Gordon Family YMCA’s first charter members celebrate opening

As Sumner natives and Sumner High School graduates, Kyle and Julana Hardtke never imagined a community hub such as the Gordon Family YMCA would come to fruition in their small hometown.

Long before the Sumner Y opened its doors earlier this month, the entire Hardtke family was involved with the project since a group of community members and leaders banded together to advocate for some sort of a plan for a community center years ago.

Kyle and Julana got involved shortly after Hudson, their 7-year-old son, was born. Now that 4-year-old Nash has come along as well, the family is looking forward to their boys growing up at the Y.

“The idea of having a place for them to go as they get older is great,” Kyle said. “And to have have a good resource for families is really helpful.”

Donna, the matriarch of the family, got both of her sons, Kirk and Kyle, and their families charter YMCA memberships as a Christmas gift in 2014. The family became the first members to attain charter-membership status.

Julana, a reading specialist at Maple Lawn Elementary, and Kyle, who owns Evergreen Ground Works, are entrenched in the community they both grew up in.

“It was a great place for us to grow up,” the 36-year-old Julana said. “We want to continue to foster that same small-town atmosphere for our kids.”

Since the Y opened, Julana takes advantage of the group fitness classes, Kyle comes to work out during the day, and the couple hopes to get their sons involved in sports and swim lessons once those programs are up and running.

“We’re very excited,” Kyle, 37, said. “It’s been neat to see.”

Both Julana and Kyle agreed that the amount of community support that has been behind the Y from beginning to the finished product has been impressive.

“Looking at the amount of people who come through here every day, you can tell it’s a true asset to the community,” Kyle said. “It’s not just a great gym to work out at, it’s a community hub for families.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Gordon Family YMCA’s first charter members celebrate opening."