East Rowan is even closer to its $5 million goal with the latest campaign contribution. The Cannon Foundation has given $350,000 to
the East Rowan YMCA capital campaign, putting the project within $129,000 of its $5
million goal.
Campaign Chairman Paul Fisher
thanked the Foundation for its ‘‘very generous support.’’
‘‘This is a special
project that is part and parcel of the community life in eastern Rowan,’’ Fisher
said Wednesday. ‘‘This gift puts us within real striking distance of our
goal.’’
The Cannon gift comes from a
foundation, which has been incredibly responsive to funding requests with a personal
approach, Fisher said.
‘‘This new YMCA is very
much a personal project. We are most grateful to Mariam Cannon Hayes, other members of the
Foundation Board and Executive Director Dan Gray, for their validation of our work and
dreams.’’
Fisher said though the gift put
the campaign within reach of its goal, it will not quite satisfy all of the project needs.
‘‘We still have some
ball fields to build, some additional land to buy, and some construction refinements to
realize our dreams, which were not originally included in the $5 million campaign
goal,’’ he said.
The campaign has gone through a
goal resetting before. Originally pegged at $4.5 million, preliminary construction
estimates were more than anticipated and aspirations grew with the possibility to raise
the goal and finance greater plans.
‘‘We are pushing hard to
go over the top of this campaign. I am asking everyone to get behind this effort. If you
haven’t given yet, come on board and help us lift this campaign up and
over,’’ Fisher said. ‘‘We want to do it right this time around and not
have to come back in the near future and finish putting the icing on the cake. Costs for
the additional ball fields and the land will never be lower and we want to wrap up the
total project.’’
Fisher not only thanked the Cannon
Foundation, but also praised volunteers and the hundreds of donors who have labored long
and hard to make the eastern Y become a reality.
Plans are being made to wrap up
the campaign with a phone-a-thon on June 29, 30 and July 1. The campaign leadership hopes
to raise a minimum of $50,000 from businesses and individuals who have not had an
opportunity to become an investor in the project. Also being planned is the last Report
Rally, scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday, July 4, in conjunction with the Faith Fourth of July
Community Chorus Program at Faith Baptist Church. |
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