YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City announced on July 31 that, as of August 13, the saunas and steamrooms in their branches will be permanently closed. In many of the branches, there are significant numbers of members who rely on these facilities/services for their health. In addition, they provide excellent socialized settings for people to meet and discuss topics of interest. Countless friendships have found their start in these settings.
While the YMCA states closing these spaces is “the best course of action for the safety, health and wellness of our members,” for many members the exact opposite is true. The YMCA also states the Risk Management Committee made a thorough study and review which led to the decision. It strains credulity that the risk of a sauna or steamroom would be greater than, say swimming or racquetball areas, which are not affected.
Finally, the letterhead on the posted notice announcing the closings lists some values, which clearly seem to be core to the mission of the YMCA. One of these core values is social responsibility – something which the YMCA seems clearly to be shirking in taking this action.
We ask that these facilities, which in many of the branches have been in service for decades, be kept open. Many members expect the amenities offered and benefit from their being offered every day.
Update #37 jaar geleden
Hi everyone -
This afternoon I received a reply from the Board Chair of the YMCA to the petition we submitted. Space limitations won't let me post it here. If you'd like to read it, please go to http://ypetition.blogspot.com/
I have posted the complete reply there.
Thanks,
John
Update #27 jaar geleden
Hi everyone -
Today I completed delivery of the petition to YMCA-OKC. It was hand delivered to two branches and emailed to all the board members. I created a blog post where I can enter updates on the topic, and entered the first post today. You can find that here: Ypetition.blogspot.com . If I see there's interest in these updates, I'll continue -- ONLY when there is pertinent new info. The petition ended up with 126 signers. Thanks to you all for participating!
Update #17 jaar geleden
Thank you for signing the petition to the YMCA. As of Sunday morning there are 118 signatures. I was moved by the thoughtful comments so many of you added. I’ll deliver the results to Northside and Downtown, but there’s one more way you can help. It’s important to get this to the ones whose votes led us here – the board. They are listed here: http://ymcaokc.org/about/leadership . Please email johnkal@earthlink.net if you know how to reach any of these people by email.
Thank you all,
John
