Officials from the YMCA of Greater Saint John have a new roadmap for the next five years.
The organization unveiled its new strategic plan at the Glenn Carpenter Centre on Tuesday.
“I’m really excited for the impact that we’re going to continue to have on the community and really do amazing things from Sussex to St. Stephen,” said president and CEO Shilo Boucher.
The Y has identified four key priority areas: creating centres of community for families; creating positive health outcomes for the community; supporting their people and regional workforce; and creating a sustainable YMCA.
Boucher said one of their focuses is turning the Glenn Carpenter Centre into a year-round facility.
In April, the organization unveiled plans for the $3.5-million expansion of the Saint John facility.
“We want to start to connect families with the outdoors as well as our membership base,” she said. “We’re going to see probably upward of 5,000 people using this facility versus the 1,000 kids we have out here every year.”
One of the biggest aspects of the expansion is a new $2.3-million multi-purpose building, allowing the YMCA to add an outdoor after-school program which will serve 90 kids.
The centre currently has a main lodge on site, but Boucher said it was only designed to be used in the summer months.
The new building will also allow them to expand their summer day camps to 1,500 campers per year. In 2022, the organization reached its target of having 1,100 campers.
Phase one work has already been completed, such as a new road and parking lot, and upgrades to the existing lodge.
The new building is expected to be completed in 2024, with updated programming rolling out in 2024 and 2025.
Boucher said they also have a goal of opening four new child care centres over the next five years.
As the largest not-for-profit provider of child care in the region, she said there are 800 people on their current waitlist.
“We feel like we really need to step up on this one and support our communities,” said Boucher. It not only helps people get to work, but it gives the children the right first step to be prepared for school.”
Boucher anticipates each of the centres would have around 60 spaces for a total of 240 across the region.
The Y is eying locations in several communities including St. George, which Boucher said does not currently have any licensed child care options. They are also looking at partnering with Shannex to open a location in Quispamsis.
Other goals in the strategic plan include creating a newcomer hub and raising $1 million through the Y’s Strong Communities campaign.
Strong Communities helps provide access to YMCA programs for kids, youth, adults, seniors and families. Boucher said the $1-million goal would allow them to help more than 5,400 people from Sussex through St. Stephen.
Boucher said she anticipates staffing will be one of their biggest challenges to overcome over the next few years.
“We need to add at least 100 to 150 new staff to the team,” she said. “Child care centres are heavily staffed and that’s really an important part of the work and that’s why we have a big focus on people.”
The Y’s goals for the next five years include a focus on retention and development within the organization, an evaluation of compensation and benefits, and creating an environment that celebrates work-life balance.
Follow
