The letter to the YMCA of Greater Vancouver’s Board of Governors was explicit.

All monies received are to be invested, together with the accumulated interest, and left to grow until such time as there are sufficient funds available to build a Downtown YMCA large enough to meet the needs of the City at the time of its opening and also large enough to meet the expanding demands of Vancouver.  Skimping and corner cutting is to be avoided.  At its opening I would like it to be one of the best in the world.

Its author Noel Caryll was not a well-known philanthropist.  He was a frontline YMCA employee – stationed at the membership desk on the corner of Burrard and Barclay – for many years.  Upon his death in 1983, the proceeds from the sale of his home were delivered to the YMCA.  By the time that construction began on the new downtown YMCA, his $250,000 gift had grown to $1.3 million.  And when it opened last Friday, Noel would have been delighted by the return on his investment.  The new Robert Lee YMCA is, without question, one of the best in the world.

Along with YMCA Canada’s Board Chair Marty Reynolds and colleagues from across Canada and the US, I was there for the ribbon cutting and to watch YMCA leaders hand over this new tool for community building to Vancouver residents.  You can read all about the long road to this day and find more details in this excellent cover story in the Vancouver Sun or on the YMCA of Greater Vancouver’s website.   The Vancouver Sun has also posted a video tour led by Vice-President and General Manager Simon Adams.

When I think about this accomplishment and celebration, it is the seamless blending of the old and the new that stands out:

• a “green” and thoroughly modern glass six storey building with a solid brick facade circa 1940
• a traditional Chinese dragon dance welcome and a choral farewell from the Vancouver Children’s Choir (the Expo 86 anthem “This is My Home” )
• predictably useful multi-purpose spaces for core YMCA programs and innovations like a centre for reflection, community living room/kitchen, and many surprising child and family-friendly features (including doors with circular windows at just the right height for toddlers to see into adjoining rooms!)
• our first leader Sir George Williams (having chosen George Rodger as his medium) sharing the stage with current volunteer and staff partners, Board Chair Joanne Malloy-Webster and President & CEO Bill Stewart

Both Bill and George, mentors of mine, are coming to the end of their inspiring and highly productive careers.  This latest creative collaboration has not only resulted in an exceptional facility, but it has also introduced an innovative, more integrated way of operating it.  They are leaving behind something more valuable than a bricks and mortar legacy.  They have given us an example from which we will continue to learn, and a powerful story to tell others about organizational relevance and renewal.

Noel’s letter closes with a sentiment that many of us – volunteers and staff alike – share about our YMCA careers.  He also issues a challenge that often keeps us awake at night.

I cannot tell you how much the Y has given to me: only let me say it has been beyond measure.  All was freely given.  All was freely taken.  There are no debts on either side.  It is in appreciation of these gifts that I hand over to you a gift intended for others.  Will you pass it on?

As YMCA leaders, our task is to seed what will outlast our short lifespans.  To increase our collective assets in the service of successive generations.  We do this because people and their communities have a value beyond time and understanding. 

This explains, I imagine, why Sir George reminded us last Friday that the work is unfinished even though this “breathtaking, functional and urgently needed facility” is.  As the Robert Lee YMCA makes its debut this week,  please join me in congratulating the volunteers, staff and donors who grew it from the ground up.

What do you want to pass on to future generations?

Scott

PS:  For more photos from my pre-opening tour of the Robert Lee YMCA in March, check out YMCA Canada’s Flickr page.