Two long-time Chatham residents who have played a huge role in bringing the Chatham-Kent YMCA to where it is today were honoured Monday on the YMCA Wall of Distinction.
John Lawrence and Darcy McKeough were inducted into the Fellowship of Distinction with a permanent plaque on the wall at the YMCA.
Lawrence was a YMCA board member from 2002-2010, and in 2010-2011, he helped lead the groundbreaking campaign to build the current YMCA in Chatham. Lawrence currently serves as director of the Chatham-Kent YMCA Foundation, is a member of the YMCA Planned Giving Committee and the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign Cabinet.
McKeough, the son of a founding member of the Chatham-Kent YMCA and former long-term area MPP, started as a board member with the YMCA in late 1950s and has been a key strategic advisor for many years. In 2009, he served as Honourary Campaign Chair for the YMCA capital campaign, and was instrumental in helping secure $8 million in government funding.
At the unveiling of the Wall of Distinction, Jim Janzen, president and CEO of YMCAs across southwestern Ontario, acknowledged the contributions of both men, and the vital roles they played in bringing a new, fully accessible building to Chatham.
When asked to say a few words, McKeough said while it is an honour to be acknowledged, what the building represents is what really matters.
“What’s on the wall isn’t so important; what’s important is seeing the programs here in action and seeing the kids in the Play Zone,” the former MPP said. “It was a big project and it’s here because of a lot of hard work by a lot of people.”
Lawrence, asked about why he enjoys being involved in the YMCA, said a big part of it is the people he works with and having a building accessible to the whole community.
“I really think it’s about the folks I work with. They are a great bunch of people. It was really rewarding when we first opened the Y and there were all these folks who came in for the first time because it was accessible now,” Lawrence said. “It’s really great to see the Y fully utilized and supported by the community.”
He added the old Y building served its purpose but had outlived its usefulness and seeing people in wheelchairs being able to use the new building was exciting him.
