Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA Launches the Together We Build Campaign to Reach $400,000 Goal to Renovate and Expand Facility

Pleasant Hill Chief of Police, Pete Dunbar, Lends a Helping Hand in Support of the YMCA Campaign


PLEASANT HILL, CA--(Marketwire - November 18, 2008) - The Mt. Diablo Region YMCA's Irvin Deutscher Family branch facility, announced today the launch of the Together We Build campaign to raise $400,000 to renovate a significant portion of the facility. Through generous contributions from the community and the YMCA advisory board, the capital campaign has already finished the first phase of the capital campaign, which included a top-rated sports and recreation outdoor area, as well as new family locker rooms and much needed additional parking.

The YMCA is seeking the remaining $266,000 to complete the second phase of the campaign. To accommodate the growing membership, the comprehensive second phase renovation includes a 4,500 square-foot health and wellness center, featuring additional strength training and cardiovascular equipment to seniors and special needs populations, and a nutritional/demonstrative teaching kitchen to provide healthy cooking alternatives to aid the prevention of youth, adult and senior obesity. In addition, the facility will embody a state-of-the-art, multi-generational technology center, and additional programmatic floor space.

Further bolstering the campaign, Pete Dunbar, police chief of Pleasant Hill, recently joined the YMCA advisory board and is volunteering as a team captain for the Together We Build campaign. His involvement signifies the importance of the Pleasant Hill facility and its need for expanded programs to make an even greater impact in the community. In this role, Dunbar is not only making an individual contribution to the facility, but he is also recruiting volunteers and soliciting donations from those who want to be involved.

"The Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA is the center of the community, as it represents everything that Pleasant Hill strives to be -- an inviting, safe and healthy place to live," said Dunbar. "The Y is an inviting place for friends and family to get together, enjoy wholesome fun and promote a healthier lifestyle. The expansion of this facility is critical to the 'health' of our community and I strongly encourage the public to embrace the Together We Build campaign to create a safe 'home away from home' for all."

The Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA respectfully extends an invitation to the community to consider donating via the web site at www.mdrymca.org.

"Generous community citizens like Pete Dunbar have greatly contributed to the growth of the Y over the years. Our volunteers make a direct impact on the success and healthy atmosphere that the Y provides to the community. We couldn't continue to grow without their dedication," said Michael F. Erwin, president and CEO of the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA.

The Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA has offered extensive, quality programs and services to all ages since 1968. For 40 years, the Y has been the leader of the community in fitness, health, recreation, summer camps, aquatics, child care, and leadership training. The Pleasant Hill facility was the first Y in Contra Costa County, and the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA now serves over 40,000 members annually. The renovations will have a positive impact on the spirit, mind, and body of thousands of people in the community and for generations to come. Last year, 15,000 children and adults were touched by the Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA. When the expansion is complete, the facility will reach an estimated 25,000 local members a year. The Together We Build campaign and the YMCA is a community effort. Donations will be raised through generous contributions from foundations and corporations, local businesses, YMCA members, and community individuals. As David Deutscher, son of co-founder of the Irvin Deutscher facility, has always said, "It was not his dad's YMCA, nor his family's Y. Rather, it's everyone's Y and belongs to the community."

About the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA

The Mt. Diablo Region YMCA has served the greater Contra Costa County area for 50 years. With four branches (Concord/Clayton YMCA in Clayton, the Delta Family YMCA in Oakley, the Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA in Pleasant Hill, and the San Ramon Valley YMCA in Alamo), 23 school-age child care sites at local elementary schools, and four preschools, the organization is continuing to grow and expand its network to meet the ever-changing needs of the local community. The Mt. Diablo Region YMCA provides program services for more than 40,000 members of the community, from toddlers to seniors. The organization is dedicated to enriching the lives of all people through programs that strengthen spirit, mind and body. Financial assistance is available to all individuals who demonstrate proven need. For more information, visit www.mdrymca.org.

(From left to right) Pleasant Hill Police Chief, Pete Dunbar and Irvin Deutscher Family YMCA's Associate Executive Director, Michael Saenz.