The former Katy Family YMCA officially has a new name: the Monty Ballard YMCA at Cinco Ranch. YMCA of Greater Houston officials hosted a renaming ceremony Thursday evening after announcing Sept. 12 that Ballard had made a seven-figure donation to the organization. Ballard’s gift will predominantly go toward the development and construction costs associated with the new $12 million, 41,000-square-foot YMCA at Katy Main Street that is projected to open in the first quarter of 2017, officials said. Ballard, a local businessman and philanthropist, started the Ballard Foundation several years ago after selling Fluoro-Seal International—a company that specializes in adhesion enhancement for plastics. His largest philanthropic effort to-date is The Ballard House, an establishment in Katy that provides lodging for patients and their families traveling to the Houston area for medical treatment. Ballard said the mission of the YMCA of Greater Houston closely aligns with that of The Ballard House. “It helps people that need help at a critical time," he said. "And I think they do a great job doing it.” The ceremony coincided with the 15th anniversary of the existing Katy location. The building receives over one million total visits each year through the facility itself and related programs, said Brian Haines, the vice president of operations for the YMCA of Greater Houston. In addition to Ballard and Haines, speakers at the event included Paul McEntire and Carlos Valdez from the YMCA of Greater Houston and YMCA board members David Ruzicka and Leonard Merrell. “We’ve been fortunate to have nearly 100 total gifts to this campaign," McEntire said. "But when you get someone that’s as kind and generous as Mr. Ballard has been ... a lot of credibility comes with that.”   Click on the slideshow below for more information about Ballard, the ceremony and the organization. [g-slider gid="186846" width="100%" height="55%"]