FOLLOW THE YMCA OF THREE RIVERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
WATERLOO REGION
GUELPH
STRATFORD-PERTH
Your YMCA believes in creating safe and welcoming spaces for all. We believe there is no place for racism and intolerance, and we're committed to listening, learning and making the changes needed to make this a reality.
For generations, the Y, your Y, has connected with individuals and families across communities served by the YMCA of Three Rivers (Guelph-Wellington, Stratford-Perth, and Waterloo Region). Through camps, child care, swim lessons, wellness programs, and more, we’ve continued to show up so that individuals in our communities could feel seen, valued, supported, and, most importantly connected.
2020 was a year like no other. It was a year when our communities needed their Y to continue showing up where and how they needed us most. It was a year of transitioning to virtual programming, offering emergency programming and services, and working with community partners to ensure that everyone had a chance to stay connected.
As a YMCA of Three Rivers member or donor (or perhaps both) you’ve experienced first-hand what it means to be a part of the Y community. Ours is a community that has been built through the generous support of individuals, like you, who’ve realized that we’re stronger together. People, like you, who know the value of showing up and staying connected – even when a global pandemic has challenged what that might look like.
The 2020-2021 Board of Directors for the YMCA of Three Rivers:
- Anne Eaton, Vice Chair
- Harold Whiteside CPA, CMA, Chair
- Jackie Hatherly-Martin, Director, Chair of Governance & Nominating Committee
- Jamie Van Dyk, Director
- Kelly Schultz, Director
- Kevan Thompson, Director
- Milena Protich, Director
- Nancy Theberge, Director
- Peter Sweeney, CEO/Secretary
- Peter J. Vaillancourt, Director
- Rosemary Fernandes-Walker, Director
- Seann McAleese, Director
- Stephen Thomas Cooper, Treasurer, Chair of Audit, Finance and Risk Committee
- Tim Donegani, Director
By the Numbers
Your Gifts at Work
Thank You Donors
Financial Statements
EQUITABLE ACCESS FOR ALL
Our community need: Safe, inclusive, welcoming and supporting spaces wherein individuals can learn, grow and thrive, free from financial or other barriers to access.
How we’re responding: In each of our regions, our facilities, programs, outreach and services are the tools we use to achieve our mission. We impact 1:5 people in our communities, which are among those experiencing the fastest growth in Canada.
Your impact to date: In 2020, we raised $743,000, providing equitable access to 6,595 individuals - including 3,008 youth in in our communities.
“I am a Financially Assisted member and without the Y I don’t know what I would do. In the middle of March, the YMCA closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My life immediately changed. I lost my community of people who I was so used to interacting with daily. I lost my ability to exercise in a way that I needed to (being disabled). A few weeks after the closure I started to notice the strength in my leg started to go away. My mobility was severely impacted. With that came weight gain. It made me depressed. I truly understood how much the Y was needed for not only my physical health but maybe more importantly my mental health.
Those months the Y were closed were devastating on me. Somehow, I made it through and when the Y reopened in September, I was the first one there. I cried when I first walked in seeing the staff I hadn’t seen in months and they were quick to come over and see how I was doing and learn about my story (even the manager). The Y is as much of a community pillar as I have ever seen. It really makes people better. The work they do is truly remarkable and they have programs like Financial Assistance that make it feasible for anyone to participate regardless of income. I love my Y.”
- Barbara, member Stratford-Perth
Your community needs your support
With an additional $1M in support over the next two years, we will have the resources needed to provide equitable access to Three Rivers’ programs and services to at least 7,000 individuals – including 3,000 youth annually. And you can make this happen.
YOUTH FOCUSED PROGRAMS
Our community need: Today’s pressures and realities make being a teen hard. And, too many teens in our regions lack the opportunities and support they need to navigate these challenges. Today’s youth are experiencing unprecedented physical and mental health issues. Only 4% of regional youth get enough exercise, while one in five are at-risk of developing depression, and the rates of self-harm are greater in our communities than the province as a whole.
How we’re responding: Youth – especially those at-risk and newcomers – represent a hidden face of this global pandemic. Through our programs and services – both in-person and virtual – they have the safe spaces they need to discuss their concerns, get homework help, receive career and life guidance, get plugged into mental health supports, and deal with the realities of isolation.
Because of your support: Due to the continued commitment of our donors in 2020 we raised $666,000 allowing us to serve 6,036 youth through 14 programs in our communities.
