We Are Y Wednesdays
Each Wednesday, we’ll be featuring someone who is part of our Y community, whether a staff member, volunteer, donor or YMCA member. Together, they make the Y a special place where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy, confident, connected and secure. We hope you enjoy meeting them all!
“I have been a member of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for five years. I first joined the LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA program after treatment for breast cancer.”
“I have been working here on and off since I was 17. I started working in the after care program and then switched over to Grand Street, where I worked in child care and at the front desk.”
“I came to the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for swim lessons for my children. Little did I know at the time that I would find a wonderful supportive community to connect with.”
“I have been working at the Y since 2017. A few of my friends went to camp until they aged out and I knew Katie from when I was in after care.”
“I have worked at the Y for 4 years. I started with camp first. I went to Y camp and Y after care my whole life.”
“I first was a substitute at Grand Street in August of 1992 and I joined the child care staff in May 1993. This was my job when I went to college. I always say, ‘the Y has always been what I needed it to be.’”
“I’ve been working here for five years. I started my senior year in high school. I wanted to work with kids and I thought this was the perfect job for me.”
“I’ve been working at the Y for three years now. I started in Discovery Camp and have worked camp every year since, and I’ve also helped out in the Wellness Center.”
“I joined the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y 20 years ago to learn how to swim properly. Before COVID-19, I would swim four to five times a week and use the Wellness Center on the other days….
“This is my fifth summer working here, but I’ve pretty much been a member since I was born.”
“I personally took ballet lessons at the Y’s Grand Street location when I was a child, and my children took swim lessons and gymnastics here growing up.”
“I have been working here for 24 years. My husband was doing the lawn maintenance and snow plowing at the time. We were friends with the Membership Director, Joanne, and my husband came in and said my wife would like a job at the Y.”
“My Y story started when I was around 2 years old. I first came here to do parent and me swim lessons and then started regular swim lessons.”
“We’ve been members of the Y for 9 years. We initially joined for swim lessons for our oldest daughter.”
“During my junior year in high school, I met the Director of Child Care for the YMCA at a school job fair. I applied for a 3-day position that was then held in the main Y building.”
“I have been working here for about 7 years. I needed a job and I emailed the Camp Director at the time. She hired me for Summer Camp and I also started working in the after school program during the year.”
Meet Katie, our School Age Child Care and Camp Director, who is excited to have the Best Summer Ever
“My journey here at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA started when I was 3 years old with parent-child swim lessons. My father would bring me every Saturday for classes.”
“We initially joined the YMCA for a place for our daughters to take swim lessons and enjoy open swim.”
“We have been members of the Y since 2006. We joined when our son Jack was 6 months old and we wanted to sign him up for swim lessons. Water safety and teaching our kids how to swim was very important for us.”
“I have been enjoying membership at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA for about 41 years. I joined to participate in activities that promote physical, emotional and mental health and to become acquainted with members of the community.”
“We joined the Y in Spring 2010 after our first son, Ant, was born so we could participate in parent/child swim and gymnastics class.”
“I joined the Y in January of 2017. I was employed as a clinical social worker in a psychiatric inpatient unit, and was fortunate to be able to take early retirement.”
“I started at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA in 1993 after joining the FSPY Swim Team. I started working as a lifeguard and swim instructor in 1997.”
“My Y journey began with swim lessons run by my local Y when I was 9 years old. From there, I joined the Swim Team and stuck with it through grade school.”
“My Y story goes back a bit. Our family moved to New Jersey from Massachusetts in 1996 when my boys were 5 years old and 11 months old. My husband was working in the city and I was alone with the two boys. So, the first thing I did was seek out the YMCA!”
“My story started when I was in college. I was taking an education course that required me to either volunteer or work at a school or child care center. I found myself at the Grand Street Y working as a teacher’s aide; 30 years later, here I am as a senior program director.”
“I started part-time 10 years ago as an instructor teaching cycle. I was a member and had been taking another instructor’s class and she asked if I’d be interested in becoming an instructor myself.”
After I graduated high school, I moved away and went to college. But I wasn’t 100% committed. I changed majors and decided it was best to take a break, figure out what I wanted to do and then go back.”
