Dear Editor:

Our Y is one of the finest in the country. The beneficence of Dr. Borsage, Mary Louise Cowan and innumerable others has been magnificent. I cannot find fault with any aspect of the program except with the criteria for membership.

The older, affluent, successful retired population is serviced beyond expectations.

There are, among local people, however, deep feelings of resentment, antipathy and even animosity towards the Y.

Membership is an involved, multi-faceted issue and extremely difficult for those of limited means who are expected to produce their “financials” to qualify for reduced rates, if at all. In my experience, Maine people, especially those with limited incomes, are very prideful about their not accepting charity or benefits.

About five years ago, I was speaking to a father of two children who is a craftsman and handyman in the community who told me, “I would sooner cut off my arm than beg from those people.” He held on to his pride, but in the end, his children never participated in the Y.

The Y has a fiduciary relationship to its economic position and to its principles. However, it has lost a large number of young people of limited economic means, depriving them and the community. I have an abiding interest in programs like this, as four and a half decades ago I ran a comparable program. I suggest that a reform of membership criteria would solve many problems.

First, all young people, up to their 19th birthday, if they have an address in the region, should get an annual membership for $1.

I was recently astounded to find that a Y membership is not all-inclusive. We have the peculiar situation of facing additional charges, for example, of $200-plus if a child wished to join the swim team. This roughly translates to “rich kids get on the team, poor kids don't.”

For adults, I would suggest a scale based on adjusted gross income (bottom line of the 1040, p.l), which should be predicated on the honor system.

The utilization of the Y will continue to grow but it should born in mind that the Y in YMCA stands for “young.”

Brian J. McDonald
Boothbay