Ryan Venter believes most people don’t really know everything the Guilderland YMCA has to offer, but as its new executive director he wants to tell them.
“I see it as a great opportunity and a great place to make a difference in the community,” Venter said of his new position. “I have met a lot of great people. We have a lot of dedicated staff and volunteers within the community that really contribute to the positive atmosphere that we have at the Guilderland Y.”
Venter started settling in to his new job in mid August. He said one of his chief goals is to disrupt the view that the YMCA is simply a workout facility.
“We are more than a fitness center and a pool,” Venter said. “We do a lot of programming with seniors. We do a lot of things in the community. We have programs for youth and other kinds of training opportunities for the community to take advantage of.”
He said people have met lifelong friends through the YMCA, whether through one of the book clubs or fitness classes.
The Guilderland YMCA also operates the organization’s Adventure Camp, formerly known as Camp Nassau, which is located off Route 155. The location is host to unique recreational activities, such as a rock wall for climbing.
“That’s a popular programming option for youth in the area,” Venter said.
The Guilderland Y offers various group fitness and healthy living programs, but some are targeted to certain individual needs like the Circle of Camps that is a program for families that have a child with a life threatening illness.
“We might take them on different programs or day trips,” he said.
Venter graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 1999 and then Boston College in 2003. He returned to the Capital District and served as the director of athletics and recreation at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences since 2005 until recently joining the Capital District YMCA.
As a nonprofit organization, Venter said the Y gives back to the community by offering different scholarships to take advantage of programming offered. Having a bigger impact in the community is also what drew him towards the YMCA.
“I was looking to make more of an impact in the community,” he said. “I certainly enjoyed my position at the college and liked what I did, but the Y wants to be seen as one of the roots of the community.”
Venter said he believes the organization has made progressing becoming “a hub of the community” and continuing that effort was appealing to him.
“We would like to be more proactive in getting the word out,” he said. “Our members know a lot of what we do … but we need to get outside of the building and outside of the facility into the community more.”
The three pillars of the YMCA’s foundation are youth development, social responsibility and healthy living, he said, so everything it does ties into those core values.
He said facility is offering new a different programming for seniors, which has been one of its growing member segments. Childhood obesity is also another target area for the organization. Making sure to tie its appeal to the whole family is also important.
“It is a family friendly atmosphere for sure,” he said. “Being family friendly is certainly one of our drawing points that we hold dear.”
For information about the Guilderland YMCA, visit www.cdymca.org or visit the facility at 250 Winding Brook Drive. You can also call the Guilderland YMCA at 456-3634.
There are approximately 9,500 members at the Guilderland YMCA.