Capital Campaign

YMCA CAMPAIGN GOES OVER $3.5 MILLION

Remembering Their Hometown

Petrie Family gives $100,000 to the Y Campaign

Michael and Jody Petrie graduated from Logansport High School in the early 1970’s and left Logansport nearly fifty years ago, but that hasn’t changed their warm feelings for their hometown. The Petrie family recently pledged $100,000 toward the Cass County Family YMCA’s campaign to renovate the facility that was constructed in 1967.

Michael Petrie (“Mike”) is the Chairman and CEO of Merchants Bancorp, a $7.9 billion multibank holding company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. He was a co-founder of the bank in 1990. He is active in several Indianapolis area organizations and was inducted into the IU Kelley School of Business Academy of Alumni Fellows in 2019 and awarded the “Sagamore of the Wabash” in 2004. He is also on the IU Varsity Club National Board of Directors. Jody (Jones) Petrie is part of the family that has owned and operated Engineering Aggregates in Cass County for over fifty years.

“Jody and I are proud to call Logansport our hometown”, says Petrie. “It is a great place to grow up. We always enjoyed going to the YMCA for basketball and other activities in high school. We are happy to partner with this campaign to renovate the Y for future generations.”

The YMCA’s Capital Campaign Chairman, Brian Morrill, said that when he met with Petrie to discuss the campaign it was apparent that the Petrie family had not forgotten where they came from. “When Mike invited me into his office the first thing that caught my eye was a Logansport Berry Booster “L” that he has on display behind his desk. He then took me over to a large photo on one of his office walls that was taken in front of Polsinelli’s Bar on Erie Avenue. There was a motor bus with about 40 or 50 men standing in front of it ready to head to a Cubs baseball game in 1947. He pointed out several of his family members in the photo and some members of the Corso and Sabatini families to me. As we talked a little more about Logansport, I could tell he was proud of where he came from and cares passionately about our town and wants it to prosper,” Morrill said. “I was familiar with Mike’s background in banking through a bank board that I serve on, but I really didn’t know if he would be interested in discussing a contribution when I contacted him,” said Morrill. “I was impressed with Mike’s willingness to listen and his down to earth personality. He has accomplished a lot in his life, not just in banking, but with Merchants Affordable Housing Corp, a nonprofit, 501C3 corporation that he founded in 1987,” Morrill said. Although not directly affiliated with Merchants Bank, Petrie founded the nonprofit to create stable, vibrant, and healthy communities by developing or acquiring affordable rental housing properties. The organization currently manages more than 2500 units throughout Indiana providing residents who lack economic resources access to quality rental housing. “We are thankful and proud to have the Petrie family join in our effort to make Logansport and Cass County a better place,” said Morrill.

YMCA Executive Director, Derreck Parkevich, said the Y is currently using most of the newly renovated areas in the west end of the facility now as well as the new Family/Private Locker Rooms that were recently completed. The third phase of the renovation kicked off in April and is expected to be completed this fall with the fourth phase expected to start immediately after phase three. Phases three and four will be the most extensive phases of the construction and will include a new entrance, parking lot paving, a larger cardio center, and moving the free weight area to a larger space on the lower level of the Y that includes new equipment. The child watch area will be renovated, and a new Youth Activity Center will be located adjacent to the gymnasium. After the completion of these phases, the Y will look to begin work in the pool area and track. “We are extremely grateful and appreciative of Mike and Jody’s gift. This gift demonstrates their love for their hometown and the importance of what a modern and thriving YMCA can do for our community. The Petrie family’s contribution put the Y over its initial fundraising goal of $3.5 million.

Parkevich said the total cost of the planned renovations and financing expenses are expected to be between 3.8 and 3.9 million dollars. “We were not able to finish making all of the fundraising contacts we wanted to back in March when COVID-19 hit and we decided the right thing to do was to suspend the campaign due to the uncertainties related to health and the economy. We would like to close the gap some between the current amount raised of $3.5 million and the final renovation cost when the coronavirus is behind us,” said Parkevich. “The finished areas of the facility look amazing and we are looking forward to the day that our community and donors can see the entire project finished. The campaign was named “The Next 50 Years . . .” and the renovated YMCA is going to be in a great position to continue serving Cass County for many years to come,” said Parkevich.