NEWS

YMCA to open first facility for veterans in U.S.

When the new Pike Township YMCA opens in 2018, it will have a targeted membership base – veterans.

Shari Rudavsky
shari.rudavsky@indystar.com
Aquatics director Mikail Al-Malik (right) talks with Dewey Williams during his water aerobics class at the Fort Benjamin Harrison YMCA on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016. Al-Malik served 10 years in the Marine Corps, and Williams is a retired Army sergeant major. Williams was also Al-Malik's JROTC instructor at Arlington High School.

The inspiration came on a treadmill.

Two men at the Hendricks Regional Health YMCA in Avon were talking about how great it was that the workout facility had a close connection to the neighboring hospital. I work at the VA hospital,one man said to the other, a former YMCA employee, and it would be great for us to have a relationship like that with the Y.

Rather than wiping away the idea with the post-workout sweat, the two men ran with it. When the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis opens its new Pike facility in 2018, it will be the first in the country to offer special services and dedicated space for veterans.

The OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA in Pike Township will offer physical and occupational therapy provided by Richard Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center staff, as well as pain management and other counseling services. It also will offer classes geared toward veterans.

“We think it’s a model that could be replicated across the country, and we anticipate that it will be, because it’s the right thing to do,” said Eric Ellsworth, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.

About 120,000 veterans live in the area served by the Indianapolis YMCA. More than half have a long-term health issue stemming from their military service, from physical problems to post-traumatic stress disorder, Ellsworth said.

People who have served sometimes face unique challenges when they leave the military, said former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Marine Corps veteran and a self-described cheerleader for the project. Often they feel more comfortable surrounded by others who have served.

“When you’re in the military, it’s all in, it’s a lifestyle. When you leave … you’re coming into really a different type of world, and sometimes you need a little bit of coaching, a little bit of help,” Ballard said. “This is a good initiative that will allow essentially one-stop shopping.”

As a program director at the Fort Benjamin Harrison YMCA, Marine Corps veteran Mikail Al-Malik bridges both worlds. The Fort Ben Y, where he is aquatics director, has a number of members who are veterans because it sits on a former military base.

A display honors veterans at the Fort Benjamin Harrison YMCA on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016.

Once veterans leave the military, it can be difficult to find programs that cater to their needs, particularly if they are younger, said Al-Malik, who served for 10 years. The VFW and the American Legion tend to draw older veterans.

“The younger generation, they haven’t really discovered what the Y can offer,” Al-Malik said. “I think the Y is a natural place for anyone to gather. … It’s a great local resource if you’re looking to stay active and you’re not ready for the VFW or American Legion.”

The new YMCA facility will enhance the outpatient services offered by the Roudebush VA, said Richard Griffith, chief of planning and development for the hospital. At present, when veterans need rehab medicine, their only option is the Downtown hospital, where parking and traffic can be challenging.

When the new YMCA opens, they will have another option. In addition, the YMCA will have a swimming pool and exercise equipment that the hospital does not.

The Pike Township YMCA, still on the drawing board, seemed a perfect spot to create a hub for veterans, Ellsworth said. Located on 12 acres at 5315 Lafayette Road and within sight of I-65, the new YMCA will not be far from the Downtown VA and could expand.

The building, which will cost $16 million to $17 million, will include a pool, a full-size gymnasium and a health and wellness center with an array of cardiovascular equipment, including some special machines for veterans.

The 90,000-square-foot facility will include about 35,000 square feet for an early childhood center built by Pike Township Schools and about 5,000 square feet dedicated to veterans, including their own lounge and gathering area.

A $3.5 million Lilly Endowment grant helped make the project a reality, but the YMCA is still soliciting money to help pay for it, Ellsworth said.

Classes such as financial literacy, job placement and diabetes prevention, as well as adaptive sports, such as wheelchair basketball, will be offered for veterans.

“Some of this quite honestly is a learning curve for us,” said Jim Wood, chief development officer for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis. “One of the interesting things that we have learned in planning for this is that veterans want two things: They want to interact with other veterans. … The other thing is to integrate into the community.”

Some programs will be offered at other YMCA branches. Starting in January, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis will offer a 20 percent discount to all veterans, military members and their families. Also next year, the YMCA plans to hire its first director of veterans and military services, Wood said.

Meanwhile, the veterans hospital is expanding its outpatient clinics with an eye to serving more veterans, Griffith said. In addition to six satellite clinics, Roudebush plans to open clinics at Fort Benjamin Harrison and in Shelbyville. It will open a 50-bed residential treatment program for homeless veterans in a historic facility at the former military base.

“The medical center here is really dedicated to getting more veterans into veteran health care,” Griffith said. “The Y is just one more truly innovative way.”

For Al-Malik, the Y has become a place where he connects with veterans like himself. A few times a week, he bumps into his former JROTC instructor and chats. A number of veterans regularly gather at the facility.

Al-Malik said he thinks he will drive to the new Pike facility only for special programs, rather than switch branches.

But he said the link between the Y and veterans makes perfect sense.

“Veterans are a unique breed. We have our own culture, and sometimes when you’re around normal civilians, they don’t understand,” he said. “When you go in the military, a lot of people think it’s because you like to fight or something, but that’s not the case. It’s service, and the Y has the same mission.”

An artist's rendering of the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA in Pike Township, which will be at 5315 Lafayette Road.

Call IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.

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