Kaptur Applauds Wayman D. Palmer YMCA Receiving The 2025 NCDA Audrey Nelson Community Development AWARDPress ReleaseJobs and the EconomyHealth Care

Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) celebrated the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA being honored in Washington, DC with the 2025 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award by the National Community Development Association (NCDA). The award recognizes the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA as a national model for transformative community investment.

"I am thrilled to see the new Wayman D. Palmer YMCA awarded the 2025 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award from the National Community Development Association," Congresswoman Kaptur (OH-09) said. "This national recognition elevates the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA as a world-class institution and reflects its extraordinary impact on the health, opportunity, and well-being of our Northwest Ohio community. I am proud to have delivered $25.7 Million in federal funds to help build this new YMCA, which is more than a building. It is a hub of our community and a promise to children, families, and neighbors. May the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA and its dedicated staff continue to shine and bring well-deserved acclaim to this transformative community asset for years to come."

The Audrey Nelson Award is one of the highest honors in community development, spotlighting innovative and collaborative use of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds to meet critical local needs. Since reopening in March 2025, the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA has rapidly become a cornerstone of neighborhood vitality in Toledo's Warren Sherman community.

Membership has surged from 427 to more than 2,000 in less than a year. Over 600 seniors now participate in fitness and social programming, while hundreds of families rely on the YMCA's monthly food pantry. The facility also provides youth swim instruction, early childhood education through on-site pre-K classrooms, digital learning access, mental health services, and community health screenings.
A delegation including representatives from the City of Toledo, the YMCA of Greater Toledo, and office of Congresswoman Kaptur will formally accept the award today at the NCDA Winter/Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, where community development leaders from across the country are gathered to share best practices and celebrate achievements.

Footage of Congresswoman Kaptur's House floor speech honoring the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA in May, 2025 can be found by clicking here, and photos from the ribbon cutting celebration later that same month can be found by clicking here.

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