Before the Somerset Hills YMCA moved into its current main facility on Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge, it was the brainchild of a few "founders" who wanted a place for youth programs.

The YMCA's first "home," other than offices of those who were laying plans, was in the former Bernardsville firehouse on Mill Street in Bernardsville. The Y, which opened around 1960, then had 509 members.

That homespun YMCA had a few rooms to offer programs for children and senior citizens, said E. Haas Gallaway, Jr., who was president of the Board of Trustees. "We were lucky if we had 30 cents."

During that turning point, Gallaway said he recognized that he and the other founders recognized that the YMCA needed to advance to thrive. With another founder, Ken Ballinger of Basking Ridge, the decision was made to hire an executive director, Jerry Lawton, in 1965.

Today, the Somerset Hills YMCA, with a satellite location at the Riverwalk shopping center in Basking Ridge, serves multiple communities throughout the Somerset Hills, as well as Warren Township and residents from towns in neighboring communities, such as Mendham.

As part of the YMCA's continuing celebration of its 60th anniversary, last Friday night some of the original founders were invited to a special reception at the expanded YMCA on Mount Airy Road.

Then, on Saturday, a gala to recognize the YMCA's 60th anniversary, counting from the time that an office was established in the home of founder Calvin Sutton in Bernardsville.

The Saturday "Diamond Anniversary Celebration" was a night to both look back and look forward, mixing the original founders who started the Somerset Hills YMCA in an old firehouse in Bernardsville with some of the movers and shakers who are continuing to expand the Somerset Hills YMCA's programs and offerings.

One event was co-chaired by three couples, including Steve and Laura Riggio of Bernardsville. The Riggios were a force behind the establishment of the Melissa Riggio house on the YMCA's property, a group home for developmentally disabled adults.

Laura Riggio said the first occupants are due to move in during December.

Other co-chairs were Neil and Lois Gagnon, of Bernardsville, and Rod and Dianne Ryan, of Far Hills, from the Open Road Auto Group.

The announcement also was made that night that fundraising for a $5 million endowment to advance the YMCA's mission in the future, and to guarantee its longevity is about halfway to its mark.