In this edition of Us!...
- Upcoming Associate Events
- Y Associate Podcast
- Save the Date!
- Career Opportunities
- Shout Outs
- Community Kudos
- Payroll Information
- Why Risk It?
- New Retirement Fund Learning Center
- A Note from John Hoey
Y ASSOCIATE OPPORTUNITIES
UPCOMING ASSOCIATE EVENTS
The African American Resource Network (AARN) has several associate opportunities coming up this summer and fall.
Quarterly Karamu (Swahili for "a place of joyful gathering")
Join the AARN for this affinity space where African American associates, and all associates, can come together, share experiences, eat, and fellowship. All are welcome to celebrate community and togetherness! Bring your lunch.
July 19, 1-3pm, The Orokawa Y in Towson
RSVP Today
2nd Annual Summer Celebration & Social Cookout
All Y associates are positively impacting our community. Join the AARN for a moment to celebrate each other and fellowship!
August 22, 4-7pm, The Orokawa Y in Towson
RSVP for the Summer Celebration
Virtual Book Review: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
Let's talk about the importance of self-care and rest. Rest is Resistance shares a point of view about rest as a form of resistance and a divine human right.
October 24, 12:00pm
Reserve Your Book and RSVP Today
Y PODCAST FOR Y ASSOCIATES
The ALL IN Podcast brings you enlightening conversations with Y colleagues discussing what they are most passionate about in their work. Hosted by Riquelle Harris, Manager of Learning and Development, these entertaining podcasts are sure to make your day and give you new perspective on your work at the Y.
Click below to listen to episode eight, "Taking Care of Us," with Diara Jackson, ED of Social/Emotional Learning in Youth Development and Jude Ugwu, Y Group Exercise Instructor.
SAVE THE DATE: Y TURKEY TROT CHARITY 5K
Be it volunteering, fundraising, or encouraging people to trot, Y associates play a crucial role in driving the success of the Y Turkey Trot Charity 5K.
For those new to the Y, the Y Turkey Trot Charity 5K is our signature fundraising event which funds a great deal of Y Open Door support to the community. To pull off an event of this magnitude, which draws over 16,000 participants at six different Y locations, takes a whole lot of hands to be successful.
Registration opens at yturkeytrot.org on Friday, August 16, but for now, mark your calendars!
Y CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Browse the open positions in Dayforce to see available career growth opportunities.
1. Log into Dayforce (open web browser > Cloud 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:
Community Schools Teacher (Req #2469)
Swim Instructors (search "Swim")
GOOD VIBES
Y ASSOCIATE SHOUT OUTS
We have five great Y Associate Shout Outs today. These are stories about pitching in, reaching out, showing initiative, being a great colleague, and going the extra mile: all of which are hallmarks of Y associates and our organizational culture.
Click the blue "Shout Out" icon above to read about Louise Bell, Justin Knott, Gabrielle Martinez, Cynthia Thompson-Jamaal, and Robyn Vance.
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!
Kyrell, Y Head Start in Baltimore City, Edmondson Site
"Ms. Jessica and all the teachers at the Edmondson location are the best!!! They always have great and positive energy. They are patient, kind, caring, and work very well with every child."
Desiree, The Dancel Y in Ellicott City
"During our recent interactions with your team, Lauren was not only understanding but also quick to respond and address our needs. Her professionalism and efficiency made a significant difference in resolving our inquiries promptly and satisfactorily. We are grateful for her assistance."
Xena, Y Before & After School Enrichment at Spring Garden Elementary
"My kids hate pick up time; that’s a very good sign. They want me to give them 10 more minutes. Each time I come to pick them up, their facial expressions change. Thank you all for what you do. You are all life savers!"
Charlotte, Y Preschool in Towson
"My daughter has learned so much during her time with Towson Y Preschool. She has come out of her shell and loves being with her friends and teachers."
WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!
