Ignite The Future
No Child Left Behind
The Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund is celebrating the success of its Ignite the Future campaign, which raised $750,000 to establish the J.T. Clark Family Foundation Youth Impact Fund. This permanent endowment will provide sustainable, annual funding for Youth Access memberships for generations to come.
Launched in September 2025, Ignite the Future was created to ensure that no child or youth would be turned away from the YMCA due to financial barriers. Through the leadership of the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund Board, community donors, and a transformational matching gift from the J.T. Clark Family Foundation, the campaign exceeded its goal and created a lasting source of support for children and youth.
“This campaign was about more than fundraising,” said Darcy Delaney, President and CEO of the Fredericton YMCA. “It showed what is possible when a community turns shared values into action.”
The J.T. Clark Family Foundation matched $250,000 raised by the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund, helping to establish the J.T. Clark Family Foundation Youth Impact Fund.
“The Clark family’s connection to the YMCA spans five generations,” said John T. Clark Sr., Chairman Emeritus of the J.T. Clark Family Foundation. “Supporting this fund was about investing in the future of our community.”
The Youth Impact Fund will provide ongoing support for Youth Access memberships, ensuring more than 90 children and youth each year can access YMCA programs that promote belonging, wellbeing, and leadership.
Peter Clark, Chair of the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund Board, noted the long-term impact of the campaign.
“Endowment funds are about permanence,” said Clark. “This investment ensures the YMCA can continue removing barriers for youth—not just today, but for generations to come.”
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For the past 167 years, the YMCA has been an important part of life in Fredericton. For decades, families have looked to the YMCA to help their child learn to swim, play on a basketball team, perfect their pirouettes and handsprings or enjoy a fun-filled week at summer day camp.
At the YMCA, we believe every child deserves the chance to belong, connect and experience the joy of movement. Every child deserves the chance to make friends, increase their confidence and build their resilience. Every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential.
Together, We Ignite Brighter Futures
We know that by investing in children in our community today, we are igniting the future. Every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential, which is why we are establishing the J.T. Clark Family Foundation Youth Impact Fund. This fund will ensure that no child is turned away from the Fredericton YMCA.
All gifts will provide perpetual support, reaching children in the Fredericton region for generations to come.
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Established in 1987, the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund captures the heart of donors and provides them with meaningful opportunities to participate in the mission, vision and values of the Fredericton YMCA.
The Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund grows and invests generously donated funds. The investment income provides for the future growth and stability of the Fredericton YMCA, and to further the mission of the Fredericton YMCA. The life-enriching capacity of the Fredericton YMCA is only possible because of the many supporters whose contributions to the Fredericton YMCA Endowment Fund have ensured the Fredericton Y’s continued success, not only today, but for years to come.
We would be pleased to discuss Ignite the Future with you.
Please contact Elizabeth Kearns, Director of Development by phone: (506) 462 – 3000 ext. 105 or by email: elizabeth.kearns@ymcafredericton.org
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