When Ed Rihn saw the board of directors posting for YMCA Calgary in 2019, he couldn’t think of a better organization to contribute to.
“I have been fortunate to have wonderful mentors my entire life, people that I consider successful both professionally and personally,” he says. “These people, all of whom I admire, each provide time and energy back to the community because Calgary has been so good to them. I wanted to follow in their footsteps in a meaningful way.”
Ed, who is the President & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Canada, has been on the YMCA Calgary board for five years. He has chaired the audit investment committee and currently sits on the Risk committee and is part of a team overseeing master taskforce planning. As Vice-Chair of the board of directors, he becomes the Chair at YMCA Calgary’s May 8 AGM.
Ed grew up in Pennsylvania in the 1970s in an economically depressed area. It was during the decline of the US steel industry.
However, he says, “We always had the YMCA.”
It was there that Ed became a swimmer, played basketball, went to summer camp, learned to play chess, and made friends.
“YMCA was a crucial part of the community,” he says. “It didn’t matter if you had lots of money or none, you could go to the Y and there were always opportunities to learn things.”
Since he’s been part of the YMCA Calgary board, his appreciation of the impact of the YMCA on the community has deepened.
Of particular importance to him is the daycare programming YMCA Calgary offers working families who otherwise would not have access to similar childcare services.
He has a personal connection with a woman who credits YMCA Calgary’s childcare program for helping her return to school. Divorced and with two kids to provide for, she was accepted into to Bow Valley College’s nursing program. YMCA Calgary provided childcare she could afford as a student.
“Her youngest child was born during the pandemic, so he spent critical formative years in lock-down,” Ed says. “He had high anxiety around people, and YMCA Calgary’s daycare program, and the staff, really helped him grow and develop. He’s in kindergarten now and thriving, and his mother credits Quarry Park childcare for helping him become more comfortable with people.”
He is also impressed with YMCA Calgary’s before and after school care programs, alternative suspension program and, of course, swimming and basketball, just like when he was a kid.
He credits the positive direction of the organization on “the remarkable YMCA leadership team that makes the board’s job easy.”
Ed firmly believes the pillars of the 10-year strategy, Navigate, our roadmap to 2030, strikes the right balance between what YMCA Calgary can do today while reconciling what we need to do to build, grow, and save for future generations.
“Community needs will always be there, and we need to be prepared to deal with them today and into the future,” he says.