Giving Back: Anne Bermingham’s Journey with the YMCA

Anne Bermingham’s journey with the YMCA began long before she ever sat on a board or attended a meeting.

It started in her youth, when many of her friends would return each summer with glowing stories from YMCA Wanakita—a place Anne would come to know well through her own family in the years ahead. Though her early experiences were shaped by those friendships, it wasn’t until adulthood that her connection to the Y truly began to flourish.

Anne, a management consultant based in Hamilton, has always believed in giving back. That belief led her to the Rotary Club of Hamilton, where one unexpected moment—an impromptu ventriloquist act at a Rotary event—would change everything.

Watching the performance, then-CEO of the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington, Scott Haldane, turned to a colleague and declared: “I don’t know who they are, I don’t know what they do—but I want both of them on my board.” With that, Anne’s journey as a YMCA board member began.

Over her years of service, Anne played a pivotal role in expanding the Y’s impact—helping to reshape its vision to focus on healthy individuals, healthy families, and healthy communities. That vision became real through major capital campaigns, the opening of the Flamborough Family YMCA, and new opportunities for families to connect in meaningful ways—including the transformation of YMCA Wanakita into a beloved family camp.

“I was proud we were doing it for other families,” Anne says, “but it had a huge impact on my own.”

She recalls the early years with her young sons, swimming together at the YMCA, hosting birthday parties in a space that felt safe and welcoming, and spending many New Year’s holidays together at family camp.

“The Y was one of the only places where we could truly do things as a family. It wasn’t soccer for one child or hockey for another—it was something we shared.”

As her children grew, the YMCA remained a guiding light. Her sons, now adults, still carry those early experiences with them. One recently joined the YMCA in Victoria, BC—not because it was the cheapest, but because, as he told her, “it was the best place, with a real sense of community.” Both sons are now rugby coaches, igniting potential in young people, the way their YMCA camp counselors once did for them.

“They talk about being role models, not just friends,” Anne says, “just like their counsellors were.”

That lasting impression speaks to the deeper value of the YMCA—not just as a place for fitness or programs, but as a true beacon of community. A place where people of all ages and backgrounds come together, where seniors and teens can share space in a fitness centre, where newcomers find support through employment programs, where women find safety and a path forward from exploitation.

“There are few places,” Anne reflects, “that offer such healthy, respectful integration between generations. It would be a sad world without the Y."

For Anne, giving to the YMCA is not just a donation—it’s an investment in the kind of world she wants to live in.

“The YMCA quietly does so much good,” she says. “From supporting families to shaping the next generation of leaders, the Y makes our community stronger."

And in Anne’s case, it’s personal. She was the first YMCA board chair to nurse a two-week-old baby during a meeting, and the same son would later help her ceremonially dig the first hole at the Flamborough Y's groundbreaking.

From those early moments to now, the YMCA has shaped her life—and through her contributions, she has helped shape the YMCA.

“Giving to the Y,” Anne says, “is giving to community, to inclusion, to the future.”

#ShineOn #IgnitePotential #TheYSavesLives

Thanks to supporters like Anne, the YMCA continues to grow, adapt, and serve. When you give to the Y, you’re not just helping individuals—you’re igniting potential and building community. Join us!

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