YMCA of Cape Breton turns fundraising deficit into success

What a difference a week makes.Back on Oct. 30, the YMCA of Cape Breton had only seven daysleft in its annual fundraising campaign known as the Y Lotto.

Ticket sales were way down and it appeared it might fall far short of its goal of $80,000.

But according to Cape Breton YMCACEO Andre Gallant,things improved dramatically in the finaldays of the campaign.

"A normal busy day for our Y Lotto sales would be 250-260 tickets sold," he said. "On our last day of the Y Lotto campaign we sold slightly over 500 tickets.That's in person, on line and over the phone quite a response indeed."

That big rally on the final day, coupled with some expense cuts, means the YMCA's target of bringing in$80,000 after expenses willbe exceeded, Gallant says.He estimates a final figure of close to a $100,000.

Gallant says themoney goes into the YMCA's "opportunity fund."

"The vast majority of that money goes to support people who could not otherwise afford YMCA programs and services," he says.

"Let's say we have a mom with a couple of kids. She needs full-time childcare in order to take a job but she can't quite pay the bills. The opportunity fund is there to help support that mom so she can enroll both of those kids."

Other examples, he says, are people who need exercise for medical reasons but don't have the resources to pay for a Y membership.

The opportunity fund will make up the difference between what they can afford and the full fee for membership.

The opportunity fundcan be enjoyed not only by people coming to the facility in Sydney, but at the YMCA centre in Port Hawkesbury, as well.

The same will be true nextyear in Membertou when the Y assumes the operation of the fitness centre in the community's brand new wellness centre.