“My Y journey started when we moved to Scotch Plains in 2004. My son attended the YMCA Child Care at Grand Street as an infant, and through the years, my kids took swim lessons, my…
“I started at the Y in Union when I was 17 as a camp counselor. I had no intention of working for the Y as my career. When I graduated college, I decided to work for the Y one more summer and then find a ‘real job.’”
“I was at the Y as a member for at least 15 years before becoming a teacher. I learned to swim there as an adult, and my kids also learned to swim there.”
“A doctor had suggested working out in the water to help ease the symptoms of my MS.”
“I started coming here as a member five years ago. In 2015, before I moved to Scotch Plains, I knew I needed to be healthier. I had hypertension and was overweight and I had to do something about it.”
“When I was in college, I majored in sports management and I was looking for an internship. I participated in a lot of sports growing up like football, basketball and track which led to my interest in sports management. I knew that the Y offered a lot of sports programs and applied for an internship.”
“My twin sons were 15 months old and I thought I might like a little part-time job for a couple of hours a week. I worked in Child Watch, back then it was called Babysitting, for about 2 weeks and then was moved to the Front Desk.”
“When I was little, I used to go to the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y for Preschool and to take swim lessons.”
“I started working here in January and this is the first Y I’ve worked for. I used to belong to the Y in Union about 15 years ago and I always felt at home.”
Meet Alex, our marketing and communications intern who is learning about our Y over her winter break
“During the Fall semester, I was looking for internships related to my major. My university connected me to the YMCA with an internship in marketing/communications.”
“I started taking gymnastics classes at the Grand Street building when I was very young and was invited to join the Gymnastics Team by the time I was 9 years old. I competed for the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Gymnastics Team for nine years, representing the team at Nationals several times.”
“I joined about 18 years ago when my oldest was a baby. I was looking for a gym that offered babysitting so I could exercise. Over the years, the Y has provided my family with classes to meet our needs at every stage.”
“Two years ago, I was 43 years old and 398 pounds, that was my heaviest. I decided to undergo weight loss surgery, a lot because of my 8-year-old daughter Avery. I started thinking, how many 70-year-olds do you know who weigh 400 pounds? I didn’t know any.”
“After I retired, I came to the Y to work out. Someone suggested to me that I try the pool. I saw the older women in it and wanted to try. At first, I didn’t think it was possible because of my age.”
“I started coming here in August 2013 just to work out, not to mingle. Fortunately, a year later, I started mingling and going into the café.”
“I have been working here since 2014 and started at the old Grand Street location. I was looking for a new job after my old daycare closed, and the family I was nannying for told me that the Y was hiring.”
“I started here in September 2017 in the Aquatics Department. I was under a tremendous amount of stress in my life the year before and started taking water exercise classes to help alleviate some of my stress.”
Sophia recalls: “Our Y story started a long time ago. Ari was born with Down Syndrome and I had a hard time even finding people to babysit for him. We had taken mommy and me swim lessons and when he got a little older, I wanted to continue with the swim lessons. Anywhere I went, the first response was always, ‘we don’t have a special program here.’
“I came here as a lifeguard and swim instructor and now I’m the Aquatics Coordinator. My job is coordinating the Red Cross trainings for Lifeguarding and CPR for our staff, developing plans for pool safety, inservice trainings and helping to manage the pool chemicals.”
“I moved to the area in May 2017 and became a member of the Y. About a year later, I started working here as a substitute fitness instructor.”
Never an “exerciser,” Darlene was pleasantly surprised by how good working out made her feel. “I never exercised, ever. I didn’t like to sweat. In the early 2000s when my kids were young, one day out of total curiosity, I decided to see if I could run a mile. I did it and then started running regularly.”
“I have been working here since late August, but I’ve been a member for years. I first joined to get in shape. Our twins then joined the Swim Team and have been on it since they were 6 – they are now 15.”
“This is my fourth month working here. I grew up in Scotch Plains and grew up going to the Y when I was younger. I took gymnastics and swim lessons and my brother played basketball. The Y, to me, was always like the center of the community.”