The Valley of the Sun YMCA secured more than $6 million to build a new facility on six acres within the Maryvale community of Phoenix. This 32,000 sq. ft. facility was built one year ahead of schedule as a result of the NMTC financing provided. The project brought stability and provided a valuable community resource to a distressed census tract needing community resources for its youth.

The Maryvale YMCA included a gym for organized sporting events, a weight room/fitness area, and a swimming pool. The facility has a Teen Center, which is used for educational and recreational programs, and community meeting rooms for classes, community functions, and neighborhood meetings.

This new location was the YMCA’s 21st facility in Arizona. Since this project, the YMCA has successfully completed the expansion and refurbishing of the downtown Phoenix YMCA, as well as opened a new YMCA in Queen Creek, Ariz.

The general contractor for the project was Sun Eagle Construction, LLC, a company headed by Martin Alvarez, who is a board member of the YMCA and a long-time supporter of the organization.

Key Community Benefits
This project is the cornerstone of the “Hope Square” development. The Hope Square development is an expanding 18-acre social services campus. The surrounding community now has specialized playing fields for the disabled, a social services center, medical services, which includes a crisis pregnancy prevention center, a nursing school, an organization that specializes in the adoption of kids with special needs, and a charter middle and high school.

The new YMCA assists the residents of Maryvale with youth programs and family services, including adult fitness activities that promote healthy lifestyles, build self-esteem, and develop leadership qualities; youth activities, including sports and aquatics safety; child care; summer day camp; and a juvenile justice program which provides diversion programs of counseling, behavior modification and personal growth for first-offender youths referred by the court.