Milestones.
One of the best things we do in the Y is our annual Years of Service dinner for our team members. This is a celebration of the milestone anniversaries that go mostly unknown by our members and by many Y peers. Each year, we lift up the incredible service and experiences of everyone from 5 years of service to the seasoned Y vets with 25 and 30 years of service and each year I’m humbled by the commitment of those leaders.
What’s clear is that those “seasoned vets” have changed the lives of thousands of children and adults over their time with the Y. They are preschool and afterschool teachers, group exercise instructors, youth sports coaches, maintenance techs, and so many of the other roles that it takes to operate our Ys.
Here are just a few of our more tenured superstars:
– Nury Beltran and Veronica Flores Martinez, 20 years each as teachers in our Disney Early Learning Centers.
– Viviana Collazo (Dr. Phillips), Jamie Blair (Oviedo), and Dawn Marzlock (Winter Park) – 20 years of leading group exercise programs.
– Cynthia Ellington and Kirl Cooper, 25(!) years of leadership as before and after school educators.
– And our two 30-yr group fitness and water exercise heroes, Jane Hunter (Oviedo) and Tara Chamberlain (J. Douglas Williams).
I respect the commitment and discipline it takes to do anything with quality and consistency over time. Each time I get a chance to visit our Ys and talk to members, I hear so many of the stories of those of you who have been with us for 10, 20, and 30+ years. As thankful as I am for your continued support of the Y, I’m even more impressed by the unwavering commitment you’ve made to your mental and physical wellbeing and happy that our Y has been able to play a part in helping you to live longer and healthier lives.
So, I’ll leave you this month with two small asks…
1. If your YMCA journey has been impacted by one or more of our seasoned Y vets, please take a moment to thank them for what they do. In most cases, their tenured service is in addition to what they do as a full-time job. They do this work because they love their community and they love the interactions they have with you at the Y.
2. I’d love to hear your 20 or 30-year Y story. So often, I hear how the relationships you’ve made over that time have reached far beyond the walls of the Y.
As always, thank you for ongoing support of the Y.
Until next time…
Kevin Bolding, President & CEO
YMCA of Central Florida
The Y. For a better us.®
First Friday messages offer a monthly peak behind the veil of leading through change from the Y’s President & CEO.