A Lifelong Home: Ken’s 50 Years with the YMCA

When Ken Geroux first walked through the doors of the YMCA on June 13, 1975, he wasn’t looking for community. He was looking for a heavy bag.

“I was an amateur boxer back then,” Ken recalls. “The Y had a heavy bag and a rack for a speed bag, so that’s why I joined. I never would have imagined I’d still be here 50 years later.”

What started as a space to train quickly became something much deeper. Growing up in Hamilton’s north end with five siblings, Ken was no stranger to hard work and physical fitness—his father and older brother were athletes—but the Y offered him something new: connection. 

“When I first started coming, it was just men,” he says. “Over time it opened to everyone. The community changed, but the feeling of belonging never did.”

Through the decades, the YMCA became a constant in Ken’s life. It’s a place where he found friendship, mentorship, and purpose. “I’ve met amazing people here. Older fellows took me under their wing. They didn’t just teach me about working out, they taught me about life.”

The Y became part of his daily rhythm. Before work, after school, on weekends, Ken was there. 

“You walk in one way and leave feeling completely different,” he says. “It just lifts you up. You feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s a lifestyle.”

That lifestyle carried him through the toughest times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Y closed its doors, Ken didn’t stop moving. 

“COVID was rough,” he admits. “But because of the Y, because it was such a part of who I am, I kept going. I rode my bike, I climbed stairs, I stayed active. The Y taught me resilience.”

Even when he couldn’t be inside the building, the lessons of the Y stayed with him. “It wasn’t just about working out. It was about perseverance; about finding strength through the storms. The Y helped me build that strength long before COVID came along.”

Over the years, Ken’s understanding of the Y has deepened. What began as physical fitness evolved into something more holistic, rooted in the YMCA’s foundational philosophy of nurturing the spirit, mind, and body.

“At first it was about my body,” Ken explains. “Then it became about my soul, my emotions, my thoughts, and how to manage those better. Eventually, I realized there was more to me than I could see. The Y helped me discover my spiritual side too.”

Through conversations with mentors and quiet moments of reflection, Ken began to understand that health is about balance. “Our body, soul, and spirit are all connected,” he says. “Working out made me feel good physically, but it also healed me emotionally. It helped me learn who I really am inside.”

For Ken, the YMCA isn’t just a gym—it’s home. It’s where he’s grown, changed, and rediscovered himself, time and time again. “I’ve seen a lot of people come and go,” he says. “Some of my mentors have passed, but their wisdom stays with me. The Y is about exercise, but it’s more than that. It’s about community, belonging, and becoming the best version of yourself.”

After 50 years, Ken still comes to the Y six days a week, and he thanks his friend Paul, who joined the Y with him all those years ago, for coming along with him for the ride.

“It’s home away from home,” Ken says with a smile. “I’ve been friends with Paul since we were 12 and we both joined the Y around the same time. We still workout together every Saturday.”

“The Y is a place where you can live, love, and laugh. The lessons I’ve learned here don’t stay in the building. They stay with you, wherever life takes you.”

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