Ymca Research Paper

Words: 657
Pages: 3

The Young Men’s Christian Association or the YMCA is a non-profit organization that provides a great service to each community where it’s present. Its overall mission is to “To put Christian principles into practice through programs that help healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.” Each YMCA offers many different programs or services reflecting their mission. Some of the programs that they do offer include: child care, fitness centers, aquatic activities, summer camps, mentoring, and tutoring. The very first YMCA was founded in London, England by George Williams in 1844 and its original mission was to be a quiet Bible study for Williams and his friends. Thomas Sullivan took this idea from the London YMCA and formed his own in Boston, Massachusetts. His mission was to create a “home away from home” for sailors and merchants. Due to the popularity of the YMCAs of this time period, many YMCAs were starting up around the country where there was a social need for one. For example, there was one created for students in Tennessee and one for African-Americans was created in Washington, D.C. …show more content…
During the civil war, there were about 5,000 volunteers from YMCAs that acted as surgeons and nurses to assist President Lincoln. Many services were offered during this time of war such as donations for medicals supplies and food, and tutoring soldiers in reading and writing. YMCAs soon started offering programs to promote speech, sportsmanship, and scholastic achievement while teaching Christian values. These programs eventually grew into the higher levels of education that helped enlighten unemployed people so that they could find better jobs. During the late 1800s the YMCA invented the sports volleyball and basketball in their winter