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How BMO Harris gives back to community through YMCA

Late last month, I had the opportunity to join Rita Canning on stage at the YMCA of Metro Chicago's The Y. So Much More Recognition Dinner.

Rita, whose work in the community over the years has been truly extraordinary, was accepting the "So Much More Than A Leader" award for her tremendous support of the Y and the communities served in the northwest suburbs. I was fortunate enough to be accepting the "So Much More Than A Partner" award on behalf of my colleagues at BMO Harris Bank.

I believe very strongly that organizations have a responsibility to give back to the communities in which they serve, and that is why accepting this award was a source of great pride - for myself, for my colleagues and even for my family, who have been involved in service alongside me.

We've been proudly partnering with the YMCA, an organization that is a true anchor in the Chicago community, for over 30 years, and one of the leading nonprofit organizations in Illinois and nationwide.

We've been involved in a variety of ways. Most recently, we were very proud to support the Y's innovative new Learning Institute. It's a truly phenomenal space in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, a place where research meets practice, yielding nothing but great results for those of us who believe that strong early learning programs will lead to success throughout a child's academic career.

It allows the Y to take a new approach to learning, providing space for practitioners to collaborate and move their great ideas from theoretical to best-in-class execution, leading to improved outcomes for everyone.

The Y has also been intentional about making this wonderful space available to other nonprofits at little or no cost for their own uses. Frequently, nonprofits don't have their own large, flexible spaces for adult learning. So, in a way, this is the Y's gift back to the nonprofit sector.

This living laboratory of idea generation is, without exaggeration, setting a new standard for social services training and program innovation, and my BMO Harris Bank colleagues and I are very proud to be the lead corporate funder.

On a more personal note, one of the best career decisions I ever made was getting involved with the Y about a dozen years ago.

I joined because I believed very strongly that what the Y offered, Chicago needed. And that holds true even more today than it did 12 years ago.

During my years of service, the Y has evolved, broadening its focus without losing touch with its rich legacy. It works intently - and relentlessly - on academic readiness, character development, violence prevention, and fitness and healthy living for children, adults and families.

That's no small undertaking given the truly staggering statistics facing our region.

Only 12 percent of minority youth graduate college.

Over 50 percent of school-aged children fail to meet the daily physical activity recommendations.

30 percent of teens in Chicago reported feeling hopeless every day. But with the help of the YMCA of Metro Chicago:

6,000 Y after school youth have expanded learning opportunities.

71 percent of Y youth do at least the recommended one hour of physical activity each day.

84 percent of Y teens report having more hope.

Those statistics are the direct results of many dedicated people rolling up their sleeves and doing some hard work, and some great work, through volunteerism, donations and advocacy.

With their help, we are confident that we will continue to make significant inroads toward breaking the cycle of poverty, and do more good for all.

• Peter McNitt is vice chair, BMO Harris Bank, and chairman of the board, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.

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