YMCA name change draws mixed reactions from North Texans http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/07/12/2330321/ymca-name-change-draws-mixed-reactions.html YMCA trims name in move to spell out diverse presence http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100713/NEWS16/7130399 A Brand New Day: The YMCA Unveils New Brand Strategy to Further Community Impact http://www.ymca.net/news-releases/20100712-brand-new-day.html Memories of 'the Black Y' Provoke Smiles and Tears [Free registration may be required] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/us/08ymca.html What is the YMCA? http://books.google.com/books?id=c1hDAAAAYAAJ&dq=YMCA&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false To many people, the YMCA is a community institution, providing exercise opportunities, a place to stay, and perhaps a bit of conversation along the way. In a move designed to make its broad mission a bit clearer to the general public, the YMCA announced this week that it would henceforth be known formally as "the Y". The organization went through a rigorous two-year process to review the perception of the Y throughout the United States, and they determined that most people already refer to the organization by this abbreviated name. Most people seem to welcome the change, though others took exception to the dropping of the letter "C", which stands for "Christian". On a somewhat related note, the legendary disco group The Village People said in a formal press statement that their iconic and pervasive party standard "Y.M.C.A" would remain unchanged. The first link leads to an article about the YMCA's name change along with some other brands making the same move, courtesy of this Monday's New York Times. The second link will take interested parties to an article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that reports about the local reaction to the name change. Moving on, the third article is from this Tuesday's Toledo Blade, and it talks about how the Y in Toledo is handling the name change. The fourth link leads to the official press release from the Y which talks about the reason for the name change, along with offering some details on their mission. The fifth link leads to a very moving portrait from the New York Times about a celebrated (and long gone) Y which served the African American community in Evanston, Illinois. The final link leads to the complete text of the 1922 work "What is the Y.M.C.A.?" penned by Paul Super, the then secretary of the personnel bureau of the International Committee of the Young Men's Christian Associations.