Williams College Board of Trustees approves gift of $500,000 to WYC “Together We Can” Campaign

June 15, 2010 (www.williams.edu/messages/show.php?id=13897)

The Board has approved a College gift to the construction of a new Williamstown Youth Center building of $500,000, paid over 13 years. This enables us to participate, in a way that’s sensitive to the College’s financial situation, in an important project for the community, including many students, faculty, and staff.

The College occasionally participates in local capital projects that contribute to the vitality of the region and therefore to the recruitment and retention of the best possible faculty and staff. Our priorities are projects in education and healthcare, followed by economic development. For this reason, the College has contributed in the past to capital projects at Williamstown Elementary School, North Adams Regional Hospital, and MASS MoCA.

Founded by Williams students in the 1920s, the Youth Center is “dedicated to providing healthy, fun, and educational recreation for children and families of Williamstown and surrounding communities.” Its management and board seek $3.5 million to move the Center from its current building (which is dilapidated, is not accessible, limits programming, lacks fields, and is on a busy street) to a purpose-built facility on the grounds of the Elementary School. The center’s campaign video (at http://wyctogetherwecan.org/) paints the picture well.

Each year roughly 50 Williams students volunteer at the Center, including one who serves on its board as stipulated in the Center’s bylaws. Another 50 or so help with the annual Center fundraising event that our Athletics Department hosts on campus. About a third of the 300 students in grades 1-9 that the Center serves each year are College-related. Almost all the offspring of College faculty and staff who’ve lived in Williamstown will have participated in some Youth Center programming during their childhood. So will some who’ve lived in nearby towns. The Center’s after-school program is particularly helpful for two-career couples.

The recommendation to the board followed consultation with the Committee on Priorities and Resources and the College & Community Advisory Committee. To participate in this important campaign in a way that’s sensitive to the College’s current financial situation, College officials worked with leaders of the Center and of Williamstown Savings Bank to find a way for the Center to use this gift to help fund construction costs while our $500,000 payment is spread over the next 13 years.

This kind of creative cooperation for the good of the community is yet another reason why I feel fortunate to be here.

Best wishes, Adam Falk President