December 18, 2018
It’s been a few weeks since my last Shout Outs, so I have quite a few great ones today. As always, we have so many impressive Y associates making their communities a better place every day, through acts of kindness, teamwork and/or persistence. A few of these are lengthier, as they come directly from members, but they’re all worth your time to read and appreciate. So, here we go!
Tina Antokowiak (Fitness Director, The Hill Family Y in Westminster)
Tina has gone above and beyond to work with seniors at the Hill Y. She organizes several special "Senior Activities" each month, creates a monthly Senior Connection Newsletter/Flyer which includes and highlights senior classes and programs; and is dedicated to make our senior population feel included, valued and respected! (Submitted by Karen Farley)
Kisha Banks, Debra Barrett, Shatia Bennett, Carolyn Carcel , LaNae Croxton, Andrea Dias, Marie Jenkins, Sarah Kennedy, Valerie McDougle, Epiphania Osei, Michele Petrella, Letta Simon, Ameka Smith, Jasmine Smith, LaShero Terry, Jeremy Trimble, Nakia Williams, Tabitha Williams, Don Yeager and Becky Zahn (Members of the Y Head Start, Human Resources and Finance teams)
“From October 22, 2018 to October 26, 2018, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) conducted a Focus Area Two (FA2) monitoring review of the Y in Central Maryland’s Head Start and Early Head Start program in Anne Arundel County. This report contains information about the grantee's performance and compliance with the requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) or Public Law 110-134, Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007.
The Office of Head Start (OHS) would like to thank your governing body, policy council, parents, and associates for their engagement in the review process. Based on the information gathered during this review, we have found your program meets the requirements of all applicable HSPPS, laws, regulations, and policy requirements.”
With this somewhat bureaucratic-sounding letter, we were excited, proud and certainly a little bit relieved to receive a clean bill of health on the Y’s Head Start program in Anne Arundel County. Given that this was a new program for us, and the take-over of a previously non-compliant provider, the work involved to first implement a high quality program but then to get the federal government’s “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” for that hard work was extensive. A big shout-out to all of the great Y associates who worked so hard to make this happen! (Submitted by Sherrie Rovnan and Chip Warner)
Andrew Black, Craig Hamm, Lisa Lamar, Megan May and Malik Mohanlal-Vargas (Lifeguards, The Dancel Y in Ellicott City)
Great teamwork by the Dancel Y guards! The Pasadena Y needed help with a lot of guard shifts and the Dancel guards stepped up. One morning at Pasadena the three guards opening were all from Dancel. Malik was hired at Dancel but said he would go to Pasadena before he even started working at Dancel! Thank you to all the Dancel guards for helping out at Pasadena and always doing great work at Dancel. (Submitted by James Lightbourne)
Latisha Daniels (Teacher’s Assistant, Y Meade Village Head Start Center)
Latisha is a wonderful teacher’s assistant. She has helped me adjust to this new environment with her calm and patient personality. Latisha's great communication and organization skills are always based to fit the needs of the students. Latisha takes great pride in being helpful in not only in our class but when needed. Whenever I'm feeling lost or confused, she is always there guiding me. Latisha's cooperation in various lessons show she is not afraid to go above and beyond when it comes to the children's interest. I just want to thank her for her wonderful attributes in our classroom. (Submitted by Tishona Lyn-kew)
Tara Elias (Lifeguard, The Walter & Betty Ward Y in Abingdon)
“I wanted to let you know that the lifeguard Tara was amazing. She went above and beyond to help me last week. As I got out of the pool after water Zumba I realized someone had mistakenly taken my towel. I had no way to dry off, nor did I have a jacket. I was not upset about the towel, I was just upset that I would freeze when I walked outside. Tara apologized over and over that someone had taken my towel and then offered to let me use her own personal towel to dry off with. It's rare to find such kind people these days, and I felt you should know. It was such a small act but the kindness behind it really blew me away. She should be recognized for how great she is with the members." (From a Y member) (Submitted by Amy Vendt)
Briann Long and Aireka Owens (Lead Teachers, Y Preschool at Riverside)
Briann and Aireka both jumped in at the last minute to go to our Towson Preschool to help during an associate shortage. Additionally, Aireka picked up extra days to go down and cover during the shortages. Thanks Briann and Aireka! (Submitted by Jessica Gobble-Reil)
Barbara Nevin (Swim Instructor, The Y in Parkville)
“I want to take the time to provide a compliment to both you and Barb. For most of my 40 years on earth I have been living with a fear of being in the water, hence the reason why I enrolled in the Y's water acclimation class. I took a level 1 swimming class at the Y in Towson approximately 5-6 years ago, but I walked away feeling a little defeated.
I was not sure what to expect when I initially enrolled in the Level 1/2 class this time, but I was committed to learning how to swim. Initially, I was the only person that was enrolled in the Tue/Thurs evening class, and I was informed that typically a class that only has one enrollment would be canceled. I want to thank you for deciding to allow the class to continue. Your willingness to keep the class on the schedule allowed me to meet Barbara “Barb,” and she has helped me in more ways than one. Barb has been extremely patient with me, even though there were times when my fear and slight frustration got the best of me. She is also very knowledgeable and has been able to impart so much wisdom concerning swimming techniques to me by providing an array of suggestions to help me overcome my fears or difficulty performing specific tasks. She has an encouraging nature and has been my cheerleader during each class which has allowed me to have the confidence that I need to keep pushing myself to get better. She has helped me to feel safe in the water, and as a result, I am finally swimming. I still need to work on my stamina, but I know that will come with time and practice. The most fearful aspect of swimming was attempting to float on my back, and I am happy to report that after four classes, I can float on my back and swim a little while floating on my back. I am so excited about the progress that I have made so far and look forward to seeing what I will be doing at the end of class #7. I believe both you and Barb are a great asset to the Y and when I am ready to take the level 3/4 swimming class, I would definitely love to enroll in Barb’s class again.” (From a Y member) (Submitted by Jeremy Kirkpatrick)
Cynthia Thompson-Jamaal (Resource Aide, Y Kenwood Head Start Center)
I want to say a big thank you to Ms. Cynthia for stepping up and doing the role of a Teacher’s Assistant. She comes to work every day and helps to teach and shape our children in preparation for Kindergarten. (Submitted by Kianna Baker)
Marquis Witherspoon (Membership Associate, The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Y in Waverly)
Marquis is always ready to help, whether it's with community basketball, setting up volleyball nets, working the membership desk or anything else anyone asks him to work on. He also stays calm and collected, no matter what the provocation. He is a real asset to the Weinberg Y and he exemplifies the level of teamwork we should all be striving for. (Submitted by Nola Krosch)
Thanks to these and so many other wonderful Y associates for everything you do!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland