The Saratoga Regional YMCA Commemorates 160 Years with a Community Time Capsule

On Wednesday, Aug 26, the Saratoga Regional YMCA celebrated its 160th anniversary with a community gathering and the dedication of a time capsule enclosed with memories from members set to be opened on its 200th anniversary. 

The capsule contains photographs, historical information, and reflections that capture the Saratoga Regional YMCA in 2026, documenting the programs, people, accomplishments, and values that define the organization today. The time capsule will be placed in one of the columns in the Saratoga Regional YMCA on 290 West Ave. 

One YMCA member, Dora Lee Stanley, said the YMCA saved her life.

Stanley took swimming lessons at the YMCA for the first time in her life at 70 years old. In her first lesson the instructor taught her a valuable lesson in the water: don’t panic.

She would be put to the test during a safari in South Africa. On the safari she was on a boat taking pictures of crocodiles and water buffalo when she fell overboard.

“Luckily the crocodiles weren’t very hungry,” Smith said in between laughter. “The people on the boat said that when I fell the heard of buffalo took off.”

But smith remembered what she learned at the YMCA: Don’t Panic!

Her swim lessons allowed her to float long enough for the boat to turn around to rescue her.

“These stories remind us that the YMCA is not simply a building or a collection of programs,” said Allison D’Antonio, Saratoga Regional YMCA CEO. “It’s a community. A place where a single decision, a single class, or a single conversation can shape the course of a person’s life in ways they never expected. That’s the true legacy of the Saratoga Regional YMCA.”