Creating Opportunities For All
The Cortland YMCA Annual Support Campaign goes where membership fees don’t. It powers critical programs and activities that keep kids safe, people healthy, and families strong. And it can’t happen without you.
Let’s talk impact
One in five of our members are getting healthy, keeping their kids engaged in sports, and changing their lives thanks to the generosity of our community members through our Membership for All program.
When you give to the Cortland YMCA, 100% of your gift is used to help local families. Every. Single. Penny. We don’t use it to cover administrative costs or overhead. It’s helping the family you see every week at swim lessons, where children are learning to be safe and have fun in water. It’s helping a young girl compete in a state-wide gymnastics’ tournament, where she’s also developing confidence and life-long friendships. It’s helping a struggling single mom afford to send her child to summer camp, so her child has a safe place to grow and learn while she works. It’s helping older adults stay active, energetic, and young.
It’s helping families stay healthy, and it’s helping those with challenging pasts build a new life.
And that’s just the beginning.
Too often, I think, we get hung up on the physical attributes of what the Y offers. We have fitness equipment and a basketball court. We have a pool, and a gymnastics center.
But, we’re more than that. We’re a community.
When I look around at the people that walk in through our front door, I see a gathering of women that meet in the community room once a month, sharing their lunches, conversations, and friendship. I see a group of men meeting twice a week to play basketball and help each other through trying times. I see parents connecting and building relationships during swim meets and karate classes. I see new friends making plans to work out together, and old friends reuniting again after years of separation.
I see people walking in three times a week, and walking out each time with a renewed sense of self-worth. I see people changing their lives, and the lives of those around them.
At the Cortland County Family YMCA, these tiny moments of connection happen every day.
And without our Membership for All program, they wouldn’t be possible. More than 200 families, the heart of our community, could no longer afford to be a part of our YMCA.
Membership for All is supported through our Annual Support Campaign. In the last 12 months, we’ve given more than $60,000 in financial assistance for our programs and memberships. Next year, we’ll be giving even more. And to do that, we need your help.
We’re right at the end of our campaign to raise money through the Cortland Community Foundation’s National Philanthropy Day promotion. If you give $100 or more (up to $5000) through the Community Foundation by November 15th, designated as a gift for the Cortland YMCA, not only will your entire donation be sent to us, you’ll also help us win additional funding, up to $10,000, that we can use to create an even greater impact in our community.
You can help us change lives. Follow the link below to make your donation online (how easy is that?) or to find directions for mailing in a check. When you do, please remember to put that your gift is for the Cortland YMCA.
And on behalf of the Cortland YMCA staff and the many families you are impacting with your gift, thank you.
Sincerely,
Margo Upson
Membership Director and MFA Coordinator
Cortland County Family YMCA
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