Y FAMILY TO MATCH $500,000 GIFT
Longtime community-minded philanthropist, Betty Soreng, is challenging the community to match a $500,000 gift through The Oregon Community Foundation in order to support the Eugene Family YMCA’s Capital Campaign for a new Y.
As work accelerates toward the new YMCA, many Y members have asked how they can contribute. This challenge grant is a unique opportunity to pair our eager, dedicated Y family with a generous and forward-thinking donor.
Betty Soreng, along with her since-deceased husband John, have invested thoughtfully and extensively in Eugene. They have contributed to the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, The Nature Conservancy and the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History to name a few.
Betty continues her legacy of building a strong community and investing in future generations with this significant gift to the Eugene Family YMCA.
“The Y has been here for 132 years, providing important services to our community,” she says. “As an established organization that has a history of responding to the evolving challenges in Lane County, the Y is poised to deliver even broader impact but it’s simply not possible to do that in the current building. We have a great opportunity to realize the vision of a new flagship facility.”
Y members are well aware that our 1955 building is not ADA-accessible, is in a constant state of disrepair and is operating beyond its capacity. Aerobics and yoga classes often are overflowing. LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA for cancer survivors has a 40- to 60-person waitlist. And 34 parking spaces is not adequate for an ever-growing membership.
A new facility will help us alleviate all of the above issues. Plus, it will offer:
• A multi-generational activity center for academic tutoring, wellness classes and community events
• A teaching kitchen for families and individuals to gain nutritional knowledge
• An expanded aquatic center to teach youth safety skills, support rehabilitation and preventative care, and offer recreational and competitive swimming
• The addition of critical programs like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s support, Blood Pressure Awareness and Falls Prevention.
This new facility will not only accommodate significant growth and changes in health and wellness programming in the decades to come, it will also provide the revenue to further expand the Y’s programs into underserved areas of Lane County.
On the heels of the state’s $15-million award in lottery-backed bonds this legislative session, Betty’s gift has provided us a meaningful opportunity to engage our Y community in continuing the momentum toward the campaign goal.
