Maddie Rideout can't remember a time when her life didn't connect directly to the Boothbay Region YMCA.

Because there isn't one, she said.

Pam Baldwin, Maddie's mother, said the last 40 years her life have been shaped within the friendly confines of the YMCA.

It was that lifelong association that convinced the Southport pair to become the first mother-daughter duo to lead the Y's annual fund drive.

“I started coming in about 40 years ago, and now I'm at the point where I can't survive without it; it's been such a huge part of my life for so long,” Baldwin said. “This is my way of giving back.”

Rideout, the Y Child Enrichment Center Director, said the Y has been with her every step of the way, which was one of the reasons she jumped on the chance to co-chair.

“I've been here 28 years,” Rideout said. “When you grow up here, there's always something here: whether it was sports, dances; this is where we congregated.

“This was an awesome facility to grow up in.”

The annual drive collects funds from donors to help offset the cost of membership and programs so the YMCA remains available to everyone in all income brackets.

Baldwin said last year's chairperson, Maxine Tourtillotte, was able to appeal to a certain group of donors. This year Baldwin and Rideout will go about fund-raising with a two-pronged approach.

As part of a two-generation YMCA duo, Rideout and Baldwin said they hope to smash records for fundraising.

“One of our hopes or goals is to reach or connect with all of our friends, or people that we know who would consider being a first-time donor,” Baldwin said.

That means not only getting previous donors, but picking up some new ones along the way, Baldwin said.

The mother-daughter duo plans to go big; they have a goal of raising $295,000 (but would be happy to eclipse the $300,000 mark).

“We want to reach out to first-time donors and maybe ask some of our existing donors to do the extra lap,” Baldwin said.

With Rideout and Baldwin representing different generations, they said they hope to appeal to a wider base to help bring in donations.

The annual fund drive is used to keep membership prices low, so everyone can enjoy the Y, Executive Director Andy Hamblett said.

“The Y is a community melting pot,” he said. “In the parking lot, you'll see a pickup truck next to a foreign car, but when you get in here everybody is like a friendly neighbor.

“It doesn't matter if they are a sternman or a retired successful businessman; we all get along together, and that's what makes the Y so special.”

In 2012, the Boothbay Region YMCA provided more than $493,000 in financial assistance, subsidized programs and outreach to more than 700 individuals. More than 400 volunteers pitched in with over 9,300 hours in various capacities at the Y.

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 207-633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.