‘Y’ offers Young Adult membership

One hundred sixty-eight dollars isn’t much for some people, but it can be a lot to those just starting out in life.

The YMCA of Northwest Florida recently changed its fee schedule to help young adults better afford membership. It now offers people between the ages of 16-25 full membership for just $25 a month, a $14 less than the adult membership fee of $39 per month for a savings of $168 per year.

“We find we have a growing number of young adults … who can’t afford $39 a month,” said Yolanda Flanigan, membership director at the Pullum Family YMCA in Navarre.

Flanigan said more young people are working and going to college with limited income or living at home with families who aren’t interested in membership.

“The special benefit (of the Young Adult membership) is they get all the benefits of regular membership,” Flanigan said. “That’s quite a lot. It’s a great rate.”

More than 30 Young Adult members have joined the Pullum branch since the new rate became available Dec. 1, she said. More than 3,500 people belong to the local branch under one of almost 1,500 membership plans (it has more than 700 household memberships).

Besides the Young Adult ($25 per month) and Adult ($39) memberships, the Y also offers a Senior membership for people 65 and older for $33 per month and a Household membership for $63 per month. The Household membership includes two adults and all dependent children, foster children and adult dependents, according to Internal Revenue Service regulations, living in the same household.

Each new membership is charged a one-time joiner’s fee. The Pullum branch joiner’s fee normally is $50 but is waived for Young Adult memberships and varies during certain membership campaigns like “Pay-the-Day” in January, when the new member pays the dollar amount corresponding to the day of the month they join.

For more information, call the Pullum Family YMCA at 936-0049 or go to www.ymcanwfl.org/locations/pullum online.