The Greater Burlington YMCA has announced that Rick Blount of Burlington has been selected to lead the Y’s fundraising and community relations activities as Vice President of Development. The appointment comes as the organization celebrates its 150th year of serving the community and moves forward on plans to build a new facility in Burlington.
Over more than twenty-five years, Blount has used his fundraising and communications experience to support non-profits, educational institutions and policy makers. For seventeen years, he worked at the UVM College of Medicine, serving first as Director of Public Relations and Communications, then for seven years as Assistant Dean for Development & Alumni Relations. In that role, he led the team that raised nearly $100 million for the College in UVM’s six-year, comprehensive campaign.
More recently, Blount has advised non-profits and philanthropists, including The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation, and the Himalayan Cataract Project. This past year, he worked as Director of Communications for Let’s Grow Kids, a public awareness and engagement campaign focused on the shortage of high-quality, affordable child care.
In 2015, the Greater Burlington YMCA purchased the College Street property upon which the former Ethan Allen Club sits and announced its futures plans to construct a new Y. The project will expand the organization’s role in the early care and education of children and strengthen its growing role in health and wellness. Blount joins the Y as plans for the new facility and financial goals for the project are being finalized.
“Our Y is at an important crossroads in its history,” said Y CEO Kyle Dodson, “and in Rick, I know that we have the leadership in place to bring to this community the Y that it needs and that it deserves.”
For Blount’s part, he may being working with the Y for the first time, but he enjoys a long and personal history with the organization. “From Chicago, to Washington State, to Burlington, the Y has been an integral part of my family’s lives,” Blount said. “I know firsthand the impact that a strong and vibrant Y can have on a community and am honored to help lead our Y’s efforts to fulfill that crucial role for years to come.”