MISSOULA — A grant from the Washington Foundation will bring the Missoula Family YMCA closer to meeting its capital campaign to renovate the agency's Russell Street campus.
The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation last week awarded the YMCA a $500,000 matching grant, given in honor of the foundation's executive director Mike Halligan, who retires in two months.
“The board of the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation is extremely grateful to Mike Halligan for his 22 years of service,” said Jon Bennion, executive director of the foundation. “We hope this gift honoring Mike and his love of the Y will inspire others to help complete the organization’s expansion.”
Over Halligan's two decades of service to the foundation, he was instrumental in helping various organizations achieve “life-changing” programs and services. The YMCA's aquatics center will bear Halligan's name as a tribute.
Last week's donation marked the foundation's second contribution to the YMCA's capital campaign. The organization is working to fully renovate its campus on Russell Street — a project now years in the making.
In 2021, the foundation gifted $2 million to the YMCA to build the Phyllis Washington Early Child Care Center. The center was completed in July 2024, and the YMCA anticipates the rest of the project to be completed in summer 2025.
“The Washington Foundation has helped shape our Y since we first opened our doors,” said Heather Foster, CEO of the Missoula Family YMCA. “Mike has been an incredible champion of our Y, both in his role at the foundation and as a loyal YMCA member.”
The YMCA's capital campaign has just $1.5 million left to raise.
