South Shore YMCA Breaks Ground on Hale Family Y Expansion

The South Shore YMCA celebrated a major milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its Hale Family Y branch on March 31. Last fall, the Y announced plans to expand the Hale Family YMCA in Quincy to serve the growing and ever-changing needs of the community.

Paul Gorman, CEO of South Shore YMCA, thanked key guests and supporters of the project, including Rob and Karen Hale, Mayor Thomas Koch, Dan DeMarco, Chair of the “Leave Your Mark” Capital Campaign, South Shore YMCA Executive Board Members, and Jay Dacey, owner of Integrated Builders, and his team.

Gorman highlighted the success of the YMCA, stating, “This is one of the most successful urban YMCAs in the country with over 4,000 people walking through our doors each day.”

The project is part of the South Shore YMCA’s ongoing Leave Your Mark capital campaign and includes a conceptual design that adds 20,000 square feet to the existing building on Coddington Street. The addition will feature a new, large-scale gymnastics center, a multi-purpose studio space for fitness, medical wellness, and adaptive programs, and programming space for teens, young women, and girls.

Gorman emphasized the impact on the city’s youth, saying, “We’re fortunate to be right across from the high school. There are so many challenges for teens right now and we can help and support them on their journey. We can help bring that peer support in a safe space.”

“There isn’t a large-scale gymnastics center in Quincy,” continued Gorman. “Bringing a new Y Gymnastics Training Center to the area will open that sport to the youth of Quincy and beyond, creating more opportunities for young women.”

In 2019, the South Shore Y launched the Leave Your Mark capital campaign, which has raised $12 million to revitalize and expand the South Shore YMCA facilities across the region for families to enjoy for generations to come.

Dan DeMarco, South Shore YMCA Executive Board Member and Leave Your Mark Campaign Chair, kicked off the event. “The core centerpiece of the campaign were Rob and Karen Hale who got us going. That support leveraged a very successful campaign.”

The Y branch in Quincy was named The Hale Family YMCA in 2022 in honor of Rob and Karen Hale’s transformational gifts to help expand the Y to serve more families in Quincy.

“To the YMCA, Karen and I are truly honored to be part of your team,” said Rob Hale, Co-Founder and President of Granite Telecommunications. “The work that you do in the city to bring together a diverse culture, a diverse community, a different set of ages, bringing them all as one with love and compassion, makes our city a better place. Your successes are truly a transformation to this community and to this city.”

Mayor Koch shared that projects like this are a sign of positive progress for the city of Quincy and its families. “I am grateful to the YMCA for all you do for the people of our city,” said the Mayor. “We wish you well with the construction and look forward to another new space for more opportunity for our families.”

Paul Gorman expressed gratitude for the support received from the Hales, Mayor Koch, and others. Gorman also spoke about the impact of the project, noting, “This project is so impactful for our community. It was a long thought-out process addressing community needs.”

“The most important part is when we build something, we engage the community to invest in the project and ensure that it is sustainable, impactful, and relevant.” said Gorman. “We have such a great staff, and we have a great track record of building and keeping strong programs. We can’t do this by ourselves. Thank you all for everything you’ve done to help us to make this project a reality.”

The South Shore Y is still accepting capital gifts for this project and have many naming opportunities for companies and individuals to leave their mark on the future of the Quincy community. Please reach out to Mary Orne, Chief Development Officer at morne@ssymca.org.