Company Profile
Williams YMCA of Avery County
Company Overview
The Williams YMCA of Avery County is a nonprofit community organization dedicated to strengthening the foundations of community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Guided by the mission “to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all,” the YMCA serves as a vital hub for wellness, connection, and support across Avery and Mitchell Counties in western North Carolina.
Values: Caring, Responsibility, Respect, and Honesty
Areas of Focus: For Youth Development, For Healthy Living, For Social Responsibility
Branch Structure and Service Area
The YMCA operates as a two-county association, serving residents of Avery and Mitchell Counties through two primary branches and a growing network of outreach programs.
Avery County Branch – Williams YMCA of Avery County
Located at 436 Hospital Drive in Linville, NC, this flagship branch houses the YMCA’s Wellness Center, Aquatics Center, Blackburn Athletic Facility, and O’Connell Fieldhouse. It offers a full range of programs, including group fitness, aquatics, youth sports, child care, senior wellness, and community outreach. The Avery branch also serves as the central administrative and program hub for the association.
Mitchell County Branch – A.M.Y. Wellness Foundation YMCA
Established in partnership with the A.M.Y. Wellness Foundation, the Mitchell County branch at 97 Pinebridge Avenue in Spruce Pine, NC, brings YMCA programs and services to Mitchell County. The branch focuses on healthy living initiatives, after-school and youth programs, group exercise, and community health outreach.
In 2025, the YMCA received state funding to complete the construction of a new 18,000-square-foot YMCA facility in Mitchell County—furthering its commitment to expand access and impact throughout the region. The new facility will introduce additional group exercise studios, drop-in child care services, and aquatics programs to the community.
Programs and Services
Across both counties, the YMCA provides a wide array of programs designed to support the whole person and strengthen community well-being:
Aquatics: Swim lessons for all ages, lifeguard training, water fitness classes, and youth swim teams. The YMCA also provides the SPLASH Program in both counties—offering free water safety and drowning prevention education to Kindergarten and 2nd grade students enrolled in Avery and Mitchell County Schools, at no cost to schools or families.
Health & Wellness: Group exercise classes, personal training, wellness coaching, and evidence-based chronic disease prevention programs.
Youth Development: Licensed child care (Avery County only), after-school and summer day camps, teen programs, and family engagement events.
Sports & Recreation: Youth and adult athletic clinics, recreational leagues, and community events.
Community Outreach: Programs serving older adults, families in need, and partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and local nonprofits.
Fundraising & Grants: The YMCA conducts an Annual Campaign supported by donor communications, sponsorships, corporate giving, and special events. Its grant portfolio includes private and public foundations, state government, and federal pass-through funding, raising $2.5–3 million annually to sustain and grow programs, services, and facilities that meet evolving community needs.
Access and Impact
Membership at the Williams YMCA of Avery County extends across both branches, allowing participants to access programs and facilities in either location. Together, the Avery and Mitchell County YMCAs serve nearly 7,500 individuals each year—building healthier families, fostering social connection, and creating opportunities for all to thrive regardless of financial ability.
To learn more about YMCA programs and services, visit www.ymcaavery.com
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Company History
Avery County Location:
Opening its doors in 2007, the YMCA of Avery County (YMCA) was a vision of community leaders desiring a wholesome, family-oriented center for the local community. For 18 years, we’ve been listening and responding to our community, connecting people of all ages and backgrounds to bridge the gaps in community needs. We have grown from a single wellness program to dozens of programs and services, serving over 4,500 members in 2024. Additionally, we served more than a thousand individuals through community outreach in local schools and partnerships with community organizations.
Mission services revolve around 3 focus areas -Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. Youth development programs include out-of-school programs, early childhood development, leadership programs, and a variety of athletics programs. Healthy living programs include 6 evidence-based health intervention programs, a Wellness Center, an Aquatics Center, and numerous daily group fitness offerings. In social responsibility programs, we teach water safety and swimming lessons to every Kindergarten and 2nd-grade child, offer senior fitness programs at six outreach sites, deliver meals, and provide socialization and referral for our homebound elderly. As a longtime local physician, Charlie Baker put it, "The YMCA is the single greatest thing to have happened to our mountain community in terms of preventative health care and education since I've been in practice."
Avery County YMCA Facilities:
- Main YMCA Facility: Membership Services, drop-in childcare, wellness center, group exercise rooms, and an aquatics center.
- The Hugh Chapman Early Learning Center: 3 licensed daycare classrooms (2-year-old, 3-year-old, and 4/5 year old), 2 outdoor play areas, an indoor open multiuse space, and a small kitchen.
- The Blackburn Athletic Facility & O'Connell Fieldhouse: 2 college regulation basketball courts, 2 indoor golf simulators, 2 indoor batting cages with softball & baseball pitching machines, and a smaller free weight workout area.
- The Glenn & Carol Arthur Youth Center: one large open space for youth/ teen programs; located on the community playground
Mitchell County Facility:
In 2018, the YMCA distributed a community survey to gauge the interest in a new YMCA being built in Mitchell County. More than 50% of the surveys were returned, confirming that a community facility was needed to address drowning prevention, youth programs, and physical health and well-being.
In 2020, the YMCA established the Mitchell County Healthy Living Center, which provided limited evidence-based health intervention programs and community outreach services until a full facility could be built.
In July 2025, construction of the new facility was complete, and the new A.M.Y. Wellness Foundation YMCA of Mitchell County opened. Since opening, the YMCA has served almost 3,000 members with an average daily visit of 350 people per day. Healthy Living Programs have transferred from the Mitchell County Healthy Living Center to the new facility and continue to help the community lower their blood pressure, delay the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, and reduce pain caused by Arthritis. The facility includes membership services, drop-in childcare, group exercise classrooms, a state-of-the-art wellness center, and an aquatics center with an Olympic-sized short-course lap lane pool. Outside of the facility, we continue to provide out-of-school programming and other community outreach services.
To learn more about these YMCA location and our offerings please visit: www.ymcaavery.org
Benefits
Other Benefits Also Available:
- Life Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- Professional Development Assistance
- Employee Discounts (external organizations)
Other Perks:
- YMCA Family Membership at no cost
- Employee Discount on paid YMCA programs (Daycare for 2 - 5 year olds, select Healthy Living, Swim, Athletics, and Youth programs)
Positions Available
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