(Atlantic) Dr. Bob Sharp, President of the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, and Vision Atlantic Committee member, and Deb Schuler, Co-Chair of the Community Committee for Vision Atlantic, talk about the YMCA and Childcare Development project portion of the Vision Atlantic transformative project this week.
The YMCA has over 130 employees, and 33 employees at the Wickman Child Development Center, not counting the countless volunteers. Schuler says the YMCA is bursting at the seams.
Schuler says there are programs for youth, adults, aquatic programs, skate night, and special events happening continuously. For example, tomorrow, Saturday, December 20, Produce in the Park will host the Christmas Farmers Market from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
Dr. Sharp says the YMCA is at capacity and needs more space. There were over 100,000 visits to the YMCA in 2024. He has not looked at 2025, but he knows they experienced a large amount of traffic
Dr. Sharp thanks the 80-plus volunteers working on committees, along with the Vision Atlantic Board. Sharp says the last time he looked, there were over 240 people who had contributed and invested in this project, raising over thirty million dollars in cash and pledges.
Deb Schuler thanks everyone who has been involved in this project to date.
Sharp says the community buzz is that we always need new jobs coming into the community. He says to get employment, a community must have the fundamentals, the infrastructure. Sharp says, according to the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the top four are childcare, housing, recreation, and education.
Schuler says the funding for the housing project is secured. Vision Atlantic continues to raise funds for the YMCA and 300-capacity childcare projects. The committee is actively seeking donations. She says there are various ways to donate.
