CONTRIBUTED
The Citizens for a Healthy Pictou County, the group responsible for initiating the $37 million Pictou County Wellness Centre project, and subsequently the successful fundraising campaign, are creating, in cooperation with the YMCA of Pictou County, an endowment fund to assist the YMCA to offer programming outside of the physical site of the YMCA in the Wellness Centre.
“We want to support the YMCA in their continued efforts to ensure that the programming is accessible to all in our community, regardless of where you are physically located in the county, through this legacy,” said campaign co-chair and Citizens for a Healthy Pictou County chair, Murray Hill.
Consistent with the Citizens for a Healthy Pictou County’s Terms of Association, residual capital from the fundraising campaign can be transferred to a like-minded organization. This agreement will see $500,000 transferred to an endowment to support extension activities of the Y.
“The community was very generous of its support of the development of the center which resulted in an overachieved fundraising goal," Hill said. "With that, we were able to provide a number of enhancements to the center that weren’t included in the original plans such as the electronic signage on the road to promote events, automatic doors at the entrance, the floor coverings for the ice surface, and the staging to allow for the center to host the events.”
The funds from this endowment will allow the YMCA to offer new programming and expand existing Y on the Move programming including local fitness programming, family events, pickleball, hikes, fun runs, social events, food security programs like ‘Collective Kitchens’ and other “Learn to” activities.
“The YMCA is excited about this opportunity to further Y on the Move Community Outreach into the community and outside of the walls of the Wellness Centre. Starting with a Needs Assessment and partnership building in areas like River John and other communities,” said Tammy Goodwin, Executive Director of the YMCA of Pictou County.
