The YMCA in Barrie has been located on Grove St. West since 1965 when it was completed after a successful $500,000 fundraising campaign. It has had numerous renovations and expansions over the years but has finally reached the end of its current lifespan and needs to be renewed. Any decision regarding the renewal of our Barrie YMCA will impact the community and the YMCA for the next 40-50 years.

For that reason we are exploring as many options as possible to ensure that a solution is viable both from a financial point of view as well as a member/community perspective. Ultimately, how our members and the community as whole embrace our vision for a new YMCA will ultimately lead to its success.

Currently a work group has been formed by the Board of Directors to explore viable options for the renewal of our Barrie YMCA. With a population base of over 130,000 people, similar YMCA’s in communities our size have built facilities in the 75,000—80,000 sq. ft. range at a price between 21-23 million dollars.

There are five options to be considered:

1. Build a new facility on our current site
2. Build a facility on a new site
3. Renovate the existing building
4. Find a partner to build with on this site
5. Find a partner to build with on a new site

As I noted in my last post, “Your Y: Providing Excellence” the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka has grown in its 100 years of existence, and is now one of the largest YMCA branches in Canada, serving 60,000 people in 25 distinct communities. As prefaced in the video, “Where did Community Go?” from the Vancouver YMCA, our lifestyles are changing, and those changes have had a resounding impact on our communities and our children.

We Belong To Our Communities

As a community organization, we aren’t just located in our communities, but we need to belong to our communities. To succeed at that task, we need to better understand both our purpose and position within our communities. Are we a part of the essential fabric that makes up a community? What would happen if our services and facilities weren’t there? I suspect the answers to these questions would be quite diverse and not always what we would like to hear.

Because our organizational culture revolves around developing an identity with our communities to have greater impact, we have coordinated with YMCA Canada to develop a new communication strategy. Entitled “My Y”, our new strategy is designed to be a bottom up communication method that relies on our members and participants to share their “My Y”experiences will be integral to our success.

Help Us Share Stories About Your Y

We want everyone’s experiences to be great ones, and we encourage everyone in our communities to tell their “My Y” stories, to help us develop awareness about our initiatives and how hard we are working to make an impact in our communities. Your stories and experiences are the valuable threads that weave together the fabric of our communities.

So whether you use our state-of-the-art workout facilities, our licensed Child Care Centres, our summer camps, our employment counselors, our Newcomer Services program, or any of our other programs and services, we encourage you to share your experiences because we want everyone in our communities to know these services belong to you.

It’s that time of the year again! Thousands of men during the month of November will be growing and taming their moustaches, not only in Canada but around the world.

What is Movember?

The purpose of Movember is to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer which is the number one male cancer.

My Story

I have family members and friends who have been affected by cancer. My brother-in-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 43. He has had treatment and is now in remission, but it is a very scary time and a disease that is so easily detected with proper medical attention. Every donation brings us closer to a cure.

Donate today and help me reach my fundraising goals!

Movember Update

I would like to thank all  the supporters for their generous donations. I was able to raise $1,315 for Movember!

Since becoming CEO of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka in June, I’ve enjoyed spending time with staff, reaching out and connecting with the various communities we serve, and meeting more than 450 staff, volunteers and key leaders in our communities. As a result of these outreach initiatives, I believe three areas have emerged that need to be considered as we move forward with a new strategic plan for 2012-2017: culture; operational excellence; and communication. In this second of three blog posts in our series, I am going to address operational excellence.

Your Y is the fifth largest in Canada

The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka is now one of the largest YMCAs in Canada. From 2005-2010, your Y focused on creating a sustainable organization through renewal of our physical buildings and facilities. Now, as we embark on our next phase of development, I think it’s time to give greater focus on becoming re- engaged in our communities and their needs. Part of this re-engagement strategy will be an even greater emphasis on excellence as we deliver vital services to our diverse communities.

Delivering Vital Services to Our Communities

The delivery of excellent community programs and services means that we need to better understand the needs of our local communities. We will strive to enhance our communication at the local level and ensure we are working with other community organizations to frame our strategic plan moving forward. We will align our culture to be service oriented with programs that meet the needs of our members and participants. To do this, we will also need to continue investing in staff with the appropriate skills and knowledge to ensure quality delivery of program. None of these objectives will be easy given our reach and diversity.

Excellence Going Forward

As we move forward with our new strategic plan we will also begin to look at gaps in our service across Simcoe and Muskoka. Difficult questions will need to be asked and answered. How do we provide services in smaller rural areas? What role do we play in our aboriginal communities? How do we balance our desire for excellence with the fiscal demands required to maintain our owned facilities? I am confident with the skills of our volunteer board and staff that we can navigate our way through these difficult questions. With the help of our communities, the end result will be an even stronger, more relevant YMCA that delivers excellent programs and services that truly reflect the diversity of our service area.

Child Care Worker ECE Appreciation Day

Today is the official Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator appreciation day! This year marks the 11th anniversary of this awareness day which recognizes the education, skills, commitment and dedication of all Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Staff.

A message to all Child Care Worker and ECE Staff

A special thanks from Rob Armstrong, CEO, YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka: “I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much appreciation we have for you and the role you have within the organization, not only for us but also for the families you impact and work with every day”.

The YMCA is the largest provider of licensed non-profit Child Care Programs in Simcoe/Muskoka. Find a Child Care Centre near you.

Since becoming CEO of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka in June, I’ve enjoyed spending time with staff, reaching out connecting with the various communities we serve, and meeting more than 450 staff, volunteers and key leaders in our communities. As a result of these outreach initiatives, three areas have emerged that need to be considered as we move forward with a new strategic plan for 2012-2017: culture; operational excellence and communication.

