YWCA Metropolitan Chicago history

In 1879, a gymnasium and bath were added to the Farwell Hall YMCA as athletics grew to be a pivotal piece of the national YMCA's character and mission.

In 1910, the Y partnered with Sears, Roebuck and Co. to offer recreational facilities for its workers.

The YWCA first extended services to young black women in 1915.

Later, this welcome center became the Wabash YMCA. Five years after its inception, the Wabash Avenue YMCA organized the first Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which eventually led to the 1926 inauguration of Black History Month.

In 1933, “Family Programming” was created, which allowed for the full membership of women and girls at Chicago YMCAs.

In 1959, the first YMCA SCUBA instructors were certified in Chicago, paving the way for dive training organizations throughout the country.

When the Wabash YMCA closed its doors in 1969 due to lack of funding, Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood lost an institution that had been a center of activity for half a century.

In 1972, the YWCA Leader Luncheon pioneered the concept of public recognition for working women’s achievements.

Julia Stasch, President of Stein & Company and first recipient of the YWCA Racial Justice Award in 1991.

In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the Wabash YMCA in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago would receive a National Preservation Honor Award.

October 2007 launched the first major fundraising campaign in over 40 years.