Michael Byersdorf currently serves as a Senior Youth Director at the Morgan Family YMCA. He shares his thoughts on the struggles of the past year and a half and where we are as an association today.
As many of you reading this, I have had the opportunity to work with the Y both pre-COVID, and now mid-COVID. For a while, I was referring to this time we are in as “post-COVID” but in reality, we are right in the middle of it all still.
Throughout my experience working with the Y, I have always felt grateful for the work that we do. Though the days can be long, the classes we teach can be tough, and not everyone is always happy when they walk through our doors, we have the opportunity to make good things happen in the world. From the kiddo who is taking their first swim lesson, the gymnast mastering their floor routine, and to the active older adult connecting with their friends, each of these moments creates a moment of good in our world.
When I first started at the Y, I had a supervisor that ended every swim lesson huddle with the phrase, “Go do good things.” This phrase has stuck with me all these years later and has been something that drives me to always put my best foot forward in the work that I do. Every one of us that is part of the Y movement has the privilege to “go do good things” and make a difference in the lives of those entering our facilities.
I bring this up to remind us all that the work we are doing is important. We never know what impact each of us will make on those around us. This is particularly true now as many in our communities have been isolated and unable to connect with others outside their homes.
As I look back at where we once were as an organization, and where we are now, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride. Our organization has not always made the most sense to everyone, and still may not make sense to some, but as we have come together and worked towards becoming #OneY, I have seen the magic come alive in our community centers. We have focused on the strengths that each of our community centers brings to the table, and have magnified those strengths to continue pushing our organization forward as one. That to me is incredible.
The work you do matters. The impact you make is real. As a wise supervisor of mine once said, “Go do good things”