In my next few blog posts, I am going to address each of these themes in a series, beginning with culture.

Building Strong Communities

Your YMCA has roots that go back more than a century. Now more than 60,000 people in 25 diverse communities in the County of Simcoe, the District of Muskoka and Parry Sound, each with their own culture and individualized needs are part of your Y. This diversity creates a unique set of challenges.

Your Y should be recognized as a community leader in lifelong health and personal growth. In fact, our Mission Statement affirms that goal; “The YMCA is a charity that excels in strengthening our communities by providing opportunities for all to grow in Spirit, Mind and Body.”

YMCA Organizational Culture

From my outreach and meetings, I heard and observed that we have to focus more efforts on building our culture. I am committed to creating an organizational culture that understands its role in our communities that is mindful of who we are, and who we are serving. It is a culture that embraces our values of honesty, respect, caring, responsibility and inclusiveness. It is open and transparent for all.

Although we are very proud of our accomplishments our culture needs to be less about telling people about our accomplishments and more about listening to people share their story about how the YMCA has made a difference in their lives. One of the first steps in changing our culture is to listen more and give more people a chance to engage in conversation with us. With listening, we begin to get more of an “outside-in” perspective and a better idea of how we are perceived and the roles we might play in a community.

We will continue to work hard to develop an organizational culture that understands and serves our communities. We will strive to make our YMCA leaders more visible and accessible within all of the diverse segments of the communities we serve. We will work hard to connect, adapt, communicate and grow our culture to build strong communities.

Your feedback and ideas are a valuable source of insight into how the Y can create an organizational culture to serve our communities. I welcome your thoughts and comments as we work together to focus on this initiative.

With our excellent health and recreation facilities, many people think of the Y as just another fitness club, but the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka is far more than that.

Your Y is a charitable organization whose mission is to help strengthen our communities through the delivery of programs and services that are aligned with our values of Caring, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Respect and Responsibility. Last year alone, 135,000 people participated in activities such as day camps, employment, youth leadership programs and our child care centres. Not everyone used the fitness facilities. 

Accountable to you and the government

As a registered charitable organization, the YMCA is accountable to its communities. Not only do we undergo regular government agency audits, our Annual Report and Registered Charity Information Tax Return are publically available to anyone. We also post our Future Fund and Capital Fund Statement of Investment Policy so that everyone can see how we spend your fees and donations.

A partner in Simcoe/Muskoka

We want to be a trusted, integral part of the communities we serve, so we partner with local organizations such as schools, social service agencies, service clubs, and various levels of government. Whether we are counseling our youth, helping new immigrants adapt to the community, or assisting the unemployed with a job search, we strive to keep the highest possible ethical and moral standards, so we have signed on to the Imagine Canada Ethical Code.

YMCA Charity

As a charitable organization, we have a duty to use your fees and donations wisely. we rely heavily on over 500 volunteers, who do a little of everything, from teaching fitness classes, to child care, to counseling at-risk youth. Even our Board of Directors are volunteers, whose goal is to provide direction and guidance to the staff to ensure we are engaging and connecting to the needs of our community. Because we’re a charitable organization, we want everyone in our communities to have access to our services, regardless of financial circumstances. That’s why nearly 30 % of our members receive fee payment assistance. If you think you can’t afford to join us, come in and see if we can help you.

We’re proud that our fitness programs cultivate healthier lifestyles, but your Y is so much more. We are an inclusive community that is open to everyone. One of our volunteers put it best.

“In a society perceived by many to be disconnected and disengaged, the YMCA becomes a gathering place for people from all walks of life, in ways that are almost impossible to imagine anywhere else.”

Your YMCA is building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities across Ontario. Whether in recreation and healthy living, early learning and child care, or youth support services and skills development, the YMCA has been a pioneer in helping to overcome the challenges facing Ontario’s communities. 

The YMCA has grown to be one of Ontario’s largest charities reaching communities big and small to serve almost 1.3 million Ontarians at all stages of life.

YMCA & The Province of Ontario – Partners in Progress

Working with the province, the YMCA and other not-for-profit organizations are already delivering positive results. Read the rest of this entry »

As I begin my ninth week here at the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka, I want to take a moment to mention just how impressed I am with everyone working and volunteering at the facility. You are all incredibly dedicated, and you all have my sincerest thanks and gratitude. Without you, we could not bring the services of the YMCA to the Simcoe/Muskoka community.

Since I have become CEO, it has been my privilege to meet and speak with more than 325 people in the area, and I have learned a lot from this experience. Many of the residents have questions about the Barrie facility and how the project is progressing. It is our number one priority to address the issues that are brought to our attention, keep lines of communication open and to promptly respond to areas of concern.

YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Board Makes Member Expectations Priority One

I am working very closely with the board to answer all of your concerns and this remains our number one priority. We are committed to the rejuvenation of the Barrie YMCA, and will make sure it meets the highest standards the members of our organization expect and demand. We will be unveiling our full vision and strategy by January, 2012.

Barrie YMCA Continues Tradition of Commitment to Community

We have formed a committed work group consisting of members of the board to help us complete the development plan as quickly as possible. We are committed to keeping communications open during this process and are looking forward to your feedback while the plan is being developed. It is only through you that the YMCA is able to contribute to the community.

As the development plan progresses, you will find plenty of updates here on the blog or on my Twitter account @RobYMCASM. I look forward to meeting more of you and learning what we can do to improve your experience with the YMCA here in the Simcoe/Muskoka area. I encourage you to provide any feedback or suggestions through the comments here on the blog.