“Over the past year, as a member of the YMCA Board of Directors, I got to see up close the work being done to ensure the YMCA would continue to be there in whatever ways possible to help the community. It was just a year ago, March 16, 2020, when we first met with Kim (the CEO) to talk about the YMCA needing to be closed for two weeks. It is now a year later, and the YMCA is still not yet running all of its previous programs. However, the YMCA continues to transform in order to meet the ongoing needs of the community.

Personally and professionally, the past year has brought much change for all of us. I started to work from home last March, expecting to return to the office in a week. When I left my office that last day, I knew I would be retiring in a month and was sure I would be back in the office to clean up and say good-bye to co-workers. Well, here we are a year later and my fellow co-workers are still working at home, and I am retired. Retirement is different from what I had expected, too; there are no travel plans and everything is done virtually through ZOOM calls and FaceTime. I’m looking forward to getting back to seeing people in person and celebrating occasions together, as well as exercising in-person at the Y.

I know the Y will be here moving forward and will continue to be a vital resource in our community. For me, the YMCA and the opportunities provided have always been part of my life. Yes, I learned to swim at the YMCA and as an adult I learned to swim even better at the YMCA. The gym at the YMCA is a favorite place of mine to go and work out. But as many have said before, the YMCA is so much more than a gym and a swim. Over the years, my family and I have shared in so much more the YMCA has to offer. Child Care, Summer Camp, gymnastics, swimming, Tri Women, Tri Club, LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA and the Wellness Center are just some of the ways the YMCA has been in our lives and how the YMCA continues to support the community.

This is why the We Are Y Strong Campaign is so important to me and why I’m excited to be chairing it this year. With donations to the campaign, the Y will continue to do all this and more – even as it faces its own financial hurdles due to COVID-19 – and will emerge stronger than before.”