An open letter to our communities Re-opening day is here!

An open letter to our communities:

Today we reach an important milestone during this pandemic of being able to re-open the doors to the YMCA of Eastern Ontario.

I want to take a moment to thank you for choosing to stay with the Y as we move though these difficult times together.

We have taken our time to open, so we could implement safety standards that our public health units tell us is above-and-beyond health requirements. We have done this because we do not take your trust in us lightly.

From the outset, we have put everyone’s health and safety as our primary concern and made decisions accordingly – even when that has had an impact on our bottom line.

Thanks to so many of you who stepped up to support your Y by donating your membership fees during the closure. Your financial contributions along with funds from donors and granting institutions have helped us weather these past months. Although the charitable sector is one that has not received stabilization funding from government, we have taken advantage of what is available and are creating partnerships and new collaborations to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our communities.

Recovery will take some time and we must move through a return to programs and services in a thoughtful and sustainable way. We estimate that we will have a 60 per cent decrease in revenue this year and hope we can count on your continued support to ensure that the Y is here to help some of our communities’ most vulnerable people.

But today is a day for celebration!

When you step inside your Y, you will see the precautions and measures we have put in place to keep all of us safe. We are in this together and making sure to allow for safe distancing, wearing a mask when moving around the facility, sanitizing, and washing hands will help us to stay healthy. Patience and kindness will make your visit to your Y enjoyable.

A huge thank you to our tremendous staff who have prepared us for today. It definitely takes a village for this type of undertaking! Special appreciation goes to our team members who have worked through the closure and to their families who have no doubt missed them as they put in some long hours to keep our facilities functional, to operate childcare – including emergency childcare -- and to provide online programming. I could not be more proud of your efforts.

We have some distance to travel as the situation with the pandemic evolves, but as we move forward, rest assured that your peace-of-mind remains on top of ours.

I look forward to seeing you back at your Y!

Warm regards,

Rob Adams

CEO, YMCA of Eastern Ontario