Love Your Community Forever
Being part of a strong community is an antidote to isolation, inequity, and disenfranchisement that threatens the social fabric of our society.
The Y is a bedrock of healthy communities that build strong, resilient children and families. That's why we are looking for committed community-builders, like you, to support us and invest in our vital work.
By making the Y part of your lasting legacy, you will be making a meaningful difference in the health, happiness and well-being of your neighbors today and in years ahead.
Leave Your Mark
We have planned giving options that provide tax benefits while creating a lasting legacy that will forever demonstrate your support for your community.
Designate a charitable bequest (cash or property) for the Y in your will or testamentary trust.
Making a bequest is perhaps the easiest and most popular way of making a legacy gift to the Y. CLICK HERE to learn more and view sample language.
Make a gift of appreciated investments or property.
The Y accepts gifts of publicly traded securities and of real property (with unencumbered title and independent appraisal).
Name the Y as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, life insurance policy, brokerage account or bank account.
The Y may be designated as the beneficiary of a retirement plan (e.g. an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b) ), life insurance policy, brokerage account or bank account either by explicit reference in a will or through assignment on the policy. Please consult your estate planner or fund manager to designate a beneficiary.
Designate the Y as a lead or residual beneficiary of a Charitable Trust.
The Y may be designated as the beneficiary of a lead trust, providing charitable support to Y communities and potential tax benefits to your heirs, or a remainder trust providing current income while creating a charitable legacy. Please consult your estate planner or financial advisor for more information or reach out to us using the form below.
Passing It Forward
For Dr. James LaCalle, the Y has played a key role in his life since he was a young boy. Now at 81 years old, Dr. LaCalle credits the Y for the man he has become—not only shaping his life, but according to Jim, saving his life.
Read Jim's heartfelt story below.
When Jim was nine years old, he fell into a lake without knowing how to swim.
Now at 81 years of age, Dr. James LaCalle credits the Y for the man he has become.
“The Y shaped my life… saved my life, really.”
Dr. LaCalle was on a family vacation in New York’s Bear Mountain State Park at just nine years old. He was exploring near the water’s edge as his father kayaked nearby, and faster than anyone realized, he had slipped into the lake. Jim didn’t know how to swim. Thankfully there were enough logs nearby that he was able to grab them and pull himself up onto the shore.
After narrowly avoiding what could have been a tragic accident, Jim returned home with his family. Less than two weeks later, his father dropped him off at the side door of the Jamaica YMCA in Queens, NY for his first swim lesson. “That was the turning point in my life, as far as I’m concerned,” Dr. LaCalle shared. “Slipping into the lake led me to the Y, and I can trace everything else in my life back to that. It’s a very clear path.”
Jim loved the Y. He describes himself as a skinny, shy kid who wasn’t a big athlete. Not participating in sports, it was hard to make friends. Jim also had to adapt to three different schools over his four years of high school, making it doubly hard to connect with other kids his age. “The Y was my social life. It was the place I wanted to go, the place I had friends. It was absolutely critical for me. The people at the Y seemed to like me, and I really liked them.” Even when his family moved further out on Long Island, he would still take the bus to the Jamaica YMCA, because it felt like home.
Jim became a member of the Jamaica YMCA Junior Leaders program, which at that time involved a young person volunteering alongside a full-time Y Associate to assist with supporting younger kids in gym classes, games, sports, and swim lessons. This opportunity meant everything to him, connecting him to mentors whose lessons he still values today, giving him learning and leadership opportunities, and eventually guiding him to his ultimate vision: to work for the Y.
Springfield College, also known at an early point in time as the International YMCA Training School, was the only college Jim applied to attend. And when he graduated in 1965, his first job was at what is now known as the Orokawa Y in Towson. Even when Jim left the Y to work for Harford Community College, where he retired after 40 years of service and leadership, he carried the values of the Y with him and worked to infuse them throughout his life and work.
Lucky for the Y, Jim was never far. He served two three-year terms as a volunteer on the Y’s Harford County Community Leadership Board, using his experience and passion to help fundraise to build the first Y family center in Harford County: the Walter and Betty Ward Y in Abingdon. He donates annually to support the Y’s Send a Kid to Camp campaign. And now he has even added the Y as a beneficiary in his will.
“People have to think about youth. A donation helps the Y expand and reach more kids. A donation means somebody’s life is saved. Mine was,” Jim shared. “It’s a simple story, but the Y shaped me. I consider myself a very fortunate person. I went to the Y and it helped me grow, helped me become the person I am. The Y can help you become the best version of yourself and has the potential to impact people’s lives in a very significant way.”
Dr. James LaCalle is 81 years old and enjoys playing racquetball, going to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with his wife Lynne, and supporting the Y.
Thank you, Dr. LaCalle. We’re so lucky you’re part of our Y family.
Thank you for your consideration.
If you have any questions, please contact Matt Freedman, Chief Development Officer, at matthewfreedman@ymaryland.org.
Also, if you’ve already included the Y in Central Maryland in your deferred giving, we would love to hear all about it.
Thank you.