Springfield's YMCA to be known as 'The Y'

SPRINGFIELD — The national YMCA organization is changing its name to what people have been calling it for years: simply, the Y.

The new branding strategy will trickle down to the Springfield YMCA, but local officials have five years to make the switch, said YMCA interim CEO Joseph Moormann.

The current logo has been in place for 43 years.

“We’re affiliated with the national office, so we will be using the new logo and the new branding,” Moormann said. “Since everybody calls it ‘The Y,’ they’ve changed it to ‘The Y.’ ”

The transition will bring different, more inviting, colors schemes and logos that the YMCA here will choose from, Moormann added.

The national organization is also unveiling a three-pronged mission statement: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, Moormann said.

The goal is to “make the YMCA more open and friendly to the entire community, so people can better understand what the Y is all about,” he explained.

Moormann expects the costs of the change to be minimal, with changes only where the old logo is, plus adjustments to company letterhead.

“But we’ve got five years to do that, so we’re not in dire straits,” he said.

Moormann was named interim CEO of Springfield Y in April, replacing Woody Cornette.

Moormann also previously served as CEO of the facility for 17 years.

He said a search committee has been formed to select a new CEO; more than 50 people have applied for the position.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0374 or boutten@coxohio.com.

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