SooToday received the following letter from Rebuilding Our YMCA members Ali Dennie, Dr. Teryn Bruni and Kristen Duke:
Like many others, the announcement of the closure of the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA caught the co-founders of the “Rebuilding Our YMCA” Facebook group off guard. Ali Dennie, Kirsten Duke and Dr. Teryn Bruni were driven to do something to help, but many may not know that we didn’t actually know each other prior to April 2024. We had met on occasion, decades prior, but we did not anticipate that the YMCA closure would thrust us together into ad hoc grassroots advocacy.
A rally. A townhall. A tearful presentation to Sault Ste. Marie City Council. An open letter. Three parents, with five small children between us, dedicated as much time as we could to avoid what we could only imagine would be catastrophic for (y)our community. The announcement of the conditional purchase of the YMCA building, which we now know was undertaken by the Dr. Lou and Mae Lukenda Charitable Foundation gave us a distinct sense of relief.
We do want to thank our City Council for recognizing the important opportunity the Lukenda Charitable Foundation gave to our community. The proposed capital investment that Council is voting on confirming on Monday would be made to support the immediate infrastructure needs of the building. This cost pales in comparison to the daunting prospect of constructing a new recreation centre from the ground up, estimated at the May 13, 2024 council meeting to exceed $30 million.
Such a substantial project would take seven to 10 years to plan and construct. The immediate societal and economic cost of not investing in one of our primary childcare and recreational facilities can not be overstated. Failing to invest in y(our) YMCA today will have immediate and potentially irreversible negative consequences on the overall health, mental wellness, and cohesion of y(our) community. This impactful contribution by (y)our city to uphold existing programs underscores that the price of inaction far outweighs the benefits of continued support for this essential community resource.
Fortunately, our shared community values rooted in loyalty, safety, and a commitment to care for our neighbours has played an important role in overcoming the initial challenge of maintaining the YMCA’s operations for these last four months. Witnessing the collective solidarity, generosity, and unwavering support of local corporations, businesses and everyday people is exactly how (y)our community lives by those shared values. It is truly heartwarming to watch how a community can unite and touch the lives of so many.
The possibility of losing this institution gave us the chance to really understand the potential impacts of the closure of the YMCA, as well as the incredible lack of accessible and affordable community services within (y)our community. Reading and hearing everyone's YMCA stories, many that covered multiple generations, including our own, made us commit to every possible effort to create opportunities for demonstrated support of the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA. Not just for now - but for future generations as well. It is clear: the YMCA is a critical and important community resource in Sault Ste. Marie. We have said it before - it’s not just a daycare, it’s not just a fitness centre, it’s not just a place to swim. It’s all of those things, as well as so much more. But what also became clear during the past 4 months, is that the YMCA alone is not enough. It needs to be saved, it should be supported, but its existence only begins to address a community services gap that we have in Sault Ste. Marie.
Regardless of the outcome at Monday’s City Council meeting - the past four months have been a clear and loud testament to the unwavering dedication of Sault Ste. Marie community members to care for each other and create a nurturing environment where everyone can thrive. Enabling access to the enriching programs and services offered by the YMCA will mean that we can continue the aim of promoting collective health and wellness within (y)our community.
Generosity and compassion define (y)our community. Together, we ALL can make a difference by extending a helping hand to those in need and enriching the lives of our neighbours. Let's continue to show what makes Sault Ste. Marie truly special – our boundless capacity to support and uplift each other.
Thank you Sault Ste. Marie,
Ali Dennie, Dr. Teryn Bruni and Kirsten Duke
Rebuilding Our YMCA