To the people of the town, it's the YMCA, but Tom Landers, who ran the place for 27 years, calls it Madison Square Freeland.

Consider the lineup of events from just this weekend: basketball practice, 5-kilometer running race, baton twirling, aerobics classes, an afghan bingo and a birthday party.

Joe Flanagan the executive director of the Freeland YMCA for the past nine years, listed the weekend schedule while standing at half court in the gym on Sunday evening and talking to people who had come to celebrate a benchmark.

Since starting a capital campaign a year ago, the Y raised $250,000.

The money paid for the new lights that everyone looked up to see on the ceiling on the gym. They're energy efficient and will save the Y $1,200 a year on electricity. Other funds went to power wash the 80-year-old building at 600 Front St. and reinforce the back wall with wire mesh and three coats of stucco.

"It should be up to shape for years," Joseph Maduro, the chairman of the board for the Y, said.

Every person in Freeland should take pride that a community of its size can support a Y, Joseph Rudawski, who helps with the fund drive, said.

The gifts of money, pledges and donated labor and materials so far averages to $70.84 for each of Freeland's 3,529 residents.

In all, the campaign received gifts from 400 people, many of whom moved out of town but still remember growing up at the Y.

And the campaign isn't over.

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Freeland Y celebrates benchmark