Cadillac Area YMCA

We visited the Cadillac Area YMCA on December 9, 2017. It is a beautiful facility on the campus of Baker College. It is named the Dillon Community Center, because Tom Dillon (1926-2005) donated $2.5 million to assure a permanent place for the YMCA in Cadillac, Michigan. The community around Cadillac is truly blessed to have this facility in their backyard. 

One thing that is obvious upon touring the facility is how friendly it is for youth. For example, they have a real metal basketball goal in the gym that is set a lower height for children to enjoy dunking, which Jonathan found appealing.

Their pool is wonderful and the hot tub is twice the size of what one will normally find in a 4 star hotel.  We met a wonderful couple on our visit and the gentleman talked to me about their life and the impact of the YMCA to brighten their days. His wife has dementia and is institutionalized and this loving husband has her on a routine of faithfully bringing her almost every day to enjoy the Cadillac Area YMCA and its hot tub. The YMCA truly does bring families of all ages and medical situations closer together, whether it be dementia that this older couple is dealing with or autism that Jonathan and I navigate through each day.

The Cadillac Area YMCA is a wonderful benefit to the community both for fostering a healthy lifestyle in individuals and responding to emergencies. For example, in April 2018 they opened their doors to people without power, whether they were members or not, so that they could use a shower or the Internet (9 & 10 News, Brett Greenacre, Cadillac YMCA Offering to Help People Without Power, April 15, 2018).

The Cadillac Area YMCA is also continuing to add new and improved programs. For example, in February 2018 they opened child care facilities to meet a need in the community (9 & 10 News, Cadillac Area YMCA Opens Child Care Facilities at Baker College).

This was our longest trip to a YMCA until the Summer when we would travel to the Upper Peninsula, but it was so worth it. The trip had all the beauty of Northern Michigan in early Winter and truly ideal weather with snow on the trees but not so much on the road.

Jonathan and Alan Stokes are on a mission to visit every YMCA in Michigan and are showing that the YMCA is FOR ALL, especially those with autism. 

Map Credit: By Arkyan [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons