As part of a now summer tradition, the Boothbay Region YMCA Annual Fund Drive will kick off this week with the mailing of over 700 letters to current and prospective supporters. This year’s honorary co-chairmen are the family represented by Alison Evans, husband Chris Fritz and their daughter Shea. A familiar sight to many, Evans and Fritz own Ae Home,  a ceramics showplace and studio at 93 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor. The family makes full use of the diverse programs the YMCA offers which in turn helps them balance their health, family and small business. 

“The YMCA is a common ground for everybody to go and be healthy,” said Evans. “You see every type of person there from summer people to retired people.”

Evans and Fritz cite the YMCA as one reason they decided to live here permanently rather than Yarmouth where they own a sister store to Ae Home. Combined with the newly chartered Harbor Montessori school, moving a young family to the Boothbay region was a no-brainer, she said. 

“I realized Boothbay was actually kind of awesome,” said Evans. “We’re so lucky here.”

This year’s fund drive theme is “For a Better Us” and the family represents that spirit, said Lisa Van Dyk, development director for the Y.

“We’re really excited to have them,” she said. “They are a young family and small business owners. So many parts of who they are demonstrate in big and small ways how the Y can make a difference.”

The fund drive takes place primarily in the summer after the Y staff first reaches out to the 24-member board of directors, then staff, and eventually a letter campaign to the public, said Van Dyk. 

Membership peaks with roughly 3,000 members in July which requires the Y to conduct fundraising in the summer — an effort that flies in the face of conventional wisdom for most organizations but is completely necessary in Boothbay, owing to the seasonal surge in population. 

The Y’s goal is to be available for all and the annual fund is the primary resource to make the organization accessible, said Y Executive Director Andy Hamblett. This year the organization looked at ways to broaden its mission including a new free meals program this summer, a timely initiative given the Boothbay region’s recent designation as an area eligible for family food assistance to meet a growing demand. 

“It’s an example of what we can do by providing a venue and support staff,” he said. “It’s the power of collaboration and we want to think beyond the gym and swim.”

In 2015, the Y raised over $300,000 through its annual fund drive. The goal this year is even higher. While the organization has a healthy roster of large-scale supporters, the smaller donations add up and underscore the civic pride residents feel toward the facility, said Van Dyk. 

“This YMCA is not a like a suburban YMCA, it’s really an integral part of the community here,” she said. 

With its proximity to both the Boothbay Region high and elementary schools, the Y becomes an extension of the school day as students walk across the street to gather in the gymnasium, swim, or just hang out, said Hamblett.

For Evans and Fritz, having a resource such as the YMCA is an attractive option as their daughter gets older and the family becomes established in Boothbay Harbor. As the needs of a community change, the ever-evolving mission of the organization strives to meet those expectations, said Hamblett. 

“The Y can really help draw people,” said Evans. “I feel so supported there and it’s just a great resource to have.”

If you would like to donate to the Y’s Annual Fund you can mail a check to: Boothbay Region YMCA, P.O. Box 500, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or go online at: http://www.boothbayregionymca.org/