24 | VIPPensacola.com
T
he YMCA of Northwest Florida is
an incredible organization that has
been serving Escambia and Santa
Rosa counties for over 100 years.
They focus on youth development, healthy
living and social responsibility. Almost
everyone has heard of the YMCA, but not
everyone knows about the amazing work
that they do and the positive influence
they have on the people in our community.
They are a rare organization in that they
welcome membership of all ages, genders,
races, religions, abilities and incomes;
they are open to everyone. As a leading
nonprofit in the Northwest Florida area,
they are constantly growing and recently
opened the new Bear Levin Studer Branch.
Bill Seedes serves as the Executive Director
of the facility and ensures they go above
and beyond the needs of the members and
community. The facility is a 52,000 square
foot comprehensive YMCA at the corner
of Intendencia and Tarragona Streets
complete with an Aquatic Center, Health
and Wellness Center, gymnasium, the
Andrews Institute, multi-purpose rooms,
Spinning Studio, Activity Center and a
KidZone. In many ways Seedes was “born
and raised at the Y.” With many pivotal
life-changing moments spent in their walls
he describes, “Well, I was a Y kid growing
up. I lived about a quarter mile from my
local Y in Philadelphia. In college I did my
internship at the Central Branch YMCA
in Philadelphia. My first professional job
was with the Abington YMCA in sub-urban
Philadelphia where I met my wife Cathy, a
YMCA employee. All three of my children
learned to swim and played sports at the
Y, so you can see I have a passion for the
Y.” Seedes is not the only one who has
strong ties to the Y. One of the first things
Alan Nickelsen did when he moved back
to Pensacola was sign up for a family
membership at the Downtown YMCA. As
a seventh generation Pensacola resident
Nickelsen’s ties run deep. “When I first
joined the Y here I thought of it as a gym,”
said Nickelsen. “The more I got to know
people, the better understanding I had of
what the Y does for the community. The
more I got to know, the more passion I had
for the Y.”
Bill Seedes says that it’s the generosity
of the community that has really stood out
in the last year. He says, “The amount of
support that we have received from our
donors, business partners, community
groups and volunteers has been fantastic.
Without their support, this project would
have never taken shape.” The move to
the new location has been incredible with
absolutely no down time between facilities.
The YMCA on Palafox Street was in
operation until November 6, 2016 at 5pm.
They closed those doors and opened the
Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA at 5am on
Monday, November 7, 2016. “That means
within 12 hours we closed a location and
opened a new one. That is amazing. I think
any business that is able to operate one
facility while preparing to open another
location and move without interruption
speaks volumes about the staff team and
ours has been fantastic,” said Seedes.
For more than 115 years the downtown
Pensacola area has been home to a YMCA;
a place dedicated to helping people
feel healthy, welcome and connected.
Although their primary goal has been to
create meaningful change in the people
they serve, they have also contributed to
meaningful change downtown with the
opening of the new Bear Levin Studer
Family YMCA.
They continue to bring in new members,
while maintaining their dedicated veterans
like Dick Pace. Pace is often seen at the
Downtown YMCA, the Pensacola Yacht
Club, his Blount office and around town
looking smart in his blue blazer, crisp
white button down dress shirt, a patterned
red, white and blue striped tie and khaki
slacks. He turned 97 on August 22 and is
the longest serving member at about 75
years. What keeps him coming to the Y
and shedding his suit for his swim trunks?
“The Y has been a wonderful feature of
my life,” Pace said. “It has meant a lot to
me for many years. I really attribute it to a
large extent to my good health at my rather
advanced age. I’m still going strong.” The
YMCA of Northwest Florida’s new Bear
Levin Studer Branch is transitioning to a
new level of service for all members.
story by
Courtney Murray
| photos provided by
YMCA of Northwest Florida
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