John, a real estate investor, former marathon runner, Navy veteran and avid collector of rare and vintage sports cars arrives to the ceremony in one of his favorite vehicles. John unveils his name on the former North Pinellas YMCA.
A special unveiling took place this month to rename the North Pinellas YMCA to the John Geigle YMCA.
On July 23rd, the YMCA on 4550 Village Center Drive in Palm Harbor officially took on the namesake of the longtime friend, active member and financial supporter of the YMCA of the Suncoast who pledged the second largest gift made by an individual ever given to the Suncoast Y.
“We are extremely grateful to John Geigle for his continued support throughout the past 15 years,” says YMCA of the Suncoast President & CEO G. Scott Goyer. “As a cherished Y donor, Mr. Geigle wanted to invest in a cause dedicated to building character and confidence in our children, enabling families to spend quality time together and providing a supportive environment where everyone – regardless of age, income or background – can come together to improve their quality of life. Thanks to this extremely generous gift, the YMCA of the Suncoast can continue to strengthen the communities we serve through our high-impact programs such as drowning and chronic disease prevention, cancer survivor programming, summer camp and youth sports.”
John, 71 years young, is excited to leave a legacy while he can still participate in his body pump classes at the Y. “I want to see and enjoy the impact that I can make by giving a donation to a charity that has not only been a part of my life, but a part of my family and friends’ lives too. Giving this donation now means I get to see the kids, the families, the vets, the single moms & dads, the grandparents raising their grandchildren, and people with disabilities… all being impacted in such a positive way. The Y can help make a difference in these peoples’ lives. Body. Mind. Spirit. If we all just had a little more of that in our lives today, imagine how much better we’d all be. Those who work hard and help others who truly need help, will be the ones who can enjoy the fruits of their labor and be in a position to give back. That’s what I hope my donation shows my friends, family, children, grandchildren and even their kids someday.”