CEO Message and Capital Campaign Update
Brian Steffen, CEO
Each day that I have been in Eugene has been one that has reaffirmed how lucky I am to be a part of an organization as incredible as the Eugene Family YMCA. A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting with some community members, and one remarked, “So, you’re the person that’s going to make sure we get a new Y built?”
This comment stuck with me because I had also recently wrapped up meetings with some influential individuals and families in town. Not one of these individuals expressed a desire to donate to the Y because I was the new CEO. Instead, they shared stories -- stories about time spent in Y camps, about learning to swim, about smiles on their children’s faces after a day at Y camp, about a family member who enjoyed years of enhanced health because of Y classes, and stories of lifetime friendships.
In the coming years, we will have a new Y here in Eugene, but this Y will not be built because of any skill or talent that I have. It will be built because of a camp counselor who cared about a child many years ago. It will be built because Y staff have, for generations, understood that we aren’t here to improve land and build buildings, but to build confidence, friendships, and health. The new Y will be built in our future because lives were built in our past.
In this newsletter, you will read about Y impact – a story of a modern family and scholarship, about community building through volunteering, and about important work throughout Eugene, where families need us most – on site in their children’s schools.
The Y plays a vital role in building strong community, and our presence is felt among the strong kids we help mold, the cancer survivors who rebuild after treatment, and the man who uses a wheelchair and gets strong in our U Can Gym. Y work makes a difference, but we need to be doing more. The threat of chronic disease is not retreating, and our families need more help.
We recently demonstrated our commitment and progress to building a stronger presence in Eugene by making our land payment of $712,500 to the Eugene School District 4J. We’re all in!
The Y is one-step closer to realizing our future and the opportunity to yield more impact in this community at our new site where the former Roosevelt Middle School once stood. And it’s thanks to the donors who have committed themselves to creating this legacy as visionary supporters of the Y as a critical community asset. And thank you to former campers who are now donors, to Legacy Society members whose grandchildren will benefit from their generosity, and to the many of us who will play a role in building a better us. Onward!