The Us! associate enewsletter is published monthly 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! The next regular Us! enewsletter will be published on August 8. The submission deadline is Friday, August 2.
RESOURCES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
GET PAID!
| PAY PERIOD | PAY DATE |
|---|---|
| June 30-July 13 | July 23, 2024 |
| July 14-27 | August 6, 2024 |
| July 28-August 10 | August 20, 2024 |
WHY RISK IT?
The Y's Risk Management Team has created a monthly newsletter to highlight key risk reduction practices, reviews and reminders. This serves as an excellent quick reference for high priority risk awareness in our Y programs, centers and sites.
Y Retirement Fund New Learning Center
The new Y Retirement Fund Learning Center is here! Now you have access to on-demand eLearning courses, short videos on frequently asked questions, trivia games, and more! The Learning Center is also where you'll go to register for the popular monthly retirement workshop, Understanding Your Y Retirement Fund Benefit, as well as two new 90-minute workshops: Creating Income from Your Y Retirement and Other Retirement Accounts and Social Security, Medicare, and Long-Term Care. Register now for these virtual instructor-led courses. Spots fill quickly!
You can access the Y Retirement Learning Center from your online Y Retirement account. Not sure how to access it? Click below.
OUR WORK TOGETHER
Dear Colleagues,
One critical element in building a high functioning organization is continual investment in the development of leaders at all levels of that organization. In our case, we have been explicit in our strategic plan, “All in on Community,” by making clear that one of the four core objectives to achieve our plan is working to make the Y a 'go-to' workplace to make change and thrive. There’s an awful lot that goes into trying to achieve that objective, and certainly one of those things is to invest in our emerging leaders, with the goal of positioning them to be our Y’s senior leaders of tomorrow. In the fall of 2022, we launched a new program called the Y Leadership Fellowship, a nine-month cohort experience designed to challenge its participants in the manner in which they think about and express their leadership.
The second cohort, launched in fall of 2023, completed their leadership experience in early June. This year’s cohort included the following Y associates:
Kristyna Cole, Senior Grants Accountant
Celina Fitch, Preschool Director, Towson
Shatia Jones, Associate Executive Director, Head Start
Shannon Kowal, Associate Executive Director, Social Responsibility
Shannon Martin, Regional Membership Director, The Greater Annapolis Y
Lindsay Meyers, Associate Executive Director, The Weinberg Y in Waverly
Bryan Rose, Sr. Manager, Associate Relations
Pierre Saunders, Community Schools Director, ACCE Academy
Deandre Shearin, Operations Director, the Y in Parkville
Mike Ward, Senior Manager of Network Operations & Cybersecurity
During their time in the program, they juggled their “day jobs” with the work involved with their Leadership Fellowship. This included a 90-day job swap, which threw each leader well out of their comfort zones to take on the role of another member of the cohort. Needless to say, the learning and challenges during those three months were enormous. The program was launched at an overnight team building retreat at Y Camp Puh’tok.
Topics explored during the program include: critical and strategic thinking; gaining an appreciation of how individual actions have organizational implications; improving decision-making capabilities, including the use of data to inform analysis; managing successfully through complexity; managing change; adopting an equity lens; managing one’s career; and having effective critical conversations (to name a few).
At the closing ceremony, participants discussed the experience of learning to trust one another (many of whom did not really know each other before), taking risks, and leaning in to each other for support; all critically important leadership skills.
It was clear from the closing presentations and reflections that the experience had a meaningful impact on everyone in the cohort. It was equally clear that each of them will continue to have a large and meaningful impact on the Y and the communities we serve. I applaud all of these smart, hard-working associates for their commitment to the Y and to continuing to develop the skills they will need to evolve and succeed as leaders in an increasingly complex and diverse environment.
As important as this program is, it is only one component of our overall learning and development strategy here at the Y. For us to succeed long-term, a culture of continuous learning and development is imperative.
All the best,
John Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland