Mission Moment: Working for the Y

Kelly O'Keefe

Oct 23, 2019

I love working for the Y because our work is so mission driven. Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility are not just words we place on the walls.  These are the foundations to support the decisions and actions we take every day.  The culture that I am apart of here at our Y is contagious. I have been able to see firsthand this culture as an employee.  From the Annual Campaign, which provides financial support to those in need, to all our inspirational volunteers who freely give their time to help others, I see our mission succeeding.

Another way I’ve personally seen the mission come alive is in my co-workers who are amazing!  The few of them were former Y members and bring such a unique perspective and experience.  I love to see someone come into the Y and experience knowing firsthand our values and mission and be impacted in a way that they choose to join the team. It makes me realize our vision is being communicated and people are catching on to the importance of what we are all about as an organization.

When asked why she chose to work at the Y, current Member Services Representative Krissy Munroe shared, “I originally joined this Y in the mid-2000s when I realized I hadn't exercised since high school gym class. It felt so good to have a place where I could be comfortable exercising even being out of shape and clumsy! I grew to love the Y even more once I had a child and started using Kids’ Corner and taking my son to swim lessons, track club, etc. Last summer I was starting to look for part-time work and one day I was leaving the Y and thought that maybe I could apply to work at the Welcome Center. I already knew the Y well from a member's standpoint, so I thought it might be fun to talk to other members and prospective members as well. It's been a positive experience getting to know the community over the past year and we have a great crew at the Welcome Center.”

Krissy has been an amazing asset to our team and lives out each of our values daily.  She is just one of the many staff that I have watched jump onboard and join our vision. Their belief and their Y stories are what strengthen our mission driven culture and make it all that it is.