“It’s fun to stay at the Y. M. C. A.!” are lyrics we all have heard at one time or another at that family wedding you were forced into going to, your mom probably made you stand up and dance making the letters in the air above your head . . . good times. Well, I am here to tell you about what those letters really mean. On the first of October this year, I celebrated my two-year anniversary working at the Tampa YMCA. A little over two years ago, I, with no prior job experience walked into my very first job interview and sat at a table with my future boss and the executive director of the Northwest Hillsborough Family YMCA in Tampa (Northwest for short) and told them I wanted to be president of the United States and by the time I arrived home that afternoon, my references had been called! Within a few weeks, I was CPR, O2, and First Aid trained and ready to get to work!

When I was told I would be making an impact on the community I had no idea what it would turn into. I began working front desk at the Northwest YMCA and was stoked! It was my very first job, I worked after school so it gave me something to do, and I worked with my best friend – what more could I ask for? One of the greatest things about working at the YMCA was the amount of kindness I found in everyone that walked in the building, workers and members alike. My first month there, Marilyn, the Membership Director at the time came in around 9 p. m. one night and brought me and my coworker ice-cream because she heard how amazing we were doing that busy evening – how many of your bosses would do that? As I’ve told you, people at the YMCA immediately became my family. My good friend, Dennis is that brother you love even though he is always poking fun at you, Lilianna is the aunt that you can laugh about the rest of your family with, Becky is the quirky cousin who makes you laugh harder every time you see her, and Rebecca is the big sister who guides you and is there for you when you need her most. The Y instantly became more than just my part-time-high-school job and became my home away from home.

Working at the Y helped me learn great communication skills and that it is always better to “kill ‘em with kindness”. I learned to put myself into other’s shoes and to understand the perspectives of each individual member. One of the most remarkable programs the Y offers is a financial aid program (FA). Of course, the Y offers swimming, dancing, and sports but that is not always an affordable option for the average American family, but FA changes that. The program allows the low-income family to apply for a discount on their membership and programs at the gym which allows people to use our facilities despite their financial situation. The amount of joy I feel when I am able to sign up a family for a membership and put their three-year-old boy in soccer and his older brother into our dance program makes me proud to be a member of this team. Beyond FA the Y offers many programs for all ages from your toddler to your grandfather. Another favorite program is our Silver Sneakers. Silver Sneakers is a membership program that is paid for by their insurance company. This is great because it also allows members to join the Y when they may not have been able to before. Silver Sneakers are for the most part senior citizens (but not all of them!) and are some the most cheerful members we have! Countless times have I had the opportunity to help someone start a plan to get back in shape, or set a goal, or sign up for a program to learn to swim or dance – helping these people grow gives me happiness and allows me to change the lives of so many.

The culture I help cultivate lets the members know we are there for them and allows us to build those relationships I mentioned prior. Our Y family doesn’t stop at staff, it is our members too, which is why while working at the front desk I greet every member by name and am ready to assist them with any of their needs. One of my favorite things about the Y is the way we are there for families in the community. Recently we started having monthly family events in order to encourage family-community bonding and healthy living. Over the Summer is "Summerpalooza” where families are able to eat, swim, and spend time in the community – for free! We also celebrated “Healthy Kids Day,” which was a blast to work because I was able to meet local heroes and campaign for “Zoe for President,” which promoted the idea that each child has the potential to be the president and the Y will help get them there!

The YMCA is not just a gym, it is a refuge for teens who need a place after school, it is childcare for mothers and fathers while they work out, it is a preschool for developing youth, it is a place to go to feel safe – to feel at home. The things they don’t tell you when you accept the job at the Y is that you aren’t just an employee, you are a mentor for those teens, you are a friend to those parents who know they can trust their kids in your car, you are the adopted grandchild of every Silver Sneaker member, and you may also be the only smiling face some of your members see that day; you are their family too.

Working at the Y has allowed me to create lifelong relationships and friendships that I could not have imagined. I can’t thank Ashley and Marilyn enough. They saw potential in an eager 17-year-old that no one else saw at the time, and for that, I will forever be grateful. I was given the opportunity to change lives, to work to make the community I lived in a better place to be, and I grew to be a better person from it. From front desk representative, to dance recital host, to new employee trainer, I have had a lot of phenomenal opportunities working at the Y. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. I challenge you to visit your nearest YMCA and check them out, because we really are, “For a better us.”

Check out the website at tampaymca.org for information on the closest YMCA branch!