2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

Dear Y Family,

With each year that passes, it gets more difficult to deny the incredible rate at which North Texas is growing…in population, new construction, highways, and, yes, traffic delays! 2023 was no different. At the Dallas Y, we know that means that we must also grow to continue to meet the needs of our community.

This is why we made the decision this year to add a Chief Growth Officer to our staff team, who will focus on how the Y can expand our work in emerging communities, build relationships to grow our programming, and to make the Y’s presence felt across North Texas, in places it’s never been evident before. Elise Back joined us in September, and we’re excited to see where her work takes us.

We’ve also known for some time that we need to invest in our existing communities as well, to ensure that our Ys continue to be a place individuals, seniors, and families want to be every day.  

The largest phase of the complete renovation and new construction at our Lake Highlands Family YMCA was finished at the end of 2023. Now featuring 15,000 additional square feet, a larger fitness center, a dedicated state-of-the-art cycle room, a larger Childwatch space, and a new lobby, we are excited to call Lake Highlands one of our newest flagships. Our final phase of construction will conclude this summer when we open a new outdoor pool. 

The demolition of our Park South Family YMCA is also underway, making room for a brand-new building in 2025, that will feature a dedicated wing for our preschool, a new pool, a modernized fitness center, and special spaces for our seniors and community to gather. We celebrated the closing of our old building with some special events in 2023, including a prayer breakfast with many members and leaders of our Queen City community that left a lasting impression that we’ll remember fondly for years to come.

Finally, our Semones Family YMCA was also renovated in 2023, with a new lobby, renovated locker rooms, and a redesigned Childwatch space, that we hope will entertain our YMCA kids in new and special ways.

We also enjoyed large crowds for our signature events this year. Our Key Leaders Luncheon hosted over 400 guests to hear about food insecurity and the nutrition challenges facing our communities. This panel discussion will be a launching pad for our organizational strategy to expand and deepen our work in Community Health. And our 56^th Annual Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot welcomed almost 18,000 runners and over 700 dogs on Thanksgiving morning.  This year’s race introduced a costume contest, team challenge, and some great new swag.

From YMCA Day of Giving to our Catalyst Christmas, the impact the Y made in 2023 was only possible thanks to our donors, members, and partners for supporting our goal of providing a brighter future for our communities. If you would like to join us in helping make North Texas healthier and stronger, consider donating at: www.DonateToTheY.org  

Thank You and Happy New Year!

Curt Hazelbaker

President and CEO

YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas

HERE'S HOW YOU HELPED THE Y SUPPORT NORTH TEXAS COMMUNITIES!