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Success Stories

New YWCA Opens in McKean County

Daniel Blottenberger
Community Facilities
On Thursday, August 1, 2024; the Young Women’s Christian Association or YWCA opened the doors of their new facility in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, August 1, 2024; the Young Women’s Christian Association or YWCA opened the doors of their new facility in Bedford, Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, August 1, 2024; the Young Women’s Christian Association or YWCA opened the doors of their new facility in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The clinic hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand-new facility more than 13,950 square feet. In total, the project cost $5.75 million to complete. Private, local, state, and federal partnership was needed to bring all this funding together. 

“So, it really does take a village to do projects like this,” USDA State Director for Rural Development Bob Morgan said. “We were thrilled to be part of it.”
He explained the USDA was just a part of a larger financing package, including an applicant contribution of $1 million, a Pennsylvania state grant for $1 million, endowment funds for $2.3 million and a loan of $1,450,000.

YWCA Bradford received a Community Facilities Loans  to construct this new facility that will support an estimated 8,770 residents in the area.

“For those of you who don’t know who we are, we are basically the USDA’s economic development agency for rural communities. Our job is to find good projects that are going to meet a need in rural communities, and this certainly qualified for that.”

YWCA Bradford received a Community Facilities Loan to construct this new facility that will support an estimated 8,770 residents in the area. 
The idea for building the new facility began seven years ago. 

“If there was an obstacle, we found it,” YWCA Executive Director Vanessa Castano told the Bradford Era newspaper at the event. She explained the death of an architect set the project back a year, then COVID-19 delayed fundraising efforts by several years.

Crews broke ground on the new building in April 2023 and then, when the building was finally ready, the furniture was unforeseeably delayed.

At the event, staff and directors, project workers, community officials, donors and interested citizens gathered in the facility’s welcoming reception area to offer comments and appreciation, and then to cut an extra-special ribbon.

Castano said the multicolored ribbon represented “teal for sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, purple for homelessness awareness, green for mental health awareness, and then the orange, which is our YW color. All of these represent our signature programs.”

Cheri Sera, YWCA Board of Directors vice president, greeted those in attendance.

“We’re really excited to announce all of our hard work and dedication in getting this building erected, and we’d like to welcome you to YWCA McKean’s new Programs and Services Building.”

The multicolored ribbon represented “teal for sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, purple for homelessness awareness, green for mental health awareness, and then the orange, which is our YW color. All of these represent our signature programs.
The multicolored ribbon represented “teal for sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, purple for homelessness awareness, green for mental health awareness, and then the orange, which is our YW color. All of these represent our signature programs.

The YWCA provides a variety of services to include a victims resources center, a mental health developmental program, housing and employment services, and a food pantry in McKean County, Pennsylvania. The old building is poorly configured for staff and client communication, had inadequate handicap accessibility, and lacked site area for expansion and parking. Additionally, the shelters were located off-site, making them more difficult and less efficient to manage. The facility will house private offices, open-plan office areas, a variety of client meeting spaces, conference and training rooms, and support area.

“Without all our partners none of this would have been possible – we are so thankful,” Sera said. 

Obligation Amount:
$1,450,000.00
Year(s) of Obligation:
Congressional District:
  • Pennsylvania: District 15