For many people, making an In Memoriam donation in support of the Y’s mission is the most meaningful way to honour the memory of a loved one. Similarly, a tribute gift to the Y can mark an important milestone such as a birth, wedding or graduation. And, by inviting family and friends to donate on these special occasions, tribute gifts can be even more significant.
The YMCAs of Québec Foundation has several tribute and memorial funds, including the Sam Lazarus Endowment Fund and the Stuart McLean Camp YMCA Kanawana Fund. Click below to find out more.
Create your Tribute Fund
To make a more lasting impact, you may choose to set up a YMCA Tribute Fund, to which you and others can contribute over many years. The YMCA places the proceeds of Tribute Funds in safe investments so they exist in perpetuity, giving you the satisfaction of knowing they:
- provide after-school homework assistance;
- fund programs that support school perseverance;
- subsidize the cost of sending kids from vulnerable families to camp;
- develop leadership skills for teens;
- promote healthy habits, such as exercise and good nutrition, while discouraging tobacco, alcohol and drug use;
- provide activities for the elderly;
- welcome and integrate newcomers.
Sam Lazarus Fund
First a camper and then a popular counsellor at Camp YMCA Kanawana, Sam Lazarus is remembered as a giving, generous and motivating leader. His memory and example still burn bright in the friends and campers lucky enough to have known him.
Tragically, Sam died after contracting malaria in 2004 while volunteering at a daycare in Ghana.
His memory lives on through the Sam Lazarus Fund.
To honour a too-brief life and a soaring spirit, his family and friends created the Sam Lazarus Endowment Fund.
Through an annual street hockey jamboree (the “SamJam”) and may tribute gifts for special occasions, more than $460,000 has been raised and invested in the Fund.
The annual revenue generated by the fund helps children from vulnerable families attend camp. Each summer, Sam’s legacy enriches the lives of dozens of kids who follow in his footsteps at Camp YMCA Kanawana.
Stuart McLean Camp YMCA Kanawana Fund
Stuart McLean Camp YMCA Kanawana Fund
As the popular host of CBC’s Vinyl Café Diaries, Stuart McLean was a beloved figure across Canada, the US and the world. There was an outpouring of grief at the announcement of his death in early 2017.
Long before he became known as a consummate storyteller, he was a counsellor at Camp YMCA Kanawana. The lessons he learned at camp never left him. He was the first to say that Kanawana changed his life.
The Stuart McLean Camp YMCA Kanawana Fund, created by Stuart, his family and his friends, will give children and teens from vulnerable families a chance to attend Camp YMCA Kanawana, a community where they learn to care for themselves, each other and the environment.
To date, more than 650 donors from across the world have contributed more than $65,000 to the Fund, which has enabled dozens of kids to experience the magic of Kanawana.