| 1844 |
Sir George Williams founded the YMCA movement in London, England. |
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| 1851 |
First YMCAs in North America were founded in Montreal and Boston. |
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| 1875 |
Delaware organized First Association in Wilmington. It disbanded four years later for unknown reasons. |
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| 1889 |
The YMCA was reorganized in Wilmington. |
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| 1891 |
The YMCA purchased the Ebbitt House at 1005-07 Market Street and leased land for an athletic field at Riverview near 30th Street, east of Market Street. |
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| 1906 |
The Market Street property was sold to the Du Pont Company in 1903 and vacated in 1906. Temporary quarters were in a church building where the Public Library now stands. |
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| 1908 |
A new, five-story building opened at the northeast corner of Tenth and Orange Streets. |
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| 1929 |
The Central Branch building on Washington Street opened. |
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| 1938 |
The Tockwogh Camp property was purchased for $15,000, one half contributed by Mr. Brown and the other half by the P. S. du Pont Foundation. |
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| 1940 |
The Walnut Street Branch, a gift of H. Fletcher Brown, opened for YMCA and YWCA use. |
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| 1945 |
The YMCA of Dover organized to meet the needs and potential of associating with a national youth organization. |
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| 1946 |
The YMCA joined the United Community Fund of Wilmington, now the United Way, and has participated in joint financial campaigns ever since. |
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| 1948 |
The YMCA Community Services Department extended Y programs throughout New Castle County through Indian Guide Tribes, Junior and Senior Hi-Y Clubs, and day camps. |
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| 1953 |
Branch Associations in Newark and in the Bellefonte-Claymont Area were organized. |
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| 1956 |
The Southwest Branch was organized. With the extension of services throughout New Castle County, the "YMCA of Wilmington" changed its name to "YMCA of Wilmington and New Castle County." |
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| 1957 |
The Y purchased 24.56 acres of land in Brandywine Hundred, on Harvey Road. |
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| 1963 |
Southwest and Newark Branches merged into the Western Branch. |
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| 1964 |
The YMCA of Dover changed its name to Dover-Kent County YMCA and launched a Capital Campaign. |
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| 1965 |
The New Castle Area Branch was organized. |
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| 1966 |
The new Brandywine Y building, Western branch and Central renovations opened. |
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| 1967 |
Developing center-city youth work led to new programs and plans for coordinating Central and Walnut Street services. |
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| 1968 |
YMCA of Dover-Kent County opened its doors at the current location, 1132 South State Street in Dover. |
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| 1972 |
The Group Services Branch was organized as a non-facility unit with responsibility for work high school age youth and Indian Guides. |
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| 1975 |
Because of high inflation and soaring costs, the Group Services unit was disbanded: high school age programs were reassigned to suburban Branches. Professional staff was cut to 18 with more volunteer and part-time leaders in direct program positions. The Youth Service Center, a government funded project counseling pre-adjudicated youth, was terminated in midyear at the close of the contract. Even with the cutbacks, program participants reached an all time high. |
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| 1979 |
The Y initiated a $5.8 million Capital Development Fund Campaign to renovate and expand facilities. DIAL program expanded to include drug and alcohol prevention programs throughout the state. |
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| 1980 |
Eastern Sussex Family YMCA organized and aligned with the Dover-Kent County YMCA. |
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| 1981 |
Dover-Kent County YMCA changed its name to the YMCA of Southern Delaware, with the Eastern Sussex Family YMCA, located in a storefront office and activity room in Rehoboth Beach. |
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| 1982 |
Partnership with Athens, Greece YMCA was approved. Eastern Sussex Y leased the vacant West Rehoboth Elementary School. |
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| 1983 |
The Brandywine Branch opened its new facilities - gym, track, fitness area and locker room. A 56-acre site, abutting the Western Branch was purchased with plans to construct a day camp site and multiple athletic fields. The Central Branch opened its new men's and women's fitness center. The Y Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Hanby property agreed to have the Y operate a day camp and sports center for Brandywine, Central and Walnut Street Branches. The International Partnership between Wilmington and Athens was formalized by a meeting in Athens, Greece. |
