YMCA of Metro Wash history

The first Y for African Americans was founded in Washington, DC in 1853 by Anthony Bowen, a slave who purchased his freedom from a plantation owner.

In 1864, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the official charter for the YMCA of the City of Washington.

In 1869, a YMCA in Washington, DC was one of the first to build a gymnasium.

Can you imagine sports without basketball? Thanks to James Naismith, basketball was invented in 1891 at the International YMCA Training School.

Volleyball was created in 1896 at the Y by blending elements of basketball, tennis and handball.

YMCA Camp Letts was founded in 1906 with 17 boys on five acres of land.

In 1909, the radical idea of group swimming lessons was first thought of in answer to a YMCA campaign to “teach every man and boy in North America” to swim.

Father’s Day was invented by the Y in 1910 to recognize the significant role that male role models play in our communities.

In 1936, the YMCA Youth & Government program was founded to help high school students understand and participate in the legislative process.

Let’s get physical! Dance exercise classes started at the Y in 1970, leading to a boom in aerobics offerings across the United States

To emphasize the importance of play in keeping kids healthy and happy, the Y organized the first nationwide Healthy Kids Day in 1992, the nation’s largest health day for kids and families.

In 1994, celebrating a rich history of character development, the Y defined character as demonstration of four core values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Our local chapter formed in 2001.

In 2004, the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington created the PHD (Physical, Healthy & Driven) program to combat the staggering rise in childhood obesity and inactivity.