Port Royal YMCA offers free memberships to unemployed

If a few laps in the pool, a jog on the treadmill or a turn on the weight bench can help Beaufort County residents manage the stress of the economic recession, the staff at the Wardle Family YMCA in Port Royal want to help.

Starting today, the unemployed can get free three-month memberships to the Richmond Avenue facility -- and access to its gym, fitness center, pool, wellness classes and other amenities.

"It's basically for anybody that's lost their job this year," said Wardle Family YMCA CEO Michael Bostwick of the new, free membership offer. "Losing your job can create a very stressful situation at home. That person needs calm and focus to look for another job."

Memberships for single adults typically cost $49 a month, plus a $75 joining fee, and for families, $69 a month, plus a $100 joining fee, according to the YMCA Web site.

Unemployed residents who sign up for free membership at the YMCA also can get help to continue the membership after three months. YMCA staff will move members into the scholarship program, which charges a rate based on income.

The free membership offer will last as long as the recession, Bostwick said.

"It depends on how things are going as far as the economy and the community are concerned, but our plan is to go as far as needed," he said.

Bostwick heard about the program at a national conference for YMCA staff and wanted the Port Royal center to be a part of it.

"We've seen it locally ... a lot of members that are leaving because they lost their job, and we wanted to make sure we could help them during this time," he said. "It's the first time the Y has done something like this. It's very different."

Being a resource for the community during a difficult time is a key component of the YMCA's Christian mission, Bostwick said.

"Sometimes, it's just helpful having some place to go in the morning," he said. "Just come in and see me or any of the staff at the front desk. You will find a welcoming smile and a ready hand to offer help."

OTHER BUSINESS NEWS

Other recent business openings, closings and changes in the Beaufort and Port Royal areas:

• As part of their ongoing effort to reach out to the community, staff at Butler Chrysler Dodge & Jeep will hold a blood drive May 2 to benefit the Lowcountry Community Blood Center. The blood drive is the second free event in about a month Butler has sponsored at its Salem Road dealership.

On April 17 and 18, the dealership held a digital, FBI-quality fingerprinting and photography session for kids.

• The Sears store on Ribaut Road in Port Royal is under new ownership.

The store recently was taken over by Ed Therrin, who retired from Sears after 34 years in various departments, including stock, tires, and appliance sales and management.

Therrin, who also owns the Sears store in Bluffton near Moss Creek, will spend the next three months reorganizing, painting and retraining the staff at the Ribaut Road store.