The Foothills Area YMCA is excited to announce two leadership promotions within our association. Jacob Holcombe has been promoted to Senior Center Director. Jacob began his YMCA journey as Camp Director at Camp Oconee before serving as Associate Child Care Director. In his new role, he will oversee Senior Center operations, programming, wellness initiatives, and community engagement. We are also excited to announce Grant McCall as our new Sports Director. Grant joined us in March as Sports Coordinator and has already made a tremendous impact. He will lead the development and growth of sports leagues, clinics, camps, and community partnerships.

On Friday, February 27, we welcomed our Phase II donors for a special Beam Signing event and an exclusive tour of the Phase II expansion currently under construction. With hard hats on and markers in hand, guests had the opportunity to sign one of the structural steel beams, leaving a lasting mark on a structural project that will shape our community for generations to come.

We are excited to welcome Tori Banning into the role of Membership Coordinator. Tori joins the Membership team after serving as a Lifeguard, and she brings valuable leadership experience from her previous role as Aquatics Director, where she supported program operations, staff training, and member engagement. In her new role, Tori will support membership sales training and core functions such as new member sign-ups, recruitment, recruitment, retention, recapture, and front-line engagement activities to ensure an exceptional environment.

We’re excited to welcome two team members stepping into new roles at the Foothills Area YMCA! Please join us in congratulating Haley Phillips and Kirk Rogers. Haley Phillips, HR Administrative Coordinator: Haley joins the YMCA with extensive experience in recruitment, onboarding, training coordination, compliance, and employee support. Kirk Rogers, Associate Aquatics Director: Congratulations to Kirk on her well-deserved promotion! Kirk has been an integral part of our team as a Lifeguard and Swim Instructor, and will now support aquatic programming and safety department-wide.

Exciting progress is being made on Phase 2 of our facility expansion! In August, crews successfully completed the structural firewall installation and poured the concrete footings—an important step toward our next stage of growth. The foundation work is completely finished, the perimeter walls went up in September, and steel beams delivered during the first week of October are being installed quickly. Every milestone brings us closer to opening new spaces for our community to enjoy!

The Foothills Area YMCA is thrilled to announce major team appointments: Josh Smith & Meadow Rosenthal-Millson (Aquatics Directors): Josh joins from the Baxter Close YMCA managing 40+ staff, while Meadow joins from the Southlake YMCA with a deep passion for safety instruction. Chase Foster & Savannah Brooks (Aquatics Coordinators): Certified lifeguards focusing on water safety and positive learning environments. A.J. Govain (Facilities Maintenance Technician): Brings over 38 years of heavy industrial operations management to optimize our expanding facilities.

We celebrated the official groundbreaking of Phase 2 of the Foothills Area YMCA Cottingham Campus! We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to mark this special moment—and to the many community partners, donors, members, volunteers, and staff who continue to make our growth possible. Phase 2 will allow us to expand our local programs, serve more regional families, and continue building a stronger, healthier community together.

We’re thrilled to announce that the groundbreaking for Phase II is just around the corner—and we couldn’t be more excited to take this next big step forward together. This moment marks the beginning of something incredible for our community, and we’re so grateful to everyone who’s helped make it possible. Stay tuned for more updates as we build a brighter, stronger future—brick by brick.

We are excited to announce the successful conclusion of our Capital Campaign, made possible by generous donations from individuals, businesses, and a matching challenge from Steve and Carrell Chase. Through these gifts, we were able to raise $3,000,000! With the total facility construction cost estimated at $15,000,000 due to material price increases, any additional individual gifts of $1,000 or more will continue to be matched by the Chase family to further minimize long-term debt.

We’re excited to share that Phase 2 plans are complete, and we’ve submitted our financing package to the USDA. We’re eagerly awaiting final structural approval and have already placed the order for the steel package. Together, we’re not just expanding our facility—we’re strengthening the legacy of the Foothills Area YMCA and supporting families across Clemson, Central, and Oconee County.

Since September 2024, Steve and Carrell Chase have been matching every single individual gift of $1,000 and over, and to date, they’ve already matched an incredible $270,000! Their generous commitment has inspired the community to come together, knowing that each gift is doubled, making a powerful impact. There’s still time to participate and double your community influence.

The Foothills Area YMCA has a rich history of serving our community since its initial founding back in 1894. From early beginnings at Clemson to the expansion of youth programs and the development of the Cottingham Campus, we’ve continuously grown to meet the needs of our members. On February 8, we celebrated 5 wonderful years of operating at the Cottingham Campus!

We’re excited to share that Phase 2 plans are nearing finalization, with a target to begin shortly after the new year. Our team is actively working on securing USDA financing and necessary permits. Once these steps are complete, you’ll see our contractor, Hogan Construction, mobilizing on-site. We have raised $2,675,905 toward our $3 million goal!

We are proud to congratulate Sarah Tate, one of our branch executive directors, on being named a 2024 Top 20 Under 40 Award Winner by the Oconee Chamber of Commerce! Additionally, a huge thank you to our neighbors for voting us a 2024 Nextdoor Neighborhood Fave! To cap it off, for the third consecutive year, FAY was voted Best Workout Facility in the Best of the Best awards!

We are excited to celebrate new roles and promotions: Scott Morris, new Swim Team Relations Advisor; Pam Holladay, Development Director; Carmen Negron, Aquatics Director; Kinley Wilson, Associate Fitness Director; Jacob Holcombe, Associate Child Care Director; Lindsey Little, Head Swim Team Coach; Mary Lee Stanley, Branch Executive Director–Business and Finance; Daphne Hoffman, Child Care Director; Kim Wyatt, Fitness Director; Sarah Tate, Branch Executive Director–Youth and Family Programs; and Sydney Lia, Branch Executive Director–Fitness.