“I’m a 21-year-old single mother of two beautiful girls, and have been a part of TAPPs for three years now, including virtually throughout COVID-19. When I started coming to TAPPs I had one daughter, and was struggling to finish high school, find a job, recognize my self-worth, strength, and identity.
Now, I have two incredible daughters, and am confident in my abilities not only as a mother, but also as a person. I’ve graduated from high school and am on my way to college for an automotive degree program. I've found a place of my own, purchased my first car, and have secured a steady job with the City in landscape. I've flourished since being in the TAPPs program.”
- Emma, Teenage Parents Program participant, Guelph Y
Your community needs your support
With your continued support, we know we can continue to impact individuals like Emma. An additional investment of $525,000 will provide us with the opportunity to serve nearly 13,000 more youth across the Three Rivers communities over the next two years.
Your community needs your support
An investment of $500,000 in our Health & Wellness program will impact thousands of seniors and at-risk community members across the Three Rivers when they need it the most.
“I first started coming to the Y after my Parkinson’s diagnosis. I don’t recall how I learned about RockSteady Boxing, but it sounded like a good idea and a good fit for me. I had done more than 20 years of Pilates, but knew I’d need to try something different in the way of exercise. I’ve been coming for over two years now. Though one year has been virtual due to COVID.
It’s certainly become something I look forward to, because I can talk with others who can discuss things from a place of common experience and mutual understanding. I especially love the strength training portion of the program – both physically and mentally. Because of the Y, I’m a part of something. I have a place I belong--with my fellow RockSteady boxers.”
- Gail C., RockSteady participant, Chaplin Y
HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAMS – Learn, Move, and Connect for Better Health
Our community need: Places of connection and support through innovative health and wellness programs, both to prevent chronic disease, and to learn how to live well with chronic conditions.
How we’re responding: The pandemic and recurring quarantine and stay at home measures have been tough on most of us, more so yet on seniors and vulnerable populations. Our targeted Health Management programs and outreach means these individuals don’t slip through the cracks. And, we know this work – from phone calls to virtual classes – is having an impact. Over 80% of participants have told us our weekly connections play an integral role in their dealing with the effects of the pandemic. What will it take to make it to 100% and to reach even more?
Because of your support: Thanks to the generosity of our donors, in 2020 we raised $62,000 allowing us to serve 1,507 seniors and at-risk community members across our communities.
OTHER AREAS OF IMPACT
As a charity, the Y provides a breadth and depth of services to our community. Through the generous support of our donors, we’ve been able to continue to meet individuals how they need us most throughout the pandemic. Here are some highlights.
CHILD CARE
Over the past year, we’ve worked to provide consistent, safe, high-quality child care to families in our communities. We worked closely with local public health units and the Ministry of Education to provide care to 35 children in 4 Emergency Child Care centres.
EarlyON
Over the course of 2020, the EarlyON team found innovative ways to continue connecting with children and families. Prior to the lockdown orders, our EarlyON welcomed
- 3,972 children (0-6 years) attend a total of 14,340 in-person visits
- 257 children (7+) attend a total of 673 in-person visits
- 3,604 adults attend a total of 13,174 in-person visits
Throughout lockdown, the team showed innovation in transitioning to a variety of online and telephone platforms to continue to provide live activities, ongoing engagement, referrals and support to the parents, caring adults and children in our Region and beyond. The team continues with online and telephone programs and services, as well as the preparation to open new centres in 2021.
CAMP
2020 marked an interesting point in our YMCA camp history – it was the first time that we ever had to cancel our overnight camps. And while COVID-19 may have changed how we did camp and what is might look like – one thing remained the same: Children and youth across our communities built amazing friendships and had wonderful camp experiences.
In total, 840 children from 580 families participated in YMCA of Three Rivers Day Camps. For 80 children, camp was a reality because of financial support.
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
The impacts of the pandemic are far-reaching. Over the past year we’ve seen unemployment rates rise across the Three Rivers Region. The Employment Services teams in Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo quickly rose to meet this challenge, bringing programming and services online.
From April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021, 88% of our Kitchener clients found employment and/or training. During this time period, 803 clients accessed Resource and Information for workshops, information sessions, job fairs, and other unassisted services, and 382 clients were registered in assisted services. In Cambridge, during this fiscal year 83% of clients served found employment and/or training. We also saw 646 clients access Resource and Information for workshops, information sessions, job fairs, and other unassisted services, and 191 clients register in assisted services.
