Recent History

Guided by the YMCA of the USA, a group of Northfield citizens joined together in the spring of 2005 to form the Northfield Area Family YMCA. Initially known as the “Y Northfield Committee,” this enthusiastic group led a community-wide effort to launch the YMCA you see today, with an office on Division Street and programs running in various locations around town.

Below is a summary of how we’ve developed over the past few years, followed by the vision of what the YMCA will look like in the future. It is an exciting story, no doubt, and it is all attributed to the growing support from people like you!

2005 Committee formation: In May, Emily Monaghan and Jennifer Sawyer created the initial proposal for a Northfield YMCA, quickly attracting group of individuals dedicated to bring new opportunities in health and recreation to Northfield. Representatives from the national and surrounding YMCAs visited Northfield in June, saw the potential for a YMCA in our community and encouraged the “Y Northfield Committee” to conduct a feasibility test.

YMCA Northfield Committee
Amy Acheson, Jean Callister-Benson, Missy Donkers, Amy Etzell, Gretchen and Rich Falck, Natalie Fink, Jenn Hanlon, Karna Hasse, Annie Hauskins, Bryan Hoff, Tim & Tanya Jackson, Allison & Jonathan Jaranson, Randolph Jennings, Dave McBeain, Art & Emily Monaghan, Pat Murtha, Candy Nordine, Mike Puppe, Jane Runzheimer, Lee & Kitty Runzheimer, Jennifer Sawyer, Chris & Kristin Shimek, Linda Thornton, Anne WolfIn August, the Committee conducted interviews with a group of Northfield community leaders. The three goals of this study were (1) to measure the will of the community to develop and sustain a YMCA, (2) identify community needs which the YMCA may be able to meet and (3) ascertain community strengths and opportunities for collaboration.Results from this feasibility test supported the establishment of a local YMCA. Given the small town character and strong community pride of Northfield, it was determined by the Committee that an independent YMCA, as opposed to a branch of the Minneapolis/St. Paul YMCA association, would be the best fit for our town.

Incorporation, the Northfield Area Family YMCA registered through the State of Minnesota as a not-for profit organization, structured it’s own board of directors and received provisional charter status as an independent branch of the YMCA of the USA. Some members of the founding Committee became the YMCA’s first Board of Directors.

Original Board of Directors
Missy Donkers, Bryan Hoff, David McBeain, Emily Monaghan, Pat Murtha, Mike Puppe, Lee Runzheimer, Jennifer Sawyer

Advisory Council
Paul Beaumaster, Jim Egbert, Craig Ellingboe, Doug Fitzgerald, Katy Hargis, Will Healy, Charlie Kyte, Nalani McCutcheon, Mark Mohlke, John Noack, Kyle Nordine, Clay Ogelsbee, Jim Pokorney, Brett Reese, Steven Sanderson

2006 - 2007

  • Founders Campaign: Between November 2005 and May 2006, volunteers raised over $400,000 from the community to cover initial costs of establishing a YMCA none of these dollars is for the building itself but strictly dollars used to hire an Executive Director and get YMCA programs started in our community.
  • First office: The Northfield Area Family YMCA opened an administrative office at 220 Division Street, just across the street from the Northfield Public Library. Skip Zimmerman was the first Executive Director hired and began to provide the community with an understanding of what a YMCA could be. Currently, YMCA programs are managed by Executive Director Virginia Kaczmarek.. Amy Belcher has also been instrumental in beginning many of the YMCA’s initial programs.
  • First programs: The Northfield Area Family YMCA is running its programs in existing facilities and parks in Northfield. Most notably, the YMCA has partnered with the Northfield National Guard’s Armory to use its space for programs, classes, events, and childcare services. By June 2007, the YMCA had launched several programs, ranging from Preschoolers in the Park to Tennis and Golf Camps for school age kids to Team XTreme Adventure Camps.. The YMCA also has participated in the national YMCA Healthy Kids Day, drawing more than 1,500 people to its first event in April, 2007.
  • Large Scale Program Feasibility Study: In August 2007, the Northfield Area Family YMCA Board of Directors hired Anderson Niebuhr, a professional research firm based in Minneapolis, to conduct a large scale feasibility study. In this study, members of approximately 300 households in the Northfield community were interviewed about needs for programs, building amenities (pool, gyms, etc), and financial commitments for a future YMCA facility in Northfield.

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