The First Executive Director Who Helped Bring the YMCA to Life 

Featuring David Brown

Every YMCA has a moment when an idea becomes reality. For the Washington County Family YMCA, that moment began in 2001 when David Brown stepped in as the organization’s very first Executive Director.

As remembered by his son Adam Brown, the YMCA that people know today looked very different in those early days.

At the time, David had recently taken early retirement from Tecumseh Products. While he was ready for a change, he was not ready to stop working. When he heard about plans to start a YMCA in Washington County, he saw it as something more than just a job. He saw it as an opportunity to serve his community.

David had always been involved in public service. Over the years he served in many roles including county commissioner, school board member, and town council member. So when the opportunity came to help launch the YMCA, it felt like a natural fit.

But the job he stepped into looked nothing like the YMCA we see today.

In fact, the night before his first day of work, Adam asked him a simple question.

“Where are you going to go tomorrow?”

There was no facility yet. No office. No Westminster location. No Shelby Street YMCA.

David paused and answered honestly.
“I’m not really sure.”

The next day, Adam happened to spot his father’s truck parked outside a small building that today houses a barbershop. Curious, he poked his head inside and asked if this was his office.

“For now,” David said.

Inside the tiny room sat a single desk placed in the middle of the space. That was the headquarters of the brand new Washington County Family YMCA.

From that small beginning, David began the work of building the organization from the ground up. Eventually the YMCA began operating out of Westminster Center, where the community finally started to see the vision take shape.

Adam remembers how meaningful it was when the doors first opened and people began walking in.

“I think he was proud when they first opened the doors and people were coming in. That’s when it became real.”

There was no handbook explaining how to run a brand new YMCA. Systems had to be created from scratch. Membership cards were handwritten. Programs were invented one at a time. Staff and volunteers simply tried things, learning as they went.

Adam still remembers receiving one of the very first membership cards.

“They had membership cards printed out with a blank spot for the membership number. Dad just wrote them in by hand. I think mine was number three.”

The early days required creativity and persistence. Equipment sometimes had to be repaired with whatever tools were available. Adam laughs remembering one machine that David fixed with Gorilla Glue just to keep it running.

But what they lacked in resources, they made up for in determination and shared purpose.

“It was a little bit like assembling a plane while you’re in midair,” Adam recalls. “Everybody was figuring it out together. But everyone had the same goal and was pushing in the same direction.”

David served as Executive Director for several years, helping establish the foundation that would allow the YMCA to grow into the thriving community organization it is today.

Twenty five years later, Adam now experiences the YMCA from a completely different perspective. As a young adult he simply saw it as a convenient place to work out and connect with friends. Today, his own child attends preschool at the YMCA.

And when he looks at everything the YMCA has become, he believes his father would be proud.

“I think he would be really impressed to see what those baby steps turned into.”

What began with a desk in a tiny room has grown into a place where children learn, families connect, and the community grows stronger together.

David Brown helped take the very first steps to make that possible.