RALEIGH, DECEMBER 1, 2017 – Yesterday it was announced that the new YMCA, scheduled to open in downtown Raleigh in the spring of next year, will be named Poyner YMCA after Poyner Spruill namesake, James M. Poyner.
Poyner was president of the YMCA from 1957-1961, during which the YMCA was moved from downtown Raleigh to its current location on Hillsborough street. This expansion will return the YMCA to downtown after more than 55 years.
According to an article by the Triangle Business Journal, “the YMCA said the facility was named in Poyner’s honor ‘thanks to a generous donation’ from members of the Poyner family.” CEO of the YMCA of the Triangle, Doug McMillan, is quoted saying “volunteers like James Poyner urged us to open our doors to new communities,…Poyner’s commitment to the Y is still evident in our YMCA and in our broader community today.”
