YMCA 175

2019













YMCA 175



















HERITAGE STORY SUBMISSION
DEBRA REDMOND ,YMI HISTORIAN

Contents

............................................................................................................................................................ 2
INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE ...................................................................................................................... 2

From TOLYMCA to Y’s Men International ........................................................................................... 3
Toledo YMCA after WWI ..................................................................................................................... 4

Paul William Alexander and Tolymca .................................................................................................. 5
The Ohio Association of Y’s Men ........................................................................................................ 6
YMI outside the USA ........................................................................................................................... 7

YMI Today ........................................................................................................................................... 8

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE

As the International Association of Y’s Men’s Clubs approaches its 2022 centennial,
we feel it fitting to share with you our first story, that of a young YMCA member from
Toledo, Ohio, who, with an unparalleled commitment to the YMCA, pioneered a
different and expanded way to serve its mission. It is to his vision and corresponding
actions that we owe our existence and our more than 97 years of shared history.
With both YMCA and YMI affiliation, I am proud to be part of this unique partnership
that we continue to develop together.





Mr Jose Varghese
International Secretary General
Y’s Men International

LEGACY OF THE Y’S MEN MOVEMENT



From TOLYMCA to Y’s Men International

Birth of an International Service movement from the YMCA























TOLYMCA Members

Toledo YMCA after WWI

The Great War (World War I) had recently ended. But
while people had resumed their civilian activities,
society had changed. War-ravaged, plagued by a flu
epidemic but also energised and expectant, a simple
return to “life as usual” was impossible.

The post-war era of the “Roaring Twenties”, known as
a time of excess and unprecedented progress, was
also conversely an incubator for a new social
movement calling for increased civic awareness and
accountability. The result: the birth of the modern
service organisation.

Within the Toledo YMCA, a young programme director
noticing an increase in both time and monetary
donations to the YMCA, wondered how to build upon
this positive trend. Could the service club concept be a
possibility?

Identifying 15 young Toledo businessmen working
within the YMCA as volunteers and two staff members,
he approached them with his idea to start a club.

Paul William Alexander and Tolymca
One of the men was a young lawyer by the name of Paul
William Alexander. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the
county, “Alex” as he was known, was a committed and long-
serving YMCA member, having joined the Toledo branch as a
teenager in 1905.

This group became an official club in October 1920 adopting the
name Tolymca. Within the first year, the 17 founding members
were
joined by
53 recruits
– and the
club of 70
continued Alex at Denson University
to grow.
One day Will M. Cressy, a YMCA
employee who had worked the YMCA
Huts (USO) in France and written
about the experience in the YMCA
publication, “Association Men”, was
invited to speak at a club meeting.

The Ohio Association of Y’s Men

In his essays and addressing the club, Cressy
referred to himself as a “Y’s Man from the East”.
Following Cressy’s inspiring speech, the Tolymca
group became “Y’s Men” and extended honorary
membership to Cressy.

In February 1922, Paul Alexander gave a Y’s Men
presentation to the Ohio Association of YMCAs
and by May, there were additional clubs in other
towns.

The first meeting of the Ohio Association of Y’s
Men was held in May 1922, where it was agreed
to send out an informative flier on their activities
to YMCAs throughout North America. By
November, there were 17 clubs.










Alex & wife, Lorraine in 1924

YMI outside the USA

A national conference was held later that same month in Atlantic City, New Jersey during
which the name the “International Association of Y’s Men” was adopted with a motto of “to
acknowledge the duty that accompanies every right.” Alex was chosen as the first President,
and subsequently given the
responsibility of chartering
each club within the
association.

In 1923, the first club
outside US borders was
established in Nova Scotia,
Canada, and in 1924, a Y’s
Men Club was started in
Shanghai.

For many years Y’s Men
International, as it became
known, continued to grow
and infiltrate new countries
thanks to YMCA cooperation
and global networking.


Y's Men Nova Scotia in 1923

YMI Today

Today we ae present in 70 countries, with 1 400 clubs, and 25 000 members. Our
membership is open for all (regardless of gender, ethnicity, faith). And as we look toward
th
our upcoming 100 Anniversary in 2022, Y’s Men International continues to reach out to the
world. While the methods by which we do this may have changed over time, our mission
and core structure shaped by our founder, Judge Paul William Alexander, remain steadfast.
























YMI Doctors in Chiang Mai Community Service in India

RBM work in Africa

YMI Youth in the USA

We are Y’.s Men / Y Service
International, legacy to the YMCA





THANK YOU !