Charlie Davis

“The body is not supported by one person, but by all of us. We are one, we are strongest working together in unity.” – 1 Corinthians 12:14

May Financial Results

Late last Friday afternoon, Toko Thompson distributed the May financial results to the finance committee (a subgroup of our board of directors). In her report, Toko summarized that we were able to generate a very slight positive variance for the month, or in her words, “We squeaked by.” Toko highlighted that the CARES grants we secured for Child Care and Camp were a significant part of the reason we finished the month in a positive position, helping to offset the unusually high number of member cancellations and holds for the month. In addition, the shifts in our labor force – people leaving or there being a lag in filling positions – has created a positive variance in total expenses. Though we were not able to build on April’s significant positive step forward, having a slightly positive result is still something for us to hold onto. It is, however, a reminder that members are still cautious about returning to the Y.

Serving Our Members During The Summer Months

Health and Well-Being

Brian Flattum has also raised concern about whether or not we will follow our historic membership trend this year, which has been members not visiting our Y during the nice Pacific Northwest summer months. Throughout the pandemic, we have been strategizing for the summer impact on membership, also recognizing that people will feel more comfortable being outdoors for their activities given the lingering impact of the pandemic. As Michael Marquez shared on Friday’s Staying Connected call, there was a great member response to the outdoor Memorial Day exercise classes that our health and well-being team offered. While I was at the Bremerton Y on Healthy Kids’ Day, I got to see an affirmation that outdoor programming appeals to our members as I watched a large number of members enjoy being outdoors for their workout.

Virtual Communities

Observing Michael and the health and well-being team adapt to the circumstances has been inspiring, and indicative of how our entire team has operated throughout the past 15 months. Whether it was offering services under a tent or leading a workout from your own living room, our team has continued to use every tool possible to engage our members. Last week, I received an email praising the ingenuity of our team. This particular member has been attending the virtual community café for the past few Tuesdays. She shared how it has profoundly changed her life. The theme of the group has been addressing the last third of their lives to find purpose and support. She shared with me that her husband has dementia and is becoming more detached. It has become more and more difficult for her to cope, but through the support of this group, she has been able to discover ways to navigate this part of her life. She shared that she has received expertise from doctors who attend as well as emotional support from people she now calls her friends. She points to the tremendous leadership of Susan Buell and Janele Nelson, who have used technology to build community and open a new frontier for the Y. She sees this as a great opportunity to grow membership and expand our geographic service base, extending the reach of the Y.

Celebrating Staff

Next Monday, we will kick off a week of celebration to acknowledge what our team has accomplished over the past 15 months. Words fall short in capturing the character of our team. You have faced daunting circumstances every step of the way, yet you found a way to persevere, always with a smile and an extended hand to lift up those around you. One Y became our rally cry because we needed to come together in a way we have never had to in our past. You were asked to work differently and take on different, and sometimes more, responsibilities. I have seen you take deep breaths along the way, to collect yourself, and I find myself being humbled that you never flinch or complain. You claw and scrape to find ways to put the pieces of our Y back in place, not knowing what our Y will look like moving forward.

A great deal of coordination and planning has gone into planning next week’s staff recognition celebration by a small but mighty task force, including Shannon Costanti, Kris Jensen, Tara Bywater, Stephanie Roberts, Kate Hardeman, and Miriam Ellison. Each of them already has way more than they can do, but they were excited to create this special week to honor our great team. It is another example of what each of you is being asked to do to keep our Y moving forward.

Outdoor Environmental Education

Over the past few weeks, we have asked Scott Gjertson, our outdoor environmental education expert extraordinaire, to design a new way to deliver his program. For the past 20 years, he has had over 130 schools and 11,000 students visiting Camp Seymour on an annual basis to experience OEE. Unfortunately, the pandemic shut down this program completely, but Scott refused to be denied. He has methodically redesigned his program, using virtual and smaller in-person groups at Camp to deliver the program. As we build a platform of programs and services to provide to school districts, OEE is a big part of that platform. Scott is designing OEE to be mobile and flexible to bring the content to students in a different way. In a conversation with Diane Jackson on Healthy Kids’ Day, she suggested using Camp Lake Helena as a potential future site for an outdoor education center. Wow, she blew my mind, but it is a great example of how our Y is evolving and how our great team is constantly testing the boundaries of what, and who, we can become. I love our team, reimagining possibilities and never seeing defeat as one of them.

Child Care And The Center For Community Impact

For a good portion of this pandemic, our Child Care team was the sole provider of services for our Y. They selflessly stood on the frontlines, serving when the fear and uncertainty surrounding the virus was at its peak. Along with our Center for Community Impact, Child Care is at the core of a new design for how we will partner with schools to serve the youth of our community.

Coming Together To Seize The Moment

When we think of what One Y means, I think of Child Care, CCI, Camp, and the community centers coming together in a different way – a way that will have even greater impact on the community. It is not easy to align and evolve while being asked to carry more, but I believe we need to seize the moment. I worry about pushing us to take this leap (I know how hard you are already driving). You are giving everything you have to lift our Y and all the people in it. I am truly in awe of who you are. You are the hope for this Y. Thank you!

#StayStrong #StayWithUs