KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Ad Questions YMCA Non-Profit Status

Ad Questions YMCA Non-Profit Status

(WICHITA, Kan.)

It's a non-profit, but should it be? A group of private health clubs says Wichita's YMCA's should no longer get a tax break.

The group put a half page ad in Sunday's Wichita Eagle.

"This is strictly expense and doesn't include any capital," Greater Wichita Communications Director Shelly Conrady said of the ad's claims.

Conrady references the 90 page federal tax document filled with numbers detailing the Wichita YMCA's outcome in 2007.

Conrady says the IRS 990 is a 90 page document condensed to a half-page ad in the Wichita Eagle.

The Kansas Health and Fitness Association, an organization representing private health clubs, is behind it.

KHFA

And while the numbers are accurate, Conrady says the larger picture it paints is not.

"The Y is not unique in being a non-profit with a revenue stream," she said.

Conrady adds, "A lot of people see the YMCA and see the beautiful facilities we have and think we don't earn our tax exemption."

Conrady lists programs the Y offers that cater to those who couldn't afford certain services any other way: free memberships, all-day daycare, and making exercise accessible to kids at the outdoor water park and sports center.

Both facilities were built at the YMCA South Wichita Branch in 2007 - the year in question.

Conrady says those take on the Burden for government as a non-profit should.

Rodney Stevens owns Genesis Health Clubs in Wichita. Genesis is a member of the group that ran the ad, KHFA.

"All good businesses do a good amount of charity," Steven said.

He admits he can't compete with the Y, and that's not a true non-profit.

He says, "They have a lot of great programs, but I think if they're going to build facilities like that and show that kind of profit, they need to be taxes on it."

While Conrady admits the community supports the YMCA well, its revenue goes back to the people.

She says, "Each and everyday through all those capital expenses, the YMCA reinvests in this community and surrounding communities it's meeting that tax burden and benefiting taxpayers much more so than any kind of taxes we would pay on land."

These type of ads questioning the Y's non-profit status are nothing new here or across the country. Over the years, YMCA chapters have fought similar battles with the private sector.

The ad encourages you to contact your state and local officials and question them about the issue.