Keeping the YMCA afloat

Just as businesses have been suffering through the pandemic, not-for-profits and charities have been hard hit.
According to YMCA Simcoe Muskoka VP Brian Shelley, the organization expects to see a reduction of roughly $25 million in revenue this year, on a $50 million annual budget.
The board of directors recently made the difficult decision to shutter three fitness facilities in Barrie, Orillia and Parry Sound.
Shelley says the Wasaga Beach location, which has a strong membership history, will be spared.
The Wasaga Beach facility is actually owned by the municipality, and operated by the Simcoe Muskoka YMCA. It is one of the earliest examples of such partnerships, and has become a blueprint for other YMCAs, including the ones in Innisfil and Gravenhurst.
Fitness programs at the Wasaga Beach YMCA were halted on March 13 when the province ordered closures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19. Gradually some services have been restored, but management decided not to reopen during the summer as gym facilities have been repurposed to function as summer camps.
Currently, about 50 children are attending camps each day. Plans are currently being developed for eventual reopening of fitness facilities, with changes to meet physical distancing requirements.
Looking ahead to September, Shelley says the primary focus will be on restoring before- and after-school care programs. The YMCA is the largest local provider of licenced child care.
The pandemic forced cancellation of Move to Give, the YMCA’s largest annual fundraiser. A successful online push in May and June helped offset the loss, but creation of new virtual programs and emergency child care for front line workers has meant further strain on resources.
Typically, plans would be underway at this time of year for a big fall gala in Barrie, but that event has been cancelled.
For the first summer in over a century, the YMCA was been unable to open Camp Kitchikewana near Honey Harbour.
A virtual campfire event including performances by Paul Langlois of the Tragically Hip and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls will be held Thursday, August 27 to raise funds for next year’s season at Camp Kitchikewana.
Tickets can be purchased for $25 at www.ymcasm.ca/KitchikewanaConcert.