Way to go Mike. I did not respond. My statement is that whatever you claim on taxes is who you can claim on membership. Correct???? Paula

I emailed her immediately and asked if I could quote her – no response. I get the feeling she was careless and accidentally included me on the reply to all.

Did she openly admit that she wasn’t planning to respond to me?

Why, I think she did!

I’m still waiting to hear from the Executive Directors in Madison, WI.

Dear Ms. Stevens, I wanted to respond to your blog and attempts to reach other area YMCA Directors about there policies regarding the Family membership. First, each YMCA is a independant organization, with a local board of directors. The local board of directors governs and sets its policies regarding fees, classes offered, and including membership catagories and definitions. When you and I spoke I may have mis spoke or did not properly make my comments to you clear. We are a federally and state tax exempt, and therefore we do follow the IRS and State definition of a family. You are right and here is where I may have mis spoke/informed you. We can still qualify for state and or federal funds and they do not restrict these funds in anyway based on someone’s family situation. For some of these programs which we receive either grants or scholarship funds for, we do not even ask the question, because it is a non issue. As I told you in my conversation with you, I will and am happy to take this issue to our Membership committee of our Board of Directors. There is a process and procedure to make change, it does not happen overnight and I do not have the ability to make some of these changes regarding policy without approval. I asked you to right me a letter so I can take it to our committee and also allow you to put it in your own words and not mine. I have also checked with a number of YMCA’s local and across the country, there appears to be some Y’s like ours who recognize the State and or Federal definition and also many who have changed to recognize any two adults living in the same household and any children who may live within that household. So I once again I encourage you to write me a letter, that I can present to our membership committee, our next meeting in which we will be able to have this on the agenda is scheduled for April 8th, 2009. I hope that you are willing to work with me. I fully respect your position on this matter and I promise to work with you and not against you. The YMCA is based on principles of being fair to all persons and working to better our community for all persons, and to build strong kids, strong families and a strong community, I look forward to working with you! Please call me if you would like to meet and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Mike Ace
Executive Director
Stateline Family YMCA Beloit

January 1 2009, they really REALLY changed the rates structure. Hopefully this can give you some more ammo in your discussion.

As a side note, I have to take a second and say again, she got it right.

I heard a few years back that the YMCA in Madison, WI allowed same-sex couples with children to sign up as a family. I called both locations in Madison to verify, but neither Executive Director has returned my call yet.

Mike Ace made it sound like the YMCA’s family membership policy was dictated by the federal government.

I applaud you for questioning these policies because I promise you they are not in place because of the federal government.