In this edition of Us!...
- A Storybook Vending Machine
- We Are Stronger Together
- Help Grow Our Team
- Opportunities from Within
- Y Shout Outs
- Community Kudos
- Payroll Information
- Financial Wellness Benefits Webinar
- A Note from John Hoey
Y ASSOCIATE OPPORTUNITIES
ELIMINATING BOOK DESSERTS
In partnership with The Storybook Maze and Wellpoint Health, the Y Swim Center in Randallstown will reveal the Y's first storybook vending machine at a community ribbon-cutting on Saturday, February 18, 11am - 1pm, complete with storytelling, games, crafts, a goodie bag, and more! All Y associates and their families are invited to attend this free community event.
The Storybook Maze was created by Araba Maze, a self-proclaimed "radical street librarian working to increase book access". The vending machine works by placing a token into the machine and selecting the book of your choice. Books are appropriate for children up through grade 8. Free tokens will be distributed to children daily so they can use the vending machine to select a new book to read and keep.
Be sure to bring the kids, join the storybook fun, and help us congratulate Tawanda Ford and the Y Swim Center in Randallstown on this exciting and unique collaboration and effort to help eliminate book desserts!
STRONGER TOGETHER
All Y associates are invited to join the African American Resource Network for We Wear Black Day on Friday, February 24th. We are stronger together when we commemorate the renaissance, resistance, and rejoicing that makes the African American experience unique. CLICK HERE to learn more, including how to order a We Wear Black shirt.
Associates may also join the We Wear Black virtual event hosted by the National AARN on February 24 from 1-2pm. Click below to register.
MAKE AN ASSOCIATE REFERRAL
If you know someone who would be a qualified candidate for our Y Head Start, Y Family Centers, or Youth Development teams, please refer them to the Y and potentially earn a referral bonus of up to $500 if they are hired. Click below for details.
Learn More and Make a Referral
Y CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Browse the open positions in Dayforce to see available career growth opportunities.
1. Log into Dayforce (open web browser > Managed Bookmarks > Dayforce)
2. Click the menu icon in the upper left corner, select Careers, select Search Jobs
3. Scroll through the list or search by job title, keyword, location, or req ID#
Current openings include:
Teachers (search for Teacher)
Lifeguards (search for Lifeguard)
Membership Associates (search for Membership)
GOOD VIBES
Y ASSOCIATE SHOUT OUTS
Sadly, we have no new Y Associate Shout Outs to share, which is baffling because we certainly have amazing associates doing great work everyday across our organization and community.
Don't be shy! If you have a colleague you'd like to "Shout Out", simply click below to fill out the nomination form.
COMMUNITY COMMENTS
The good work you do doesn't go unnoticed. Enjoy reading these real comments from our Y community and soak in the praise!
Christopher, The Catonsville Y Family Center
"The classes I’ve attended have been well designed and professionally run. Equipment is in good condition. Coffee in the morning is a nice feature!"
Ion, Y Head Start - Campfield Site
“The associates are friendly and loving. I appreciate them and the patience they have. They welcomed us with open arms. They do a great job with my son. Hopefully it’s still great the end of the school year. He will be returning. He loves school and they care!
Ainsley, Y Before & After School Enrichment - Bel Air Elementary
“The teachers are fantastic! Erica runs a great program and our kids have been so happy since transferring into the Y's Before/After School program!"
Edward, Y Preschool at UMBC
"My child is learning so much at his Y Preschool and is really developing his ability to play in a focused way. Plus, I love having him on the campus where I work and being able to easily attend school-wide events for special occasions!"
WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!
The Us! associate enewsletter is published every other Thursday or Friday and we need to hear from you! Share your stories, what’s new in your Y world, and what you are proud of. We want to know and we want to share your news! The submission deadline is Fridays at 5pm.
RESOURCES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
GET PAID!
This Pay Period: 1/29/23 to 2/11/23
Pay Date: 2/21/23
Click below for more information.
FINANCIAL WELLNESS WEBINAR
Join Andrea Rapp from First Financial Credit Union to learn about accessing the credit union and the financial wellness benefits that are available to you as a Y in Central Maryland associate.
Click below to join the webinar on March 8 from 10:00am - 10:30am.
OUR WORK TOGETHER
Dear Colleagues,
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” —Albert Einstein
“You’ll always miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” —Wayne Gretzky
Physicist Albert Einstein and hockey player Wayne Gretzky were both trailblazers in their very different chosen fields, and interestingly both men clearly subscribed to the same life philosophy. The notion that success is never guaranteed but that failure is sure to come due to lack of trying is one which I’d say also characterizes our ethos as an organization.
The past several years have been tough, with our fair share of successes and set-backs, but what gives me so much confidence in our future is the fact that our history is one of not being afraid of trying new things in search of significant leaps forward.
This January’s membership campaign provides one of many clear examples of this. Coming off a year (2022) that started in the midst of a public health crisis and involved many months stewing in a hyper-inflation environment, all of which suppressed our badly needed membership growth, we knew that we needed to think out of the proverbial box about almost every facet of Y membership going forward. Faced with a highly price sensitive market, we rolled back our planned price increase, expanded access to Open Doors, beefed up the membership value proposition, and developed an attractive new January promotion. Seeing holes in our sales processes and center operations, we rethought our organizational structure and added a significant number of new programs and experiences, with a goal of making Y membership essential to people. Understanding the importance of making the most of our marketing investment, we researched and rolled out new messaging and a more efficient media plan to support it. All this, in service of a new strategic plan which calls for the Y to be even more of a critical hub of community life in central Maryland.
The result of all this combined effort was an incredibly successful January membership campaign, in which we netted more new members than we’ve ever netted in a single January! So, that means a great job by Y associates selling, and a great job by Y associates retaining! As noteworthy as this is (and it is), what’s far more important is what it adds up to for our community.
Let’s let our members have the last word:
“People of all ages and backgrounds are there. It is truly a community gathering place for wellness.” - Michael D.
“I like the friendliness, the diversity and the sense of community” – Maryann K.
“Excellent service. Always feel warm and welcomed when entering the building.” – Yanping Z.
“I love the Y community. You see the same faces and build connections which have led to me extending my family circle to include my Y family.” – Vanessa N.
All the best,
John Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland