OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a letter regarding the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka’s community fund, published Dec. 10.
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Like many other Orillians I was interested to learn about YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka’s Forward Together Fund announced at the Y’s annual general meeting Nov 30.
I look forward to hearing more about their engagement process and hope that many ideas will be generated for the use of the fund.
Doug Lewis, in his Dec. 10 letter to OrilliaMatters, proposed some promising suggestions including funding memberships at the Orillia Recreation Centre for people who can’t afford them. There will be many more good ideas if the Y makes a genuine effort to consult with a broad cross-section of the community including (and in particular) women of all ages, youth and youth-serving groups as well as refugees and immigrants.
One would hope that the consultation does not simply include engaging only with previous donors, both individual and corporate, in an effort to bring them back on board. Previous members of the Orillia Y should, of course, be consulted, particularly those members who directly felt the loss of the Y programs and services. Any consultation process should be designed to rebuild trust and dig into ways the Y can co-ordinate effectively with local groups and organizations currently involved in recreation and leadership development.
The Y has dug itself into a deep hole over the past several years, through the sudden and unexpected sale of both its Orillia facility and Geneva Park. It will take much effort and genuine goodwill to climb back out — which will only be in evidence when the Y demonstrates its commitment to the community over its own self-interest.
Jane Ball
Orillia
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