WTFBBQ, YMCA?!!

So, all the talk in the 'finally joined a gym thread' got me thinking that I need to exercise more. I have a stationary bike that I use regularly, but it's not helping me lose my gut. I can't do anything that causes much impact in my knees because of an old injury, so my workout options are a little limited, I used to swim a lot when I was a kid, and I got to thinking that would be a good type of exercise to get back into, but that's not what this thread is about, that's just the set-up.

So, I looked up some YMCAs that were near my work, so that I could use my break between classes for something worthwhile. I stopped in the nearest one to ask about membership, and the girl told me that a one-person membership to just the pool is $50/month...

Thats Fifty Dollars per Month, if you didn't catch it the first time.

That's insane.

When I was a kid, my Dad got us a family membership at the Y for next to nothing, now it costs more than a Gold's Gym membership?!

What happened to the YMCA? When did they stop being a charity-based organization, devoted to helping out young men in need? Did I miss some major national story about the transformation of the YMCA from a non-profit, neighborhood gym and gathering place into a money-hungry conglomerate? I'm seriously confused here, and the teenager behind the desk did not understand my confusion.

WTFBBQ, YMCA?!

Anyone know the story?