Regional Wellness Center project receives $4M donation from local business and family

The City of Jasper and its partners in the Regional Wellness Center announced the “better together” Capital Campaign has received a major boost to its funding efforts.

The Braun family and Meyer Distributing & Logistics have jointly made a $4 million commitment to the construction of the facility.

The City of Jasper and Tri-County YMCA are partnering on the facility located on a 10-acre site between the Parklands and Jasper High School. The City and Greater Jasper Consolidated Schools finalized the purchase at last week’s meetings of the School Board of Trustees and the Common Council.

“The Regional Wellness and Early Childhood Learning Centers will provide a significant health, wellness and childcare/educational benefit to employees and their families, that will touch the entire region,” stated Jeff Braun, CEO of Meyer Distributing & Logistics. “We are very pleased to join the other major stakeholders in helping to ensure this project receives the necessary funding.”

The proposed facility will include a fitness center, four full-court gymnasiums, an indoor aquatic center, an indoor elevated walking track, multiple group exercise studios, and multiple community rooms, including a community kitchen. An Early Learning Center is in the planning stages as a future project phase. Early estimates have the facility costing about $37 million to construct.

“On behalf of all of the City of Jasper and Tri-County YMCA leadership, we are extremely grateful for this generous support from the Braun family and Meyer Distributing,” said Mayor Dean Vonderheide. “The support we continue to receive from community leaders throughout the region is a testament to the importance of this project.”

Mike Steffe, CEO of the Tri-County YMCA, indicated that with the addition of this gift, the “better together.”

The Capital Campaign has secured over $10 million in pledges to date. By early summer, additional information about the campaign and other funding sources will be provided.

To learn more about the plans for the Regional Wellness Center, contact Mayor Dean Vonderheide at (812) 482-4255 or dvonderheide@jasperindiana.gov, or Mike Steffe, Tri-County YMCA CEO at (812) 367-2323 or mike@tricountyymca.org