MetroWest YMCA aims to build a new Ashland location. It just got a $2.5M boost

Jesse Collings, MetroWest Daily News
·3 min read

FRAMINGHAM — The MetroWest YMCA announced it has received a $2.5 million donation from Natick software company MathWorks, which will be used to kickstart a capital campaign to create a new brand for the MetroWest YMCA in Ashland.

News of the donation was announced Thursday during the YMCA's annual Marathon Community Breakfast and Inspiration Awards ceremony. The MetroWest YMCA is seeking to raise about $20 million in its quest to build a new facility on Memorial Drive in Ashland.

"This will be a full service Y," MetroWest YMCA President and CEO Rick MacPherson said. "Our current location in Framingham is good for servicing residents in Framingham, Natick and Wayland, but we know that residents in other parts of MetroWest are underserved. This location, which is conveniently located right off Route 135, is ideally located for people in Ashland, Hopkinton, Holliston, Sherborn and some parts of Framingham."

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The YMCA has been in possession of a 12.5-acre site on Memorial Drive in Ashland since 2018, when it was donated by Ashland resident Bob Gayner. Since then, the group has been conducting research, site plan evaluation, feasibility studies and cost estimates to determine what needs to be done to create a new location.

"We are in the early stages of the campaign, and typically that lasts about a year and a half to two years, so we'd really like to be wrapped up with it by the end of 2024," MacPherson said.

Members of the MetroWest YMCA during Thursday's Marathon Community Breakfast, where MathWorks announced a $2.5 million donation to the YMCA for a new location in Ashland.
Members of the MetroWest YMCA during Thursday's Marathon Community Breakfast, where MathWorks announced a $2.5 million donation to the YMCA for a new location in Ashland.

MacPherson said the capital campaign's aim is to raise $20 million, approximately half of the estimated cost for the new facility, with the remaining funding coming from the YMCA itself. The vision for the new Ashland YMCA includes a gymnasium, an indoor pool, a STEM center, an early childhood education center and private exercise spaces.

"We've done a lot of research on this, and we know that at our current location, we have very few members coming from Ashland, Hopkinton or Holliston," MacPherson said. "We know there is a demand for these services in the community."

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MathWorks, which has two campuses in Natick, specializes in mathematical computing software. The privately held company is one of MetroWest's largest employers.

“The YMCA is an exceptional organization that strengthens families and empowers communities across the country,” said Jeanne O'Keefe, Mathworks' senior vice president and chief financial officer, in a statement. “Supporting our local community is a core company value, so we were excited to collaborate with this nonprofit partner to build an inviting place for thousands of children and families within the area.”

MacPherson added that MathWorks making such a sizeable contribution to start the campaign has gotten plans for the new facility off to an optimistic start.

"It means the world to us," he said. "We have supported MathWorks employees, and all employees in the region, but to have such a world-class organization led by a strong team, for them to have the faith in us to make that kind of investment, it's fantastic."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Ashland YMCA expansion receives $2.5 million donation