Cranberry’s YMCA continues to expand reach with new programs, equipment
For more than half a decade, John Graban and Dan Borrelli have been a fixture at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township, sticking to a routine as faithfully as they do their morning coffee.
The longtime friends, along with several others they’ve met along the way, can oftentimes be found relaxing before or after workouts in the lobby of one of the township’s most popular facilities.
“I have a facility where I live that has a lot of equipment, but I really enjoy the people (here),” said Graban, of Adams Township. “We’ve gotten into a routine where we work out, have coffee, sit here and even celebrate someone’s birthday.”
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Gregory Metzger rides on an exercise bike during his workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Catherine Trejchel, left, and Lindsay Monheim workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Gregory Metzger rides on an exercise bike during his workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Lindsay Monheim does bicep curls during her workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Catherine Trejchel does shoulder presses during her workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Gregory Metzger rides on an exercise bike during his workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Catherine Trejchel does squats during her workout at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Giuseppe Mainolfi hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Jim Wert practices his undercut punch during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Nicole Reep prepares to hit a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Wayne Clouse hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Mike Gillespie practices punching a speed bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Giuseppe Mainolfi practices speed bag punches during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Mike Gillespie works on punching combinations during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Nicole Reep hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Dani Roylo, left, Nicole Reep and Susan Te hit a boxing bag together during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Mikki Bitzer practices punching combinations during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Rachel Burd practices punching a speed bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Rachel Burd practices punching combinations during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Mikki Bitzer practices punching combinations during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Susan Te practices her left hook during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Dani Roylo, right, helps Nicole Reep with her punching combinations during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Instructor Lisa Guerrini leads a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Susan Te hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Gary Mahler hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
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Nicole Reep hits a boxing bag during a fitness boxing class at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
Graban and Borrelli are two of the more than 12,000 members who keep Cranberry Township’s YMCA bustling through early mornings and late evenings seven days each week. The population of the YMCA is part of what has kept them each involved for several years now.
“For me it’s a few things, starting with the facility,” said Borrelli, who said he’s been a member for nearly six years. “There’s a lot of things I like to do here, but I’ve met a lot of people, they’re very open, and I just enjoy coming here because of the people.”
Members and staff are preparing to celebrate the facility’s 20th anniversary next year, and the sense of an ever-growing community is helping to differentiate the YMCA from other recreational spaces in the region.
“We have all new equipment and more facility activities that we’re offering, but it’s also about having a place to have community events and have people hang around to do things with,” said Molly Patton, the YMCA’s member service manager. “It pretty much sets us apart from other local gyms where you really just go for maybe equipment, a quick workout or even maybe a lower price.”
The YMCA’s staff has recently started to focus on small group training programs, and cater more toward youth and teens with new programs.
Cranberry Township features a unique age range, and that’s just as true for the membership breakdown at the YMCA, which attracts young people who want to be more active, and just as many senior citizens who want to stay active in their daily lives.
“We have specific classes for a range of different age groups,” Patton said. “You can start at six weeks here in child care and just hang out while your parents work out and all the way up to that active older adult age. Plus, there’s programs for everyone in between those age ranges.”
The first YMCA was founded on June 6, 1844, in London, England, by George Williams. More than 180 years later, there are now more than 12,000 local YMCA branches all over the world, including one of the oldest locations in the Butler YMCA.
As times change, YMCA management across the country understands that they must adapt and modernize the programs to continue to attract a wide array of potential members.
“What’s cool about the Y and ever since the beginning of the organization, it has evolved and it always evolves,” Patton said. “What’s great about them is they’re very central to their community. We’re a lot different from even a Y down the street because of our demographic and our unique community here in Cranberry.”
The process of evolving involves adding updated equipment, including dozens of new strength and cardio machines.
“I’ve been to several YMCAs in this area, and I’ve been to several YMCAs out in Hershey, where my daughter lives, and nobody has the amount of equipment that we have here,” Borrelli said. “That doesn’t even mention that it’s all new and all of the machines are in excellent condition.”
Since the YMCA is a nonprofit that relies largely on membership dues and community support, the staff is constantly brainstorming new ways to engage the community and expand the facility’s outreach.
“I think the community just naturally helps us continue to offer programming because we have an ability to see the needs,” Patton said. “We can look at it and say ‘OK, what do we need here? What is missing, or what equipment is maybe not offered?’ We can do it all because we’re not really tied down by anything.”
