I’m frequently asked by those outside of the Y questions like: “has the Y reopened?” and “are you now back to normal?” In each case, I shake my head a little and simply answer something along the lines of, “we’re working hard to serve the community as best as we can, given everything.”
Y associates are notorious for working hard and being passionate about the work they do, but over the past 16 months, our workforce has worked harder and had their passion tested in ways that are hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t been in the middle of all of this. They’ve performed daily miracles in the midst of deep uncertainty about a raging virus, constantly shifting health protocols, an increasingly volatile general public, and with fewer colleagues to help than they are used to and deserve given what they’re being asked to do.
Working to serve a community in desperate need of balance, support, and well-being, Y associates have spun up more new Y services in the past year and a half than had been created in the past several decades. The “other duties as assigned” part of their job descriptions has always been the most pertinent part of their jobs, but the recent past has been over the top in that respect. They did and do all this in the midst of an ongoing global health crisis and a worsening national workforce shortage (our Y currently has 187 open positions), making everything harder and very often requiring them to do double duty with less support.
Y associates are rare folks and deserve every ounce of praise, thanks, and patience all of us can provide. It’s inevitable that, in these circumstances, a line may be longer, a returned email may be slower, and a waiting list for a swim class maybe longer. While we always strive for perfection regardless of the challenges, a bit of extra tolerance and grace is called for these days. More than anything, what Y associates need and deserve is the thanks of a grateful community.
So, next time you visit a Y family center, drop off your children at a Y camp or an early learning program this summer, please join me in thanking our selfless, hardworking, and deeply caring Y associates who continually put the happiness, safety, and well-being of others ahead of their own.
They deserve it!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland