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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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YMCA: Bear Levin Studer Branch

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12/20/16   9:02 AM