YMCA receives major pledge to name Child Watch Room
The Northumberland Family YMCA has taken
a giant step closer to realizing its new $3.6 million facility in Heathsville,
with a generous gift from Kathy Wall Eskridge and Daniel A. Eskridge.
The Heathsville couple has pledged a gift of $75,000 to name the new facility’s
Child Watch Room in memory of H. Ewing Wall, Jr.
“We are so appreciative and excited to get this kind of jump start to our fund raising campaign,” said Betty Hall, chair of the YMCA’s Capital Campaign. “Kathy and Dan are leading the way through their generous gift and by naming the Child Watch Center in memory of Ewing Wall. It affirms the confidence we have in the Northumberland community as we move from the drawing board toward a fully funded operation. This is how the Northumberland Family YMCA Center will be built, by a caring and generous community.”
The new facility will be housed in the renovated Northumberland High School gymnasium, providing a 22,000 square foot, state of the art YMCA. The facility will include a regulation size basketball court, fitness and wellness center with cardio equipment, the H. Ewing Wall, Jr. Child Watch Center, aerobics studio, men’s, women’s, and family locker rooms, and teen/senior community and multipurpose rooms. The crown jewel will be a competition and family swimming pool.
“I’ve been on the board of the YMCA for six years, so I have a soft spot in my heart for this organization,” said Kathy Eskridge. “This facility is greatly needed in our community and could do so much good, especially for the children. That’s why we chose to support the Child Watch Room. It will provide a safe, wholesome environment for children as they grow up.”
“The H. Ewing Wall, Jr. Child Watch Center will provide parents with peace of mind knowing they can drop their children off in a safe area, where they will be under close supervision of trained and caring staff while Mom or Dad participate in whatever programs they choose,” Hall said. “The room is designed to have a wall of glass so the children are always visible to the parents.”
The space itself is designed to accommodate infants to nine years old, according to M.J. Anderson, Associate Executive Director of the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA. When constructed, the room will be broken up so that appropriate play equipment and activities can be organized.
“This isn’t just about ‘babysitting,’ but orchestrated play,” Anderson said. “We have trained staff at a ratio of 1-10 - fewer if it is mostly infants and toddlers- who organize activities, kiss boo-boos and wipe noses! Their most important trait is a nurturing spirit.”
The room will have its own restroom, and mini-kitchen area for parents to refrigerate medication or formula. The entire space is designed to make parents feel comfortable that their child will have a great time and have their needs met while the parent is participating in group exercise, a book club or just a cup of coffee and a much-needed break.
Hall says the Capital Committee is actively seeking gifts from others
in the community who would like to provide a lasting memorial for a loved
one. She says the response she’s received so far makes her optimistic
the funds will be soon be raised to begin construction.
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