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WBJ - Camp Hiawatha acquisition part of YMCA 'double down' on youth development
"We're hoping to be ready to go next summer for day camp," McMahon said, "but hopefully by the end of the year we'll be ready to start doing some overnight camps or retreats — who knows what we will be able to do? Even though they kept it in great shape, we'll want to make some investments in the facilities as well."
The Camp Hiawatha acquisition comes as the Greater Wichita YMCA prepares to invest around $30 million for a slate of planned facility improvements through 2026, including an expansion at the South YMCA child care center, ongoing reconstruction at the tornado-damaged Andover YMCA, and new turf fields at the Northwest YMCA, among other upcoming projects.
"We really are trying to kind of double down on our investments in youth development," McMahon said. "Youth sports, early learning and day camp — those three areas are really important to the Y in terms of our contribution to helping kids grow up."
That's what led up to YMCA's interest in the Camp Hiawatha property.
Available for sale through a sealed bid auction, the camp has nearly 20 buildings and almost nine decades of Wichita history.
"We know that kids are going through so much right now, the pandemic just really exacerbated many of the issues that we're seeing with kids and their behavior," McMahon said. "We know the best time and the impactful time is when we have kids for day camp because we have them all day long for weeks at a time."
The Camp Hiawatha acquisition comes as the Greater Wichita YMCA prepares to invest around $30 million for a slate of planned facility improvements through 2026, including an expansion at the South YMCA child care center, ongoing reconstruction at the tornado-damaged Andover YMCA, and new turf fields at the Northwest YMCA, among other upcoming projects.
"We really are trying to kind of double down on our investments in youth development," McMahon said. "Youth sports, early learning and day camp — those three areas are really important to the Y in terms of our contribution to helping kids grow up."
That's what led up to YMCA's interest in the Camp Hiawatha property.
Available for sale through a sealed bid auction, the camp has nearly 20 buildings and almost nine decades of Wichita history.
"We know that kids are going through so much right now, the pandemic just really exacerbated many of the issues that we're seeing with kids and their behavior," McMahon said. "We know the best time and the impactful time is when we have kids for day camp because we have them all day long for weeks at a time."
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