We believe that one of the greatest impacts we can have on our community is partnering with non-profits who share our mission for community building and service. As a partner of the Alleghany Highlands YMCA for decades, we are proud of its success in serving thousands of families for better health and wellness in our community.
A Partner in Transformation
“Highlands Community Bank was the bank that the Board of Directors dealt with back in the early 2000s when they undertook the capital campaign,” said Jennifer Unroe, CEO of Alleghany Highlands YMCA. The goal of the campaign was the construct a new, modern facility so that the YMCA could move out of the Boy’s Home facility, where it had been since the YMCA’s inception in the area in 1993. It had long outgrown that space, and the Board of Directors knew it needed a bank it could trust to help them through the campaign and eventual construction of the new facility.
Years later, the YMCA opened a 37,000 square foot facility located in the Alleghany Regional Commerce Center in Low Moor, Virginia, in December 2007. The facility includes a wellness center complete with cardiovascular machines, strength training equipment and a free weight section, a walking track, full court gym and full size indoor swimming pool. In addition, the YMCA also offers group exercise classes, child watch, arts & humanities classes, swim lessons, specialty day camps, teen programs, and senior adult programs.
Growth into the Future
Today the Alleghany Highlands YMCA employs approximately 85 full and part-time staff, pumping around $1 million into the community each year. In addition, the YMCA currently serves over 1,000 membership units (individual, couple, family).
“We give out a lot of financial assistance to make sure the YMCA is affordable and available to everyone,” said Unroe. “We also provide much-appreciated assistance to families with children through our early learning services and Head Start program.”
Highlands Community Bank is proud to have been with the YMCA through all of this transition and growth throughout the last twenty years. Even now, the YMCA maintains a close relationship with Highlands Community Bank through day-to-day operations and their line of credit services.
A Close Working Relationship
“The best thing about working with Highlands Community Bank is the ability to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey Kim, can you help me with this question?,'” said Unroe. “I don’t have to go through a menu of options to get in touch with someone. We have a close working relationship, and that helps me do my job better.”
Unroe also appreciates the ability to support a bank that has supported the YMCA for so long. “We’re keeping money in the Highlands. It’s not going to New York or Atlanta,” she said. “It’s really staying here, and that’s one of the things that’s going to help us to maintain the community we love for years to come.”
Looking into the future, Unroe is excited about updates they hope to make on the YMCA facility. “Now that this building has been here for several years, we want to make sure we maintain it,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re here serving the Highlands community for another 25 years and beyond.”
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