For Youth Development
For Helathy Living
For Social Responsibility

Dedicated to Today's Youth

We believe that kids deserve the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. That’s why, through the Y, millions of youth today are cultivating the values, skills, and relationships that lead to positive behaviors, better health, and educational achievement.

Focusing on Healthy Living

In communities across the nation, the Y is a leading voice on health and well-being. We bring families closer together, encourage good health, and foster connections through fitness, sports, and fun. As a result, millions of youth, adults, and families are receiving support, guidance, and resources needed to achieve greater health for their spirit, mind, and body.

The History of the YMCA of Riverside City & County

The Riverside Young Men’s Christian Association was founded on November 24th, 1884. The formative meeting was held in the original First Baptist Church at Eighth (University Avenue and Lemon Streets. The “Y” rented two rooms on the second floor of the Central block on the west side of Main Street, midway between Eighth and Ninth. Membership grew rapidly and larger quarters were found in a store building at the Northwest corner of Eighth and Orange Streets.

The first president was Benjamin W. Handy, age 31, who had reached Riverside in 1876. His distinguished father, Benjamin B. Handy, former New England whaling captain, headed his family. They became citrus growers. Captain Handy was one of the original city trustees.

One of the early active supporters was Frank Miller of the Glenwood Hotel (later the Mission Inn). When the further growth of the Y made a new building logical he contributed by donating the site, alongside the Main Street frontage of his hotel.

When the building was opened for use in January 1889, it was not altogether finished and furnished. The collapse of the boom of the eighties in the Spring of 1888 had resulted in the cancellation of many pledges, but the economy recovered and a new fund drive brought in the money to complete the project.

The membership, then and until the 1960’s, included men and boys who lived at home and took part in athletic programs, social and religious gatherings and educational activities. Other members made the Y their living quarters. One of its stated functions was to provide men with rental rooms not subject to influences often encountered at hotels.

The YMCA Auxiliary had been organized in April 1885. Its functions were many, but they usually amounted to fund raising for special projects. They gave luncheons and dinners within the organization and catered for outside groups. One of their traditions was serving luncheons regularly for the Riverside Kiwanis Club. The tradition started at the second YMCA building, which stands on University Avenue at Lemon Street, across the street from the original meeting place in the Baptist Church.

In 1949, they received as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Lackey of Corona, a tract of land near Black Mountain, in the San Jacinto Mountains. The Y maintained Camp Lackey until 1990 when year-round maintenance and access problems forced the sale of the camp. The Y currently rents three different YMCA camps and sends 400-500 boys and girls to camp each year. By the 1960’s, the downtown Riverside area had ceased to be a major retail shopping area. This, and the need for expansion prompted the Y to select its present site at 4020 Jefferson Street. The building was completed in 1968.

The Riverside YMCA has helped develop the YMCA of the Desert and the Corona/Norco YMCA, which are now independent YMCAs. The current makeup of the YMCA of Riverside City & County includes Riverside, Jurupa, Moreno Valley, and Southwest County (Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore) as service areas.

Beyond the facility at 4020 Jefferson Street, the YMCA of Riverside City & County conducts programs at over 60 locations each through collaborative relationships with schools, cities, churches, county government entities, and other facilities throughout Western Riverside County.