YMCA Christchurch Open Again After February Earthquake
August 1, 2011
Chief Executive Officer Josie Ogden Schroeder is relieved and excited after months of exhausting repairs and uncertainty for staff, noting that Monday marks a new beginning for the facility. “It has been a hard time for the YMCA staff with many not being able to work for much of the past five months, or having been seconded to other YMCA facilities in somewhat cramped and more difficult circumstances. It is fantastic that we have been able to have them return to work, and it also great that again the YMCA on Hereford Street will be full of a wide range of people from our community and overseas. We were supposed to open on June 27th but the June 13th quake put us back. We can now only be optimistic about the future... and try not to worry about the consequences of further big shakes! This whole experience has certainly taught us all how to be both flexible and resilient during times of stress and change.” She said.
On Monday the doors will open again and will stay open 24 hours a day as they have been for the past 149 years, next year marking the organisations’ 150th Anniversary. The Hereford Street facility encompasses a Health & Fitness Centre, Squash Courts, a Climbing Wall, a range of Youth Education and Youth Leadership programmes and a 250 bed accommodation and conference complex. It also houses as tenants Robert Harris Cafe, Muscle People Physiotherapy, and Drs on Cashel.
The accommodation facility will be a welcome addition to the sparse accommodation options currently on offer in the central city. A real secret gem in the heart of the city, guests are often astounded at the high quality on offer and the wide range of accommodation options available – from tertiary student accommodation to deluxe apartments for business people, all with sweeping views of the gardens and the city. Bookings are already flowing in for groups and individuals desperate to find something central, safe, comfortable and affordable – with one group being some displaced borders from Christ’s College to be the first to arrive on Sunday afternoon in time for the new school term on Monday. “I am very confident in the integrity of this building in terms of safety. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that it is structurally sound as well as comfortable, and we are hopeful that the community will support us with their patronage” Ogden Schroeder said. “The income we derive from our accommodation services goes directly to support all of our other programmes. Without a successful accommodation enterprise we would be limited in what we can achieve in terms of social services.”
The CBD will also be happy to see a central Health & Fitness centre rise again. For the first week of August the gym, group fitness, squash and climbing wall is all to be free to the public – to celebrate the opening and thank them for their patience as the building underwent repairs. “I know there are lots of people out there who are keen to get back to the treadmill and regular spin classes! We have missed the NZ Police and other regular corporate and family members who make the YMCA hum with activity.”
The YMCA of Christchurch exists specifically to support the community – and in the current climate it has become more relevant than ever. “The positive side of this earthquake has been that it has been a catalyst to re-focus our organisation to do whatever we can to partner with other groups and create worthwhile projects within the community” said CEO Josie Ogden Schroeder.
YMCAs from around the world have donated nearly 200,000 to the YMCA Christchurch in order to enable community work to go ahead unhindered by financial barriers. “Times like these it feels great to be part of an international organisation. We have been using the funds we've been donated to do things for children, young people and families in Christchurch, particularly those who have been really disadvantaged due to damage to their schools or homes.” Ogden Schroeder said.
Other than the facilities on Hereford Street, the Christchurch YMCA also has a facility at Bishopdale Mall, the YMCA camp in Wainui, Akaroa, and a Youth Education Centre on Colombo Street.