A Donor's Story

Sam and Kay Dunlap lived in many places both before and during retirement, but they hadn’t found the perfect place to call their home until moving to Olympia about seven years ago. One of the prerequisites for selecting a new community was a welcoming and friendly YMCA. They were excited to learn that a brand new YMCA was being built just down the road from where they planned to live.

Both Sam and Kay are regulars at the Y every weekday morning. They work out in the cardio room and have taken a variety of classes including yoga, tai chi, and water aerobics. Kay also participates in Music Matters, a group of YMCA members who enjoy playing music together.

So why is the YMCA so important to Sam and Kay? There are many reasons, but first and foremost is the fact that the YMCA is like a second home to them. They don’t have any relatives in Olympia and Kay says that "it is very much family." She has witnessed the care and support that her YMCA classmates give each other during difficult times like the loss of a spouse or illness. She thinks it is wonderful that classmates call each other to find out why they missed a class. They also love the Y because they know that the YMCA does good work. Sam says, "Throughout our lives, we have met people who were able to be a part of the YMCA because of the financial assistance available. I know they have really benefited from their involvement."

Sam and Kay have a truly wonderful philosophy for helping others. They are quietly generous people who agree that giving back is more important than accumulating for themselves. "I will be smiling in heaven when future generations benefit from the gift we left to the YMCA endowment fund in our will," Sam shares. They also feel it is important for children to have support and the opportunity to participate in Y activities like they both did as children.

They chose the YMCA as a beneficiary because they know that their charitable contribution will be placed in an endowment where it will remain in perpetuity and carefully stewarded by the Y. They have no doubt that their gift will still be helping others one hundred years from now.