public and Societal Benefit category by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
2014 Ground breaks on the Bardmoor YMCA, which is dedicated in August. Susan Mittermayr becomes the first female Board Chair for the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. After being nurtured for three years by CEO David Jezek and his team, the YMCA of the Cayman Islands is voted into the YMCA World Alliance and becomes the 119th YMCA Movement around the world.
2015 The YMCA retires the debt on the Childs Park YMCA and secures state funding and over $3 million in private donations toward the establishment of a new preschool academy. A $1 million gift from the Speer Foundation names the program the Speer YMCA Preschool Academy, dedicated on August 20.
2016 - 17 The YMCA wins multiple awards, including a “Good Burger” award from the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, the “True Inspiration Award” from Chick-fil-A, and two Telly Awards for Best in Class, Cause Marketing. YMCA agrees to a partnership with the Pinellas County School Board to establish a new middle school in Northeast St. Petersburg.
2018 The board of directors approves a capital campaign for the new North YMCA partnership with Pinellas County Schools. Bill Stover is named the YMCA’s first Board Member Emeritus. The YMCA is awarded an early learning grant by the Juvenile Welfare Board to operate a preschool academy in Lealman.
2019 The YMCA mourns American judo legend Tom Masterson. A product of the YMCA’s world-class judo program, Masterson had success both as a competitor, coach, and manager. The Juvenile Welfare Board awards a major grant to expand the YMCA Reads! Program. Other accolades include the Distinguished Service Award from the Greater Tampa Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America and a grant to start a program for those with Parkinson's Disease.
2020 The YMCAs of Tampa Bay pivot together in response to community needs, finding ways to use their resources to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the YMCAs of Tampa Bay closed all of their locations for more than two months (March-May) to follow statewide executive orders and do their part to protect the health of our community, they continued to serve kids and families in need by helping to distribute meals, host blood drives, check in on isolated seniors and provide child care to essential workers. This collaborative effort was recognized by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as a 2020 One Tampa Bay Nonprofit Honoree. In October, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg and Pinellas County School Board approve the land lease and shared use agreements to develop a YMCA Partnership Middle School project in north St. Petersburg, on the site of the former Riviera Middle School.

Also in 2020, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg proudly celebrates it's 100th anniversary. What began as a single location dedicated to strengthening community has grown into a dynamic organization serving tens of thousand each year. For a century, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg has responded to the evolving needs of the community, providing swim lessons that build safety and confidence, fitness programs that promote healthy living and community services that support individuals and families at every stage of life.
2021 The YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg and The Florida Orchestra team up to provide a free, 4-week music and arts summer camp to underserved families. The partnership gave participants an in-depth experience in a blend of violin, keyboarding and visual arts.
2022 St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approves the new YMCA Partnership Middle School Project on May 12. Pinellas County Schools and the YMCA host the groundbreaking event on June 7.

In 2023, Speer YMCA opens in North St. Petersburg.

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg opens Speer YMCA on the site of the former Riviera Middle School in collaboration with the Pinellas County School Board. The joint campus includes a 111,757 square-foot, two-story building, nearly half of which is shared by the school and the Y — including the media center, dining hall, gymnasium, culinary center, pool, sports field, track and garden. The YMCA Wellness Center features two pools, state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training equipment, an outdoor wellness terrace, high-tech cycling studio, group exercise studios, Kid Zone play space, and a Technology Lab.

2024 YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg demonstrated its role as a vital community anchor, particularly in response to back-to-back hurricanes. YMCA facilities quickly became relief hubs, offering safe spaces, showers and essential resources for neighbors in need. At the same time, the organization continued to strengthen its impact through education, with the Bardmoor YMCA Preschool Academy earning national accreditation and the Speer YMCA Preschool Academy expanding to serve more infants, toddlers and families with enhanced learning environments.

Nicci Bucher (2025 - Present): With more than 20 years of YMCA leadership experience, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at the YMCA of Central Florida, Bucher brought a strong record of innovation, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to the Y’s mission of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. She leads the $23 million association serving more than 36,000 members and reaching over 70,000 individuals across southern Pinellas County. She will oversee the completion of key projects currently underway, including the Speer YMCA Preschool Academy expansion and the renovation of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA.

2025 YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg entered a new chapter of leadership and strategic growth. Nicci Bucher was appointed CEO, succeeding longtime leader David Jezek and signaling a continued focus on belonging, innovation and community impact. The organization also advanced major facility improvements, including redevelopment plans for the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA, positioning its campuses to better serve evolving community needs through modern, accessible spaces.

Everything we do at the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg is centered around our community. Today, we operate three Wellness Centers, two Resource Centers, three Preschool Academies and numerous School-Age Locations across the Greater St. Petersburg and Largo communities.

Over more than a century, our Y has developed a highly effective, self-reflective roadmap—our Strategic Plan—that ensures all proposed programs align with our mission, organizational capacity and the needs of those we serve. Our Strategic Plan guides us in a direction that is forward-looking, sustainable and flexible and allows us to continue to meet our community’s needs—now and into the future.

Our Strategic Plan

Our History

Serving Greater St. Petersburg for 100+ Years