Tricia first came to our Y as a young girl for preschool at the Grand Street YMCA. From attending the Y preschool and then summer camp to working as a summer camp counselor and becoming a lifelong member, Tricia later followed in her father’s and brother’s footsteps and became a Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Board Member for nine years. Steven’s journey with the Y started years back when their children started day care at the Y.

“The Y has evolved as a part of our lives – from our two children in day care, after care, Swim Team Indian Guides, and President of the Teen Leaders Club. Rachel received the honor of YMCA Youth Volunteer of the Year and Sean worked at the front desk while in high school. It has been a place to make friends, to stay fit and healthy as we have matured and to keep us active,” Tricia and Steven say.

When it comes to volunteering for the Y, they started their first volunteer group in day care (the Grand Street Parents Group) as a way to use their skills to support families, enrich the lives of children and build more of a community. They continued to volunteer on and off through the years when a call went out for help. In the 1990s, Tricia and Steven volunteered in different capacities for their children’s swim meets; they have assisted with the YMCA’s 5K to benefit the LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA program and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and have provided staff training.

“The Y staff is always appreciative but more importantly they are flexible whether in timing or what might work for you. They make it easy,” Tricia and Steven say.

In addition, Steven volunteers with the Y’s Square Foot Garden Program – and has become a big part of what keeps it going and growing. One of his favorite parts of volunteering is “working in the garden with the children, hearing their laughter while maintaining the garden, and seeing their smiles after they have harvested the vegetables from the seeds they planted.”

When needed, both volunteer to support the continued efforts of the Y in the community and to “give back in some small way.” Both have also volunteered outside the Y, for numerous school and non-school related organizations.

“By volunteering, we have made the community just a little better,” they say. “No matter how small or large an impact we have made, we have changed someone’s life for the better. There is no better feeling then that and it enriches our lives, too.”