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| 1984 |
On February 1, the YMCA of Wilmington and New Castle County officially became the YMCA of Delaware, with two new Branches - Central Delaware in Dover and Eastern Sussex Family in Rehoboth. This merger produced the first statewide, incorporated Association in the country. |
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| 1985 |
The Resource Center became the eighth Y Branch statewide. Child care programs were the fastest growing program with a 36 percent increase in our full-day and after-school programs. Camping at the Hanby Outdoor Center and Camp Tockwogh reported a 23 percent increase in the number of campers. The Central Branch, in a collaborative program with the Visiting Nurse Association, opened a sick child care center, "Sniffles and Sneezes". The Resource Center and Family Court joined created ADEPT, an educational program for first-time drug and alcohol offenders. |
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| 1987 |
The Western Branch added a Fitness Center. Construction continued at the Hanby Outdoor Center. |
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| 1987 |
International programs expanded, with our first youth trip to the Athens, Greece, YMCA. The Y added a new program, the Brandywine Social Club, which provides activities for mentally handicapped adults. |
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| 1988 |
Two new Program Centers - M.O.T. in Middletown and Lancaster Avenue, offered fitness and child care programs. Hanover Child Care Program opened as an extension of Central Branch Children's Corner. Camp Tockwogh celebrated its 50th Anniversary. |
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| 1989 |
A Year of Celebration:The YMCA of Delaware, and all eight Branches across the state, celebrated 100 years of service. Walnut Street held its 50th Anniversary with a Youth Festival, a community celebration, and invited Julian Bond to be speaker at the Black Achiever in Business and Industry Awards. Fitness centers opened - at Central and Walnut Street. |
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| 1990 |
Child Care programs expanded with Central Delaware opening two new sites in Middletown to operate six locations. Sussex Family opened its first After School Program in the Indian River School District, and Brandywine introduced "Clubs" which give children mini-session activity choices to fuel their imagination. |
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Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm was guest speaker at the Second Annual Black Achiever in Business and Industry Awards, honoring 25 of Delaware's top business professionals. Black Achievers and their corporate sponsors hosted Career Workshops and Field Trips for more than 150 at-risk teens. |
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| 1991 |
The YMCA of Delaware increased youth development and youth leadership programming. Hundreds of teenagers benefited from Youth in Government, Model United Nations, the National Affairs Conference, Delaware Teen Conference, Peer Counseling Program and Youth Leaders Club. The Black Achiever in Business and Industry Awards Program has become one of Delaware's most recognized youth guidance and development programs. Guest speaker, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, presented awards to 31 recipients. Even in a slow economy, the YMCA responded effectively to the needs of our members and the community. The Central Branch reopened the sixth floor of its residence facility, adding 20 needed rooms. The Resource Center's "Eye Magazine" was honored by the Delaware Valley YMCA regional program agency (MRC) as an outstanding youth leadership development program. |
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| 1992 |
Through the YMCA Resource Center, pregnant and expectant teens were welcomed into a program called "New Connections." Developed in collaboration with the Medical Center of Delaware, and with transportation assistance provided by the American Red Cross, it offered teen parenting skills and other valuable life skills to an underserved population. The partners and families of these teens are also invited to participate to help teen mothers raise healthy, happy children. |
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| 1993 |
The Central Delaware Branch embarked on a $3 million Capital Campaign for expansion. The Resource Center strengthened its presence in Kent and Sussex Counties and developed a new training program for teachers, students & youth workers called "Conflict Resolution," which addresses violence. General Colin Powell spoke at the 5th Annual Black Achievers program and, for the first time, 8,000 youth had the opportunity to hear the keynote address. |
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| 1993 |
The Central Branch launched the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative program - a structured recreational, social and tutorial program for teens. The Resource Center initiated YELL (Youth to Eliminate Loss of Life). Funded through the Office of Highway Safety, this program promotes youth sponsorship of anti-drug efforts and highway safety projects in Delaware schools. |
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| 1994 |
1994 We joined with YMCAs across the world to adopt character development education as our number one priority. The identification of four character values, caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility and their implementation into every program we offer reflect our commitment to the future. The Bear/Glasgow Family branch officially came into existence. |