The Oakville Chamber of Commerce and The Rotary Club of Oakville West are pleased to announce that the YMCA of Oakville will be the recipient of Oakville’s Charity/Not-for-Profit Excellence Award at the 22nd Annual Oakville Awards for Business Excellence (OABE) that will culminate in a Gala Dinner on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre.
“The Charity/Not-for-Profit Excellence Award honours not-for-profit organizations who are highly regarded in the area for raising funds and providing services to improve the lives of people within our community. This year the YMCA of Oakville has been chosen as the recipient of this prestigious award” stated David Abboud, President of the Rotary Club of Oakville West.
For more than 50 years, the YMCA of Oakville has played a crucial role in improving the quality of health and life for residents in Oakville. The YMCA’s original mandate in Oakville was to provide a room registry for factory workers; later it provided a day camp for kids, expanded to provide physical fitness opportunities and finally childcare services for working parents. Today, the YMCA of Oakville continues to offer these programs with a dedication to the health of both individuals and the Oakville community.
The YMCA of Oakville brings the community together with a focus on inclusiveness and accessibility for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through all stages of life. Each November, people from all walks of life join together for YMCA Peace Week to promote and celebrate peace and kindness in the community. The highlight of which is the Peace Week Breakfast celebrating youth, adults and groups in Oakville who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in our community. They are recognized for the positive impact they’ve made on the lives of others through their charitable work, helping those less fortunate, and taking action to inspire positive social change.
In 2016, the YMCA of Oakville provided more than $726,000 in membership assistance, including the YMCA Strong Kids campaign, to support more than 2,200 individuals and their families. The YMCA of Oakville invests in youth through the Peter Gilgan Foundation bursaries, which assist recipients with their post-secondary education and the charitable organization is a large provider of youth employment in Oakville.
“The YMCA of Oakville also serves more than 31,000 people in our community each year. With their dedication to inclusiveness and bringing our community together, the YMCA of Oakville is an exemplary model of Charitable/Non-for-Profit Excellence. Through their inclusive programming they work to ensure that everyone in Oakville has an opportunity to succeed,” stated Caroline Hughes, Chair of the Board, Oakville Chamber of Commerce.