I鈥檓 a proud Catholic, and I have heard my share of sermons. In my nearly six decades of listening to priests speak from the pulpit, one sermon in particular sticks clearly in my mind.
Several years ago, Father Dale was talking about a plan to build a new church and new school to serve a community I was in. He described it in great detail. The church would be awe-inspiring 鈥� a place of welcome for all. The school will ensure our community鈥檚 children have the finest opportunities to learn and grow.
ADVERTISEMENT
As he drew the congregation into the vision, it was clear there was a growing uneasiness coming from the more financially conservative members in the pews. Sensing this, Father Dale ended his sermon by confidently declaring, 鈥淲hen it comes to paying for all of this, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that we have all the money we need. The bad news is it is still in your wallets.鈥�
Today I can say to you: We have all the money we need to build the YMCA wellness center we have dreamed of for decades. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it is still in all our wallets.
I actually think this is good news. Hear me out.
As many of you know, our community has taken a shot at building a community wellness center many times over the past 15 plus years. (I have been a part of four such efforts myself). Each failed 鈥� and in every case, it felt as though the decision to move forward or not was out of our community鈥檚 control.
Not anymore. This time is different.
There have certainly been times over the past three years where I felt like things were (as Yogi Berra would say) 鈥渄茅j脿 vu all over again.鈥� It hasn鈥檛 been smooth sailing, and we certainly have taken the scenic route. We have faced barriers that have had me thinking, 鈥淗ere we go again.鈥�
The first barrier was how will we ever pay for a wellness center. The price of building seemed so high for our region鈥檚 ability to pay. The typical method of using public funding is simply not possible in Bemidji. When the vision was beginning to feel like an unreachable dream, Sanford Health stepped up to offer an unprecedented gift of $10 million to our region as an encouragement to move ahead. With a $10 million start, all of a sudden, the vision seemed possible again.
ADVERTISEMENT
Raising the funds and building a wellness center is one thing. Who is going to own and operate the wellness center? Sanford Health gave careful consideration to the concept of owning and operating the wellness center. While clearly community wellness is consistent with their mission, they rightly concluded it was best for the community that they keep their focus on providing first-class health care to our community. But if not Sanford, who?
What seemed an insurmountable obstacle was quickly overcome by a pop-in visit to Steve Smith, the CEO of the YMCA of the Northern Sky headquartered in Fargo. Today, we have forged a partnership with one of the best-run and most effective YMCA鈥檚 in the nation to serve our community.
The most recent hurdle was equally large. How will we be able to complete the environmental cleanup and infrastructure necessary to support the YMCA and other private development in our rail corridor downtown?
What was simply not possible with our own limited community resources became doable thanks to the support of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the outstanding leadership of the Bemidji City Council and staff and the financial commitment of Greater Bemidji. With state support and community partnership in hand, the City Council gave the go-ahead to begin site work a few weeks back.
As I said, this time is different. The barriers that threatened the wellness center vision 鈥� the barriers that seemed out of our control 鈥� have been effectively overcome.
What this leaves us with is one final barrier, but this one is entirely in our control. Can we raise the $15 million locally to go along with Sanford Health鈥檚 $10 million gift? I believe we can, but we need everyone鈥檚 support.
The good news is that our pace-setter campaign has been extremely effective. In addition to Sanford Health鈥檚 $10 million gift, we have raised an additional $9.3 million. As of this moment, we are 77% of the way to our goal. I couldn鈥檛 be more grateful to Sanford and the community members who have made lead gifts, many of which gave far more than they ever have in the past.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now it鈥檚 your turn. In the coming weeks, our volunteer fundraising team will be reaching out to community members in search of donations. I would ask you to be open to supporting the project. Even more, I would ask you to consider donating beyond your typical comfort zone.
We are laying the groundwork for an all-out community-wide campaign as well. There will be opportunities for each of you to make a gift. Each donation matters 鈥� no matter how large or small. I鈥檇 ask you to consider what you can give back to your community.
I don鈥檛 like asking for money. Finance is a deeply private thing, and it is uncomfortable challenging businesses and community members to give to their means. As our team asks you for support, please know we do it with the utmost respect for you and for our community.
We have many demands on our money. As you consider your gift, I would ask you to think about how much the Bemidji community means to you. I believe this is a tipping-point initiative for our region.
We are not just building a YMCA. The YMCA is a transformative investment that will lead to a more vibrant downtown, a healthier community and a stronger economy. It is the next step in Bemidji's emerging as the regional center of the north.
Just one more barrier to overcome 鈥� and this one is up to us. Thank you, Bemidji.
Dave Hengel is the executive director of Greater Bemidji Economic Development. He can be reached at (218) 444-5757 or dhengel@greaterbemidji.com.
The Trust Project