IMMIGRANT SERVICES
For many, the Y’s Immigrant Services is a first stop after arriving to Canada. It is a welcoming space where new Canadians get plugged into the supports they need to transition to life in Canada. The realities of COVID-19 and a two-week quarantine significantly impacted what this looked like. Our team worked quickly to transition to virtual services, ensuring all feel safe and welcomed to their new home.
From April 1 2020 – March 31, 2021, Immigrant Services served 6,691 unique clients in the settlement program; of those, 2,443 were new clients to YMCA services. During this same period, the team completed taxes for 300 government assisted refugees and Private Sponsored Refugees. Other highlights include:
- 125 group information sessions
- 377 group community connections sessions
- 674 language assessments
The team continues to offer virtual programming and is excited to transition back to in-person as COVID-19 restrictions lift.
YMCA WorkWell
A new initiative by the YMCA of Three Rivers, YMCA WorkWell was founded in July 2020 with the belief that we can build stronger, healthier communities one workplace team at a time. Rooted in the belief that healthy workplace cultures and employee well-being are at the centre of all we do, we launched YMCA WorkWell.
Through this initiative, our team of approachable experts works alongside organizational leaders as we seek to collect and demystify data. These insights enable us to identify both localized and organization-wide tactical and strategic opportunities to create healthy cultures, where teams are engaged and productive, and individual contributors can thrive. While this intersection of health, engagement, and productivity can be overwhelmingly complex, our goal is to help simplify and demystify this process for leaders, helping them feel supported along the way.
In 2020, YMCA WorkWell ran a community-based insights-survey (which had 1,184 respondents) and published our inaugural Insights to Impact Report. This was followed by two free, community-based webinars where we engaged with 122 leaders. We also secured 17 new clients.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
In early June 2020, our Ys faced a bit of reckoning as we watched and observed what happens when people of colour are oppressed for generations and deprived of the opportunity to belong. As an organization that prides itself on being inclusive to all people— regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, citizenship and sexual orientation—we came together as a national and local team to deeply listen to our employees. We heard members of our teams speak up and share their personal stories and experiences of racism within our Y communities.
Our Y sits in discomfort as we acknowledge that racism is present in our teams, buildings, and programs and services. We know that our leadership does not adequately resemble the diversity of the community we serve. We acknowledge that we need to do better for those who continue to walk with the realities of racism, intolerance and ignorance. In a community where 18% of the population are visible minorities, we recognize that we do not look like the community we serve, and this needs to change. We know we have intentional work that we must do to fulfill our vision to build connected and resilient communities and be a leader in challenging systemic bias and barriers so we can create and provide equitable access to individuals and our communities. We are listening and learning and are committed to honestly evaluating ourselves through the lens of racial equality, systemic racism and biases.
Over the next year we are committed to establishing a mechanism to ensure we amplify the voices of those with lived experience to inform our programs, policies, and partnerships. Our first step was to create an advisory group, to guide our CEO and the new Board of Directors of the YMCA of Three Rivers in how our unified Mission, Vision, and Values can include the principles and language of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Respect, Accountability and Empathy to challenge biases, barriers and racism.
We want to be a diverse organization where individuals and communities are able to access, participate in, and fully benefit from programs and employment at the YMCA of Three Rivers to reach their full potential. As our local communities grow and change, our responsiveness to equity, diversity, and inclusion has never been more important.
Without our donors, there would be no Y. It is because of the generous support of individuals, organizations, and funding partners that we are able to continue showing up for our communities. It is because of these gifts that your Y will be here for good.
To see the list of donors, click on the relevant button below.
Now, more than ever, your community, your Y, needs you. We need you to keep showing up with us. To continue meeting our communities’ needs. To continue building safe, welcoming spaces to learn, grow, and thrive. Not just today. But every day.
This is why we’re here. This is our commitment. But, we can only do it with your support. Think of all the good we’ve done. Now, imagine all the good we’ll do. Continue to stand with us, and help ensure we’re
HERE FOR GOOD.
About
The YMCA of Three Rivers marks the official unification of the YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo, the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph, and the YMCA of Stratford-Perth as one regional entity. Through this process, we're bringing together our strengths and expertise to better serve our communities, where and how they need us most.
Throughout our combined history, we've demonstrated our commitment to our communities by showing up and delivering the programs, outreach, and services to our people need. This is the good stuff that we’re all about. And in unifying, we’re equipped with a re-commitment and a bold, new shared vision and purpose.
Our goal? Keep showing up for our communities - where, when, and how they need us most.