The Mary W. Sierra Family YMCA Opens This September!
The YMCA has been a part of Anna Carman’s life for as long as she can remember.
She grew up attending YMCA of the Triangle's summer day camps and overnight Y-Guides programs as a camper in North Carolina, memories that still evoke camp songs, cabin games and lifelong friendships.
Her positive experiences as a child led her to give back to future generations of campers by working at the Y, where she found a love for youth development and impacting her community.
Now, Carman is the Family Programs Director at the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA’s newest location, the Mary W. Sierra Family YMCA, opening in Wesley Chapel this September
More than a Gym
Mary W. Sierra will offer all the amenities people expect from a Y and then some: a lap pool, a teaching pool and family pool with a waterslide, dedicated group fitness studios, a turf training area, basketball courts with pickleball lines, a two-story climbing structure in Stay & Play, a nursery and floor-to-ceiling windows that fill the facility with natural light.
Could a gym be described as beautiful? In this case, yes. But Carman emphasizes that the Y is about much more than fitness equipment and recreation spaces. “It’s a community gathering place.”
That sense of community is reflected in the Y’s family-focused offerings. The Stay & Play and Youth Zone programs provide active, curriculum-based play for children aged 6 weeks to 11 years while parents exercise or participate in programs.
Kids’ Day Out offers a camp-like experience during school holidays, giving children opportunities to learn, play and connect with friends.
More than amenities, these programs bring the Y’s mission to life by fostering connection, belonging and personal growth for every member of the family.
Meeting Families Everyday Needs
At the Y, community and well-being go together, shaping experiences designed to support the whole person. Throughout the year, families can come together to build meaningful connections across generations and backgrounds.
Parents’ Night Out will begin this fall. Held monthly, the members-only program offers children an evening of structured activities in a safe, supervised environment while parents enjoy a date night, run errands or simply take time to recharge.
“Our programs are designed to support families through every age and stage of life,” says Carman.
Creating a Place Where People Feel Known
Carman still remembers the moment that first set her on a path toward leadership within the YMCA. “My [YMCA] directors saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and encouraged me,” she says
It was the people who kept her coming back summer after summer. “I felt known, cared for and encouraged,” Carman recalls. Now, she hopes to create that same experience for families in Wesley Chapel.
When asked about the impact she hopes the new YMCA will have on the community, her answer is immediate: “Life-changing experiences. We want this to be a safe space for community members at every stage of life, from expectant mothers to those recovering from illness or injury to the everyday gym-goer.
We want to tell the story of why we do what we do every day. We want families to feel known, cared for and encouraged.
*Presented by YMCA | Originally published in the September 2026 Issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine
All images courtesy of YMCA