Taking Care of Business - The Pictou Advocate

6 - The Advocate, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Strong future for YMCA
The YMCA of Pictou
County continues its
mission of building
strong kids, strong
families and strong
communities.
The Y – which
manages facilities in
both Pictou and New
Glasgow – is dedicated
to providing innovative
leadership to the
community which
promotes inclusion,
health and responsibility
to each other, while
helping individuals and
families grow healthy
and strong in spirit,
mind and body.
General manager
Dave MacIntyre says,
“Currently, the Y has more
than 3,000 members and
operates a number of youth
outreach programs and
subsidizes memberships
for deserving families.”
Last year, through its
Membership Assistance
Program, the non-profit
organization served in
excess of 500 local families
and subsidized more than
$125,000 in memberships,
programs and services.
Recently, the YMCA
brought in motivational
speaker Kerry Cook as
part of its Strong Kids
Campaign. Cook spent
22 years on death row in
Texas for a crime he didn’t
commit. Since 1999 when
DNA evidence exonerated
“Over the past 20
plus years, we have
conducted the annual Y
Lotto in order to raise
funds that support our
various programs and
services.”
Dave MacIntyre
Pictou County YMCA
him, Cook has been an
advocate of legal reform
and he tours Canada and
the U.S. spreading this
message. His presentation
to local high school kids
about the consequences
of decisions was well
received.
“He touched 2,000 kids
with his story,” MacIntyre
said. “And if he touches just
one kid with his message
of teaching them not to
do what he did, then it’s
worth it.” The Y’s Strong
Kids Campaign focuses on
raising funds for financial
support of children, teens
and families who are
unable to afford the full
cost of participation in a Y
program or activity.
MacIntyre hopes to be
able to hold something
similar to this
presentation annually.
As a non-profit
organization, the YMCA
relies on community
support to fulfill its
mission. The Y Lotto
is what MacIntyre
calls the Y’s “critical
campaign” to generate
funds. Proceeds from
each ticket are critical
to the ongoing support
and development of
programs, services and
facilities.
“Over the past 20
plus years, we have
conducted the annual Y
Lotto in order to raise
funds that support our
various programs and
services.” MacIntyre notes
that in 2009, more than
$150,000 worth of programs
and memberships was
subsidized so individuals,
families, seniors, youth
and people with special
needs could participate in
a healthy lifestyle.
The 2010 campaign runs
May 1-June 26. “This year’s
fundraiser has over $165,000
in cash and prizes,” says
the general manager.
In the future, the local
YMCA will move in to
the planned wellness
centre. Until that time,
MacIntyre says the Y’s
staff, volunteers and board
will keep strengthening its
position as a vital part of
everyday life.
Sobeys sustainable strategy
Sobeys Inc. released its first
annual Sustainability@Sobeys report
in November of 2009. This report
outlined the company’s long-term
sustainability strategy including
reduction targets and progress to
date.
Sustainability@Sobeys highlights
initiatives introduced by the
company with a goal of improving
environmental performance through
responsible business practices, in the
best interest of customers, employees,
the company and the communities it
serves.
“Our goal is to integrate a
stronger sustainability mindset and
performance culture within our dayto-day
business activities,” says Bill
McEwan, president and chief executive
officer, Sobeys Inc.
“It is not an initiative separate from
our core strategy; it’s a deliberate and
thoughtful process that balances the
needs of our business with what we
must do to address environmental
and social impacts across the country
and our international supply chain.”
The company CEO adds,
“We’re pleased and encouraged
by the progress we have made to
date. While we do not have all the
answers today, we are committed to
building upon our existing initiatives
with the implementation of our
long-term sustainability strategy,
and to demonstrating continuous
improvement year-over-year.”
To advance its sustainability
efforts, Sobeys has introduced various
environmentally-focused
that include:
practices
• Establishing targets to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by 15 per cent and
total waste production by 30
per cent by 2013.
• Creating Sustainability Share
Groups to share best practices
and accelerate evaluation
and adoption of new
technologies and solutions in
its warehousing, logistics and
retail store operations across
the country.
• Defining common
measurement metrics and
deploying tools for easier
data capture, tracking, and
reporting.
• Participating in Canadian, U.S.
and international industry
organizations to help identify
and adopt industry-wide
sustainability initiatives.
“Sustainability@Sobeys is
grounded with clear goals and action
plans that can make a real difference in
reducing our environmental impact,”
said David Smith, vice-president, retail
strategy and sustainability, Sobeys Inc.
“We recognize that to be truly successful
in reaching these goals we need to
involve our customers, employees
and communities in identifying and
pursuing sustainability solutions
that make good environmental and
business sense.”
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