Apr 15, 2026 UPDATE

Town Hall Recap and Next Steps from Brittani!

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your patience as I got the recap of the town hall together! We had a great gathering on March 26, sharing ideas and stories and reaffirming what we know about how the YMCA's decision to close the Ransburg has played out. We had lots of good media presence at the event and coverage afterward. 

I just wanted to get you up to speed on what came out of the town hall. Attached you will find the notes, and below you will find the link to the recording, which Amazing Grace Christian Church very kindly created for us. 

Ransburg YMCA 2026 Town Hall Meeting

Our IMMEDIATE next step is to pull together the folks at the town hall who said they would like to be part of a committee to pursue solutions for the building. Aside from convincing the Y to reopen the Ransburg (unlikely, but not impossible), we want to be poised to advocate to keep the building as a community asset rather than sold off to a developer when it finally goes up for sale. As of right now, we've been told it will be staffed for a few weeks or months, just not open to the public. We haven't seen anything public about a sale, but we want to be ready when we do. If you were not at the town hall and you would be interested in joining the committee, please let me know! 

One chapter for our beloved Ransburg has closed, but the story isn't over yet. There were a lot of people at our town hall who care about what happens next and making sure the east side keeps a community center. We've got a lot to do, but luckily we've also got folks willing to do it. 

Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! 

Best,

Brittani

 

TOWN HALL RECAP
Pastor welcomed us with a prayer, Samantha welcomed with an overview of the evening
agenda.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HOW THIS WILL AFFECT THE EAST SIDE:

Samantha detailed the health and social consequences of losing the Ransburg, using data from
Far Eastside Community Council’s Quality of Life survey report. The east side already has
significantly higher rates of chronic diseases; losing a fitness and health facility is going to
exacerbate those conditions. It also eliminates a desperately needed safe space for youth. The
Ransburg served 2000 kids. Forty-three percent of the FECC’s survey participants say there
aren’t enough programs or resources for kids and teens; now there will be even fewer. Those
resources include good first jobs; lots of kids get summer gigs lifeguarding at the Ransburg
pool, which will no longer be available. The Ransburg was also one of very few remaining
intergenerational spaces. Outside of churches, where else do you see preschoolers and seniors
interacting?
The survey found 39% of respondents saying it’s hard to access healthy food. The Ransburg
moved 10,000 pounds of food a year, with more than 250 families registered to receive food
from the Crisis Cooler program. Attendees also brought up how the YMCA is the only local
entity providing affordable infant swim lessons, which help to prevent drowning. And it is a place
of community and connection for senior citizens, who are prone to the mental health impacts of
isolation, particularly in winter months.

 

WHAT RESOURCES DO WE KNOW OF

As Samantha has said, the closing of the Ransburg YMCA is leaving a void, and the east side
doesn’t have enough resources to fill it. That said, we did ask people to discuss the resources
we know of to address some of the problems outlined above:

 

SAFE SPACES/ACTIVITIES FOR YOUTH
- WARREN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS: The Y will offer summer camp at Liberty Park Elementary
and will maintain some community presence through the schools, but details are still pending
- GIRL SCOUTS OF CENTRAL INDIANA: Will run day camp from June 29-July 3, offering free
transportation to/from the Far Eastside; will offer campers breakfast and lunch; if caregivers
volunteer at camp, their campers attend for free. There are financial aid and payment plans and
you don’t have to be a registered girl scout to attend (though it is exclusively for girls)
- COMMON GROUND AT FAITH: Farming several acres across the street from the high school;

in November will move food pantry over there, and will be able to get kids involved with the
farming as well as teach them about nonprofit management. Lots of ways to engage youth.
Additionally, Gennesaret health clinic will be there to provide free healthcare to neighbors.
- Man2Man Outreach: The group founded by Alice Weber at the Ransburg YMCA. This group is
seeking a new location.
- Far Eastside Community Council’s Youth Engagement Coordinator Shardae Hoskins
(contact@feccindy.org) and the Community Events hub on their website
- Mirror Indy’s Darian Benson runs a text service for her eastside reporting, including events,
opportunities and resources: Sign up here
- Far East 2 mayor’s neighborhood advocate Sydney Starks runs a newsletter. Email her to sign
up: sydney.starks@indy.gov

 

FOOD ASSISTANCE
- See Common Ground at Faith, above

 

COMMUNITY FOR SENIORS
- AUTUMN LEAVES ADULT DAY CENTER: This organization primarily serves seniors with
dementia, but a representative said they would open their doors free of charge to Ransburg
members seeking a new place to be. They have a community room with games, can offer lunch,
and recently added transportation assistance. Open 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 

SWIM LESSONS
WARREN AQUATICS CLUB

 

GYMS
ATHENAEUM TURNER GYMNASIUM: Currently running a sign-up promo for Ransburg
members. Two free months to try it out.

WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE

Longtime Ransburg advisory board members Vanessa Stiles and Craig Cordi shared their
knowledge of the Ransburg’s sustainability challenges and the last few years, challenging the
YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’ (YOGI) narrative that they exhausted every option.
Y sent out a letter saying they held 105 community meetings, 5 focus groups, and an online
survey.
- Vanessa clarified that those 105 meetings were not open meetings. They were small
closed-door meetings, largely arranged by Brian Shelley (Ransburg’s executive director)
without help/support from the larger association
- No one else in the room knew what meetings the letter was talking about

- Additionally, only 3-4 people knew about the focus groups, and said that while they
attended, no one made clear at the focus groups that the Ransburg was in danger of
closure
While YOGI is closing Ransburg, it has been in talks with Whitestown Redevelopment
Commission to open a new location in Boone County
No one is convinced by the $20M endowment requirement. We do, however, know from
Ransburg advisory board members that the building likely needs $3-5 million in building
repairs/maintenance/upgrades, and a new pool pump.
The Ransburg has long been treated like a “problem child”
- most furniture and equipment were hand-me-downs after other Ys were done using them
- “Every year we put a budget together on the capital items that needed to be repaired, and we
got one out of four, one out of five, maybe? And usually the cheapest on the list.” - Craig Cordi.
This sounds like purposeful underfunding until we reached a crisis point.
Ransburg has long run at a deficit. Post-COVID, MOST of the Indianapolis YMCAs were running
at a deficit, but Ransburg had actually gotten back to pre-COVID levels.
Losing childcare vouchers “doomed us.”
18 months ago(ish), the Ransburg YMCA board was told to find more money to keep the
Ransburg open. A taskforce was put together to make that happen. Vanessa and Craig, the two
longest-tenured members of the board, were not invited to join it. The taskforce pursued a
partnership with the Public Safety Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Indianapolis Metropolitan
Police Department. It looked certain enough that they stopped pursuing other options. Chief
Bailey pulled out “in the eleventh hour,” and the plan fell apart. Dane Cook, head of PSF, told
Samantha that the proposal had never been seriously considered, and that they realized quickly
they would need their own space to accommodate the number of officers they serve.
None of the Ransburg board members knew that was their last chance until the executive board
member in late January, when they found out roughly the same time as the rest of us did.

 

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE

The YMCA Board of Trustees, which is different from the association’s advisory board to the
executive team, will decide what happens to the building. We need to find out who they are and
get in contact. We believe their information might be in the YMCA’s recent tax filings.
Indiana Landmarks: the historical nature of the Ransburg building and/or pool may make it of
interest to state/national historic registries, which sometimes comes with funding

Looking into historical documents: It’s possible that the original sale/donation of the land on
which the Ransburg is built has stipulations about what that building/land can be used for. We
need to find their tax records from the 1950s/1960s.
Engage the national YMCA: We think it’s likely that the national YMCA will have serious issues
with how the closing of the Ransburg was handled. We need to reach out to them to explain our
problems and ask them to hold the association and the YOGI advisory board accountable.
Attorney General complaints: Likewise, we can ask the state of Indiana to hold the YMCA
accountable by submitting complaints to the attorney general.
Put pressure on elected officials to fix the Child Care Development Funding situation (childcare
vouchers cut at the federal level)
Put pressure on local officials (city and city council) to prioritize the east side and help us with
our potential next steps of securing the building as a community center.
Finding a business/nonprofit expert who might volunteer their time/expertise to help us find a
sustainable path toward keeping the Ransburg building as an accessible community center.
Convening the committee (about 15 volunteers) to discuss next steps and hammer out action
items.

 

 

Mar 19, 2026 UPDATE

Town Hall Thursday 3/26 6-8pm at Amazing Grace Christian Church 8100 E 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Sharing Samantha Douglas' update and message below from our Facebook Page with a little note from me tucked in there as well:

Ransburg YMCA Town Hall
Thank you for your patience during this phase of our advocacy efforts. After multiple emails and requests for a meeting with YMCA leadership went unanswered, we made the decision to move forward with planning a Town Hall.
 
