Flanked by YMCA staff and local officials, past Dorchester County Family YMCA board member and Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development and Facility Management Chris Hauge cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the new Family Engagement Center.
With a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon, the Pauline F. and W. David Robbins Family YMCA officially opened a newly renovated space for Cambridge families, before the focus shifted to holiday cheer as children lined up to tell Santa what they hoped to find under the tree.
The opening of the Bob Brannock Family Engagement Center at the Robbins Y was followed by an evening of holiday activities that drew dozens of families from all over Dorchester into the building. Photos with Santa, cookies and cocoa, crafts, and book displays filled the new multi-purpose space as parents and children lingered into the evening.
Santa, portrayed by Jeffrey Hill, listened patiently as youngsters shared their Christmas lists. Nathan Jackson, 6, of Hurlock, said he was hoping for a computer to play video games and an electric dirt bike. Nairobi Murray, 5, asked for a nail kit and a bracelet, while her brother Brandon, 6, had video games at the top of his list.
Friends Amira Greene and Alani Johnson, both 7, arrived with ambitious requests. Alani asked for skincare products, a vanity set, and an electric motorbike. Amira, a Lilo & Stitch enthusiast, requested plane tickets to Maui for her family – including their dog – along with a cosmetics kit and an electric motorbike to roll through town with Alania. Isla Weglarz, 6, of Woolford, who attended with her mother, Lauren, and asked Santa for a Gabby’s Dollhouse toy and a puzzle.
Cambridge friends Amira Greene and Alani Johnson, both 7, had big requests for Santa: plane tickets, motorbikes, and cosmetic kits.
As children waited for their turn with Santa, families circulated through the bright, newly finished space. The Family Engagement Center was created by combining and renovating two former racquetball courts and adjacent storage areas, transforming several rooms into a single, open space for programming and community gatherings. The project took nearly a year to complete and cost approximately $500,000.
Robbins YMCA Executive Director Jennifer Lehn told The Spy that the new center will allow the Y to expand programs previously limited by space and temperature concerns, including senior fitness classes and Rock Steady Boxing, a non-contact fitness program designed for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
“We’re really looking forward to filling the space with programs,” Lehn said, noting the center will also support large senior classes that were previously affected by extreme heat or cold in the gym.
The room will be used for important children’s programming, including birth-to-five activities and early literacy efforts connected to the Dorchester County Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, as well as educational programs and meetings with community partners.
Nathan Jackson, 6, of Hurlock, after negotiating a new computer to play video games and an electric dirt bike with Santa.
The investment comes as YMCA leaders continue to weigh the long-term needs of the Cambridge facility, which is housed in a nearly 100-year-old former high school building that faces ongoing structural challenges.
Robbie Gill, CEO of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, said the improvements were necessary but do not diminish the organization’s belief that Dorchester County ultimately needs a new YMCA.
“The project is a substantial investment,” Gill said. “As the backbone organization for the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, [the YMCA] is committed to working with our partners and the community to expand programs and services for young children.”
Gill said the YMCA remains focused on ensuring students are reading on grade level by third grade, even as conversations about a future relocation continue.
“We still deeply believe a new Y is needed in Dorchester County,” he said. “But not at the expense of those that need our support, programs, and services today and tomorrow.”
A proposal to relocate the facility to the Cambridge waterfront previously drew public opposition, which discouraged donor interest, Gill said. Meanwhile, the organization is encouraged by the progress being made at the existing site and sees the new center as critical to meet immediate community needs while longer-term solutions remain under consideration.
Isla Weglarz, 6, of Woolford, asked Santa for a Gabby’s Dollhouse toy and a puzzle for Christmas.
The new center is named in honor of Charles Robert “Bob” Brannock, a longtime YMCA supporter who volunteered thousands of hours at the YMCA of Dorchester County, repairing equipment and improving the facility.
A lifelong advocate for physical fitness, Brannock attended the Y daily and remained active as a sailor, cyclist, and rower until declining health from Parkinson’s forced him to give it up. The introduction of Rock Steady Boxing, therapeutic for Parkinson’s, is a further tribute to Brannock.
As families celebrated the season, YMCA leaders said the new Brannock Family Engagement Center honors its namesake while helping the organization make the most of its aging home as plans for the future continue.
Here is a video preview of the new Rock Steady Boxing program that will start shortly in the new center.
And the new Enhanced Fitness program.
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