The Brown County YMCA celebrated its 18th birthday last week with cake and balloons.

Since it opened in 2001, the YMCA has given the community opportunities to improve its health with a fitness center, pool, various classes and other amenities. It also hosts the Access Brown County public transportation service, serves free senior lunches and operates as a Red Cross shelter in times of need.

The Brown County Community Foundation helped to fund the YMCA’s creation through one of the phases of the Lilly Endowment GIFT Initiative.

In 2018, the YMCA had 61 donors who pledged and donated $84,000.

The organization’s capital campaign is now over. It is now doing annual fundraising campaigns to allow it to offer financial assistance to people who can’t afford Y member dues.

“In late November we were honored and blessed with an anonymous unrestricted gift from the August Fund for $25,000,” Executive Director Kim Robinson said.

Also included in the $84,000 donated is $30,000 generated by a matching grant from Lilly Endowment Inc Gift VII.

Future plans for the YMCA include updating the fitness center with new equipment using a “fair amount” of the money from the August Fund, Robinson said.

The YMCA also is gathering bids and information to provide 24/7 access to members 18 and older.

“Our members have asked for an increase in hours, and as Brown County is a bedroom community, we feel this will fill a much-needed void,” Robinson said. An official announcement on that possibility is expected late this winter or early in the spring.

The YMCA currently has 1,300 members.

“The Y is proud to have been serving Brown County since 2001 and we are excited and look forward to years of continued service,” Robinson said.