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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 16, 2008 - 3 Building community at the Oakville YMCA By Karen Alton SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER T hey say if a butterfly flaps its wings in West Oak Trails, a flower nods its head in Gairloch Gardens, or something like that. The implication is we are all connected. Bruce Ireland, president and CEO of the Oakville YMCA, recognized this idea of connectedness early in his career and it has served him well. In conversation the local Y boss frequently mentions the words family and community ­ not surprising as the Y's motto is: "We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities." The charitable organization has been operating in Oakville for more than 50 years, and in Canada for more than 150 years, addressing issues of health and wellbeing in ever changing ways. The Y's original mandate in Oakville was to provide a room registry for factory workers, later it was childcare for working parents, day camps for kids, and physical fitness for anyone willing to make the effort, and more. A proponent of thinking outside the box, Ireland likes to say his organization "reinvents itself about every 10 years" as society evolves. This month as he prepares to accept his 20-year pin (he became executive director here in 1986), it is worth taking a look at how he has adapted himself over 37 years, living, working and connecting in Oakville. We caught up with the gentleman on a weekday morning in his small, but spectacular glass-walled office on the second floor of the YMCA on Rebecca Street. It's an aerie from which to view a vibrant domain. Asked point blank, he claims to be a happy man. The modern Y building, all 70,000 square feet, opened to rave reviews in the fall of 2002: it is a success by any standard. His full-time staff has grown from 10 to 150: the Oakville Y is the 10th largest in Canada, with membership soaring to 8,300 members, of which about 1,500 are feeassisted to some degree. Family-oriented, a true cross-section of Oakville meets here. "It has exceeded my expectations," the chief executive allowed. VP Membership and Strategic Planning, Jeanette Heywood, said, "Some people forget that the Y is a charitable organization. Bruce doesn't let us forget that. While Oakville is the land of opportunity for most people, there are pockets of need. We are here to address that need." "Everyone is able to use this building," Ireland reiterated, "to have their children learn to swim, and play basketball, use the LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER ON TRACK: YMCA of Oakville CEO Bruce Ireland stands on the track at the YMCA of Oakville. rock climbing centre. The response has been phenomenal." Not a bad legacy for the 20-year man. Born and raised in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge), Ireland was a natural athlete. He learned to swim at the local Y and went to camp, he played tennis and hockey, as well as high school football and basketball. Some of his fondest memories, however, are of walking the golf course with his parents when he was only knee-high. "They had special clubs knocked down for me so I could take some swings, too," he recalled. He has a good temperament for golf. He doesn't get mad very often, never bent a club around a tree. "I play golf to relax," he said. "I compete against myself to try to improve." Although for many years he was associated with the Oakville Blades Junior hockey team as secretary-treasurer and "the voice of the Blades" on CHWO radio, golf is now his passion. Ireland arrived in Oakville as a young man in 1971 fresh out of Sir George Williams University in Montreal, and after a short, ill-fated stint with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada organization. His job with the Oakville Parks and Recreation Department was a much better fit and lasted 15 years. It proved to be an ideal training ground for his eventual position at the Y. "My boss at the Town, Murray Walker, was a mentor, who provided me with challenges and opportunities to do a variety of different things from day camps to special events," he explained. "Former mayor Harry Barrett was also a big part of my education," Ireland said. "I worked with him on everything from twinning the town with Neyagawa, Japan, to helping organize the Mayor's Picnic, which could involve a Scottish tattoo or the RCMP Musical Ride. "My job with the Town helped me gain an understanding of how things worked. I was largely a facilitator in helping community groups develop. I brought that background to the Y which, in 1986 and until the new building opened, was largely communitybased as well." Recreation facilitator, however, is only one aspect of his job as president and CEO. The Y is a business, albeit a charity and notfor-profit, with an operating budget of $12 million. "You do have to have a vision, a sense for the big picture," he allowed. "As a charity we operate as a business -- fiscally, socially and morally responsible." Ireland called himself "a democratic leader" who encourages teamwork and partnerships, as well as creative thinking. "It isn't ever about me," he explained, "it's about working with the community and providing supports." "The key to my success, I think, was to get the right people in the right positions," the CEO acknowledged, "to assemble a team who could deliver on the vision and goals of the Y, a team of staff, volunteers and board members who are passionate, hardworking, who want to make a difference. "We've been blessed for the most part with a staff that cares about the organization and sticks around." Heywood had this to say about Ireland: "He's an amazing boss, kind, fair, levelheaded. There is a calmness about him that is inspiring." Long-time Y board member from 1993 ­ 2002, Don Jarrett, says that Ireland was "always well connected in the Town, always thinking ahead, always trying to anticipate the next big thing." "Still," Jarrett said, "from day one I think Bruce's goal was to get a new Y for Oakville, one we could all be proud of. He accomplished that. When it opened in 2002, it was the best Y in the country." Ireland would agree with Jarrett. It was at a Christmas party in 1986, having joined See Strengthening page 4 CALIFORNIA & PLANTATION SHUTTERS Shop at Home Service FREE SHUTTERS ETC.