File #: 25-4165    Version: 1 Name: HONORING THE IRVING PARK YMCA ON THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Type: Consent Calendar Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 10/17/2025 In control: Board of Commissioners
On agenda: 10/23/2025 Final action: 10/23/2025
Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION HONORING THE IRVING PARK YMCA ON THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY WHEREAS, the Irving Park YMCA was constructed in 1925 by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to serve and support the spiritual, mental, social, and physical well-being of individuals and families on Chicago's expanding Northwest Side; and WHEREAS, the first membership campaign brought in 2,081 members in just ten days, and the Irving Park YMCA has averaged 10,000 members per year since its founding; and WHEREAS, the Irving Park YMCA became a cultural and civic hub by welcoming international guests for the 1926 World Eucharistic Congress of the Roman Catholic Church; and WHEREAS, it also served as a center of hospitality during the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition, demonstrating the YMCA community's enduring commitment to cultural engagement; and WHEREAS, the YMCA was home to a distinguished chorus of men and women, known for public concerts and original musical arrangements reflecting both classical ...
Sponsors: BRIDGET DEGNEN, JESSICA VÁSQUEZ, FRANK J. AGUILAR, ALMA E. ANAYA, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, BRIDGET GAINER, BILL LOWRY, DR. KISHA E. McCASKILL, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, JOSINA MORITA, KEVIN B. MORRISON, SEAN M. MORRISON, MICHAEL SCOTT JR., TARA S. STAMPS, MAGGIE TREVOR
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PROPOSED RESOLUTION

HONORING THE IRVING PARK YMCA ON THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY

WHEREAS, the Irving Park YMCA was constructed in 1925 by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to serve and support the spiritual, mental, social, and physical well-being of individuals and families on Chicago's expanding Northwest Side; and

WHEREAS, the first membership campaign brought in 2,081 members in just ten days, and the Irving Park YMCA has averaged 10,000 members per year since its founding; and

WHEREAS, the Irving Park YMCA became a cultural and civic hub by welcoming international guests for the 1926 World Eucharistic Congress of the Roman Catholic Church; and

WHEREAS, it also served as a center of hospitality during the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition, demonstrating the YMCA community's enduring commitment to cultural engagement; and

WHEREAS, the YMCA was home to a distinguished chorus of men and women, known for public concerts and original musical arrangements reflecting both classical traditions and popular tunes of the era; and

WHEREAS, the Irving Park YMCA earned a unique place in sports history by offering one of the National Football League's earliest weight-training facilities. Chicago Bears players were attracted to the facility because of a program developed by Olympic Weightlifter Clyde Emrich. Famous Bears players who called the YMCA their off-season home included NFL Hall of Famers Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Mike Ditka, and Doug Atkins, as well as Doug Buffone, Dick Gordon, Johnny Morris, Ronnie Bull; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of this partnership the Chicago Bears and the YMCA renamed the Irving Park YMCA's weight room "The Bears Den," a distinction that cemented its legacy in professional athletics; and

WHEREAS, over the decades the Irving Park YMCA has enriched the lives of children and teens through summer day camps, sports programs, life-saving swimming lessons, field trips, and special events that build confidence and community; and

WHER...

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