YMCA and Parrish Foundation are failing a community that needs them | Letter to the editor

In junior high, two of my classmates moved from a verbal fight to a physical altercation. I hadn’t thought of that train wreck of immaturity for years until seeing the current PR fight between the YMCA and the Parrish Foundation. Hey, you two. Do not bother arguing who has the moral high ground, because neither of you do.

In this time when doctors, nurses, EMTs, nursing assistants and others have continued to serve their mission, even at the cost of their lives, your willingness to abandon over 1,000 people and the many programs at the Parrish Y is disappointing, to say the least.

Parrish Foundation, you say you “deserve a tenant that is financially stable.” Well, good luck getting that in this financial downturn, especially after you admitted the building needed major repair. And YMCA, your willingness to “pick up your toys and leave” is frankly shameful. Remember the “C” in your name does not stand for “Cash,” but Christian.

The 1,000+ people and the whole community need you to be there, especially now as we try to get through this crisis. Please, both of you, for the sake of those you say you serve (like the SOAR program which serves a very underserved population), stop this bickering. Keep your current agreement temporarily and enter mediation to work out a way to keep programs going, maybe even at a reduced rate for those who lost jobs.

WE NEED YOU! Now more than ever! This is a difficult time, we know that. But it is in such a time that you can give us an example of moral courage even in the midst of financial uncertainty.

Lead and serve, do not cower and abandon us.

Rev. Brian Bagley-Bonner

Palmetto