Major gift paves the way for new and upgraded fitness equipment

New equipment arrives at Euclid

New and upgraded fitness equipment has arrived at the Geauga, Downtown, Euclid, Hillcrest, Southeast and West Park-Fairview branches thanks to a major gift from the Miller Family Charitable Trust.

The trust was established by the late Paul and Kathryn Miller, who were members of the Geauga Family YMCA in Chardon. Their donation of $800,000 this year allowed for the Geauga branch to upgrade its fitness.

That in turn led to benefits for multiple branches at the Y of Greater Cleveland and even an outside non-profit.

The Miller Family’s gift allowed the Greater Cleveland YMCA Association to buy out the lease on the current Geauga branch equipment, thus allowing old equipment at our Downtown, Euclid, Hillcrest, Southeast and West Park-Fairview branches to be upgraded to better serve our members at those branch locations.

And finally, fitness equipment leaving Hillcrest and Euclid was donated to the Community Service Alliance on the near west side of Cleveland, a transitional housing location for people reentering the community from correctional institutions.

The equipment is now in place at all locations, and a grand re-opening event to celebrate will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 10 at the Geauga branch.

Similar grand re-openings were held at the Downtown, Euclid, Hillcrest, Southeast and West-Park-Fairview Family YMCA branches on Saturday, August 20.

“We are deeply appreciative of the generosity of the Miller family in making this substantial gift to our Geauga branch,” Haley said.
The Miller Family has a long history of philanthropy with the Geauga Family Y. Through the years, they have contributed more than $2 million to the Chardon facility, which opened in 2003.
The Geauga Family Y Fitness Center is named in memory of William F. Miller, Sr., through the generous gifts of his family: Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Miller, Sr.; Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Miller, Jr.; Richard and Joyce Burke; James and Joanne Collins; the Randy and Kathy Mattson family; and the William and Dee Dee Miller family.

William F. Miller, Sr., was President of the Johnson Rubber Company from 1946-1979. He served as the company’s Chairman of the Board from 1969-1979 and Honorary Chairman of the Board during 1979-1980.
Mr. Miller was born in 1888 and passed away in 1986.