Sarnia's Mainstreet Credit Union is providing a boost to the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario's Fill the Bus campaign.
In a cheque presentation Thursday, the business donated $40,000 towards the popular initiative, aimed at sending children to camp.
The contribution is enough to help 200 kids experience the fun.
Mainstreet President and CEO Chris Inniss said they're thrilled to be able to assist.
"As a cooperative financial institution, we are owned by our members and so we make sure to return profit to our members and to our community," said Inniss. "We give five per cent of our pre-tax income to community, so a pretty amazing number. Credit unions tend to do an average of about four per cent and of course we want to do a little bit more than the average credit union, so really happy to do community support like this."
Inniss said they can really notice the benefits of the partnership.
"Another piece is a couple of the sustainable development goals that we've enacted. Decent work and economic growth and gender equality," he said. "Making sure that kids have access to camp allows women to work and builds our economy and have that extra support. It's expensive for kids to go to camp, so making sure that they've got that access is great for our communities, great for our local economy. So it's just a win-win-win for us."
YMCA of Southwestern Ontario CEO Andrew Lockie is very thankful for the support.
"Our thanks to Mainstreet Credit Union for their stalwart support now going over years, Chris's leadership as well, all of what we've benefited from this great partnership. The financial support and the community leadership means a lot, and we are delighted to be a beneficiary of that."
Lockie said YMCA camps were a pillar of his childhood.
"I went to overnight camp, that was my connection to the Y," he said. "My mom went to overnight camp at the Y, and that's why she sent me. It became a passion and it builds confidence. My own kids went to camp. They now work there too."
Lockie said the YMCA offers a huge variety of camps, allowing the kids to build self esteem and gain friendships.
"Day camps operate across the region, and those programs have a lot of programs that are outdoors," said Lockie. "That would be games and activities, team building exercises. There would be educational elements around environmental responsibility and that type of thing. And then there would be a lot of stuff inside that would be fun too that would be in our gyms and pools and so on."
Lockie said the overnight camps tend to be more focused on the outdoors and include things like canoe trips, hiking, and arts and crafts.
So far, the YMCA's Fill the Bus campaign is sitting at nearly $125,000 of the $275,000 target.
More information can be found on the YMCA's website.
