The YMCA at the Illinois University at Urbana-Champaign campus is
paying a hefty price for refusing to cut ties with a group that publicly
supports gay marriage.
The Catholic Chuch gave the the YMCA an ultimatum: stop working with
the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, or lose your
$60,000 grant.
The YMCA’s director told WICD-15 that while they take no position on gay marriage, it is important for them to not allow anyone to influence who they work with.
The University Y board met several weeks ago and voted to remain in the coalition.
The University YMCA sponsors programs, organizations and
organizations of all kinds. The Y’s director says their partnership with
the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights allows them to
help “hundreds in the community each year.”
The University YMCA plans to launch a campaign to raise money to
continue its work with the local immigrant community, according to the News-Gazette. The University Y has received money for immigration work from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development since 2010.
The initial grant was about $4,000 but increased this year to about
$60,000. But the Church sent the Y a notice in September: in order to
receive the funding, the University Y’s executive director, Mike Doyle,
would have to testify that the organization was not involved with the
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
“It was devastating and threatened to undermine the work we were actually doing,” Doyle told the Gazette.
While the Catholic Church has not issued a statement as of yet, the
Illini Secular Student Alliance at the University of Illinois issued a
statement Sunday condemning the church’s decision to pull its funding:
“In the recent past, the YMCA has been a huge resource not only for
ISSA but for the student body as a whole. Their sponsorship of dozens of
blood drives, interfaith meetings, and guest lecturers has been an
invaluable asset to our community. We are saddened that the Catholic
Church would prioritize its antiquated sense of prejudice over a
tangible benefit to the University of Illinois and the demands of social
justice.”
The News-Gazette reports that several other organizations around the state received similar notices from the Catholic Church.
Now the YMCA is scrambling to cover the gaping $60,000 deficit its
been left with for the fiscal year and is asking the community for
donations.
“How long we’ll be able to continue to do that is one of the biggest
challenges facing us,” Doyle said. “I hope the community really rallies
around and helps replace the funds we lost so [we] can continue to do
the work that we’re doing.”