This Town Hall will take place regardless of their response, ensuring we can share what we know and engage in meaningful conversation with local leaders, organizations, and elected officials about next steps.
 
This information will be shared with YMCA leadership, both here and nationally, as well as local leaders and elected officials.

I also want to thank Brittani Howell Colleen Curtin & Vanessa S Stiles for all of the work they have put into organizing efforts to keep us informed while also applying pressure!! You all are soooo appreciated! Sneaky sliding in here to say what so many of you probably already know, Samantha Douglas is an incredible organizer and this town hall is happening because of her persistence and determination. Deeply grateful for the way she has shown up for this community as a leader. 
 
We hope to see you all next Thursday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR PETITION

 

On January 21st it was reported by local Indianapolis news outlets that the beloved Ransburg YMCA on the east side of Indianapolis is slated to close on March 31st if the Y is unable to secure funding. The Ransburg YMCA is an eastside institution. The branch has served the community for nearly 7 decades, providing childcare, programming for seniors, and community space for generations of eastside neighbors. We are community members who care deeply about this branch and the programs and critical services it provides. We want to support efforts to save it. 

The community could meet the shortfall for this year described in the news. That could buy the Y time to find a longer term funding partner by next year and demonstrate to them through financial support and petition signers that there is substantial community support for an entity investing in the Ransburg Y. 

This petition is addressed to the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Association Leadership Team and their Board of Directors as they are the decision makers described in the press coverage and in social posts. They need to meet with the community. 

Association Leadership Team

GREGG HILAND
President & Chief Executive Officer
MICHAEL FARRIS, JR.
Senior Vice President, Chief Operations Officer
RANDY BORDEAU
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
KIRSTEN EAMON-SHINE
Senior Vice President, Chief Brand Experience Officer
JUSTIN BLACKSTONE
Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer
COLLEEN HORAN
Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer
JESSICA MOORE
Senior Vice President, Chief Equity Advancement Officer

 

YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Board of Directors

JOE WHITE
YMCA Association Board Chair, JBH Ventures
DENNIS SPONSEL
YMCA Association Board Vice Chair, RJE Business Interiors
KAREN AMSTUTZ, MD MBA FAAP
YMCA Association Board Secretary, AmeriHealth Caritas
DOUG GETTELFINGER
YMCA Association Board Treasurer, Civic Leader
PAMELA ANDERSON
PNC
VINCENT ASH
Lauth Group, Inc.
KELLY L.P. BRAVERMAN
Witham Health
ADAM BRODERICK
Lauth Group, Inc.
BILL BROOKS
Civic Leader
ANDREW BUROKER
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
DR. PORSCHE CHISLEY
Chisley Consulting Group
ERIC COLE
Indianapolis Colts
CHRIS COOK
The Farmers Bank
DAVID COOPER
Ernst & Young
TOM DENARI
Young & Laramore
JOHN W. DIETZ, JR., MD
OrthoIndy
TRACY ELLIS-WARD
Pacers Sports & Entertainment
CRAIG FENNEMAN
Civic Leader
MICHELLE FENOUGHTY, MD MBA FACHE
Hendricks Regional Health
CATHERINE GAFFIGAN, MD
Elevance Health
J.P. GHIO
Citizens Energy Group
EDDIE GILL
INVST
M. ZACH GORDON
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
JILL HALL
Repro Graphix, Inc.
JEFFREY A. HARRISON
Citizens Energy Group
KIM IRWIN
Public Health Professional
RYAN MCCABE POOR
Ice Miller LLP
TIM MARTIN
TWM Consulting LLC
KRISTIN MAYS-CORBITT
Mays Chemical Co., Inc.
JOHN D. MERRILL
Merrill Property Group
SARAH MYER
Indiana Sports Corp
DEBORAH OATTS
Nubian Construction Group
KENNETH SCOTT
Family Development Services, Inc.
DOUG WALKER, CIC
Walker Professional Insurance
CHERYL E. WATSON
Tea unwrapped, LLC
FRED YEAKEY, SR.
Providence Cristo Rey High School
MARISA ZAMBRANO
Marian University 

*PLEASE DO NOT donate to the Change.org auto prompt and instead direct any donations to the Ransburg YMCA, please make sure to specify your donation is for the Ransburg Branch. Thank you! Sorry, I can't turn the auto prompt off.