ROB MURRAY: I’m speaking with Connie MacDonald, CEO of the YWCA of Banff.  You have a big campaign going on right now. What can you tell us about the Thriving Futures Community Chalenge?

CONNIE MacDONALD: It really is a reflection of our go-forward plan. We have been doing a ton of work through COVID in terms of providing services and supports to our community. One of the challenges that we face in a big way is that we have actually had to close down our hotel, primarily to be able to provide some of these other services like increasing the amount of housing, increasing our shelter spaces, increasing our supports for people who are homeless, and also providing isolation spaces. By closing our hotel we have lost significant revenue that we rely on and we are looking for support from the community to help us with our programming, with our services, and some of our critical operations from the revenue that we’ve lost.

RM: You have some big news about a big donation to the campaign?

CM: We’ve had two big donations. The first one which we announced a couple of weeks ago was through the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation. They started off the campaign with a $100,000 donation. The second is a wonderful anonymous donor from the community who has stepped forward and said, look, we want to help you raise more money, so every dollar you raise up to $100,000, we’ll match that donation. That’s incredible for us. It gives a lot of incentive for people – that is doubling their impact not only to our organization, but really to our community.

RM: How can people make a donation?

CM: Through our website.

RM: What’s your ultimate goal for fundraising?

CM: Our goal is to raise half a million dollars. That doesn’t actually reflect the money that we lost, but we have been successful with bringing in some of the grants that have been available for COVID. If we can raise half a million dollars that will really help our organization as we go forward. There’ll be lots of opportunities for people who want to do their own little campaigns, and that’s where our community challenge comes in. Someone who might want to do a little concert online, or I know at Christmas a lot of people who would go for lunch with friends and do a little celebration and maybe they would want to donate that money to Thriving Futures. We have all kinds of people who have called us with some really cool ideas, everything from a Polar Bear Plunge challenge to people who want to ride 1000 kms on their bike. We’re trying to make it a little bit fun. We recognize that this time of year we’re all talking about new traditions and how we can celebrate Christmas, and we really believe in the spirit of Christmas. No matter what happens with COVID, our community has always been behind us at the YWCA and we’re really confident that’s going to prove true for this campaign.

RM: I know one of the fundraisers that’s coming up here is that Home for the Holidays virtual Christmas show, they’re doing a call-out for donations during the show.

CM: It’s a great example of how we can take the community concert that’s always been going on and how we can pivot that online. It’s going to be terrific, and we’re honored to be the charity of choice for that event.

RM: With the rising number of COVID cases and the generosity you’ve been providing to the community with isolation spaces I’d imagine you must be pretty busy at the YWCA on that front these days.

CM: Our isolation spaces have been full. This is something we’ve sort of had set out for about seven months now. People don’t always think of Y staff as being front line staff, but supporting people who are victims of domestic or sexual violence, people who sometimes because of COVID or have found themselves without a place to live or are living in precarious housing and they need something that’s more safe, and also just the number of crisis calls. That’s what really has escalated. Our staff have been diligent. They have worked super hard, and I’m so proud of what they’ve contributed throughout this whole pandemic, but people are tired. I see that with my friends. I see that throughout the community and when we get some support through Thriving Futures, that just buoys us up a little bit. It just gives us that inspiration to keep going. We know people see our work and we’re grateful for that. We’re part of the community and it just feels good to be doing what we’re doing.

RM: Connie, it’s just dawned on me that this may be our last interview related to YWCA matters. I believe you’re stepping down as the CEO there in the next few weeks?

CM: Yes I am. It’s not easy to do. About seven and a half years ago I committed to five years, but I’m super happy to say that we have hired a great new CEO, and we have a super strong senior team in place. I feel really confident about what opportunities are ahead for us at the Y. For me personally, it’s been just the most incredible experience. It’s not that easy to leave, but I have committed to doing some volunteer work. I’m moving on to some new adventures with my husband who closed his business down a couple of years ago, so I’m not going anywhere. I’m still going to stay in Banff and I have a couple of ski passes, so we’re going to enjoy the winter. I’m really confident about our new CEO coming in, and I’m really confident about the team that we have in place, so I think all that will be great for the YWCA.

Filed under: Banff, YWCA of Banff