As soon as George Banning retired from the United States Air Force, he knew of one thing he wanted to do right away: get involved with the local YMCA.
That was in Columbus, Ohio in 1969. Banning’s love for the Y never wavered and ever since then, even when life took him all the way down to Florida, he stayed active as a board member wherever he went. He’s been active with the Plant City Family YMCA since the 1990s and has been on the board of directors in several roles — including president — in his time in Plant City.
He’s finally decided it’s time to “take a break” from the board.
“I thought, after 20 years, it’s probably my time to say goodbye,” Banning said. “I didn’t say I would quit, nor did I say I wouldn’t participate… I’ve stopped getting up at 5 a.m., if you want to know the truth. Not that 7:30 is such a hard time to come, but I just felt that every once in a while, you need to take a break.”
Banning excelled at fundraising and served on the Plant City board as major donor chairman and chairman of the Strong Leader banquet. He also won the Plant City Y’s Strong Leader Award in 2014. Banning was involved with the Dean’s Ride fundraiser from the start, as he was a neighbor and a good friend of namesake Dean Z. Snyder. He was also instrumental in bringing pickleball to the Plant City Y and he said one of his proudest moments as a board member was working with the finance committee.
Banning is quick to give credit to his peers for the work they did together to help make the Plant City Y better while he was on the board. In addition to Snyder, whom Banning said would often sit with him to brainstorm ways to help the Y, he also credits Betty Chambers with being a major help and a major influence. He said he has also always loved how the Plant City community has come together to support the Y over the years.
“A lot of the things that have been done here at the Y have been done by volunteers,” Banning said. “That’s what makes it so exciting.”
Outside of the Y, Banning is the owner/chairman of Wen-Lake Corp, which owns two Wendy’s restaurants in central Florida. He has managed as many as 13 Wendy’s restaurants at once while living in Florida. He has also been involved with the Rotary Club and the United Food Bank of Plant City, has helped bring the train viewing station and Veterans’ Monument Park to town and won Citizen of the Year in 2019.