CCI Systems Contributing $150K to YMCA Capital Campaign
CCI Systems President and CEO John Jamar and Senior Executive Assistant & Senior OD Administrator Patter Kelly present Northern Lights YMCA – Dickinson Center Director Jonathan Ringel with a Capital Campaign donation of $150,000
CCI Systems, a national communication network services provider headquartered here for more than 60 years, has announced a $150,000 gift to the Northern Lights YMCA – Dickinson Center’s Capital Campaign.
“We believe in making life better for people,” said CCI President and CEO John Jamar. “In our business that means connecting people through innovative communications systems. In our community, that means providing opportunities for social connection, health and wellness. We strongly support everything the YMCA has done for this community to date and we’re extremely proud to help contribute to its future.”
CCI Systems, for the past three years, has been a corporate lease partner with the YMCA, renting office space in the Community Center building that houses the Y. The agreement between CCI and the Y includes reduced-rate memberships for all CCI employees and family members.
“CCI Systems has been a tremendous advocate for what we do,” Dickinson Center Director Jonathan Ringel said. “They’ve been huge supporters from Day 1 and a terrific corporate partner. We are really thankful for this gift and their ongoing support.”
In this day and age of ever-increasing health care costs, CCI has taken the approach of engaging and empowering its workforce toward healthy lifestyle choices.
“The route to healthcare savings, in our view, starts with prevention rather than treatment,” said Jamar, who also serves on the YMCA’s Board of Directors. “While most companies have had to deal with double-digit percent increases in the price of company health care plans, we’ve been able to keep our costs flat for the past several years. We believe this has been driven by focusing on formal wellness programs for more than 12 years.”
The company believes in a multi-pronged approach to encouraging wellness, including activities such as regular walks during the work day, standing work spaces, education on dietary choices and participation in various health and wellness events throughout the community. As part of this health initiative, nearly 370 CCI employees and family members hold active membership at the YMCA.
“Having a facility like the Y is vital to our community,” Jamar noted. “And making sure that facility is updated, modern and viable into the future is even more important. It’s going to be a major tool for our business, not only in keeping our employees active and healthy but also in attracting new talent to our business and community.”
Aside from the business perspective, the success and future of the Dickinson Center YMCA is personal to Jamar. A lifelong Iron Mountain resident who grew up frequenting the facility when it was the Community Center, Jamar understands firsthand the impact the Y can have on a small town community.
“There are enough problems when it comes to the negative choices teenagers and young adults might make,” he said. “I feel a strong and vibrant YMCA can help make a difference. We need to be teaching and influencing our children from an early age to make the right decisions and choices. We need to have a safe and inviting place for them to connect, build friendships and enjoy positive experiences.
“We can do that with our YMCA. Having those doors open to anybody and everybody, we can foster development so that our kids mature into responsible individuals where making the correct choices becomes second nature.”
CCI is the second major business in Iron Mountain to commit a considerable donation toward the YMCA’s Capital Campaign, following the announcement of a combined $125,000 gift from BOSS Snowplow and the Toro Company last month.
The phases and scope of the upcoming Capital Project and the amount the YMCA hopes to raise from the general public will be formally announced in January. Renovations would begin in 2019 after the YMCA officially purchases the Community Center Building from Dickinson County.
The YMCA plans to build what the community will support and desire. The YMCA receives no public funding through taxes. And the organization will not take on debt to fund the Capital project.
“We want to do this the right way,” Ringel noted. “We will rely on the generosity of our community and phase our project accordingly. We’re already well on our way to having funding in place for some much-needed major improvements so we continue our Mission for the next generation.”
For more information on the upcoming Capital Campaign, to pledge support, or to become a volunteer campaigner, please contact the YMCA at (906) 774-4076.
About Northern Lights YMCA
Since opening its doors to the community as a YMCA in 2010, the Northern Lights YMCA Dickinson Center has experienced tremendous growth in programming and membership. From an initial membership of around 100 people, the facility boasts a growing membership base of more than 2,500 people, accounting for nearly 8,000 visits each month. More than 50 youth, aquatics, fitness and special event programming opportunities are available each session to members and non-members alike. The Y annually provides more than $100,000 in membership and programming assistance to the greater Dickinson County community.
About CCI Systems, Inc.
CCI Systems is the nation’s premier start-to-finish solutions provider of communication network services. With nearly 60 years of experience advising, creating, installing, optimizing, assisting, and solving complex network issues, CCI Systems can deliver flexible, custom solutions for any network platform. For more information visit www.ccisystems.com or call 800-338-9299.