In this edition of Us!...
- Volunteer Opportunity
- Turkey Trot Kick-off
- Associate Summer Celebration
- Associate Referral Program
- Career Opportunities
- Shout Outs
- Community Kudos
- Get Paid!
- Why Risk It?
- A Note from John Hoey
Y ASSOCIATE OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Opportunity
In partnership with the AARP Foundation, the Y is participating in Experience Corps, a community-based program that engages volunteers age 50+ as tutors and mentors to help children in grades K-3 become proficient readers by the end of third grade.
A virtual interest meeting will be held every Wednesday morning through September 4th to learn about the upcoming program for the 2024/2025 school year. SEE THE FLYER.
To register, click the button below or email ShannonKowal@ymaryland.org.
Sign Up for a Virtual Interest Meeting
Y TURKEY TROT REGISTRATION OPENS AUGUST 16th
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.
Early bird registration starts next Friday, August 16th featuring family-friendly pricing! Check out our Turkey Trot site at yturkeytrot.org and help spread the word to Y members, program participants and families about early bird registration!
Y ASSOCIATE EVENT
2nd Annual Summer Celebration & Social Cookout
August 22nd, 4-7pm, The Orokawa Y in Towson
All Y associates are positively impacting our community. Join the African American Resource Network (AARN) for a moment to celebrate each other and fellowship! This is a not-to-be-missed Y associate event!
RSVP for the Summer Celebration
Associate Referral Program
We are growing our Y associate community and need your help. If you know someone who may be a qualified candidate as an educator, lifeguard or other referral program positions, please encourage them to apply. If your referred person is hired, you can potentially earn a $150 - $500 referral bonus!
Y CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The new school year is starting soon! Join our youth development educator teams. Browse open teacher 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. Search by keyword "teacher"
GOOD VIBES
Y ASSOCIATE SHOUT OUTS
We have more 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 A.J. Garay, Barb Kocher, Laketa Lance, Jack Woodard, Charmika Abel, Vargas Brown, David Castro, Kassandra Marte, Yolanda Murry, Anna Scribner, and Tyrone Seabrooks.
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!
Matthew, Y Camp at the Dancel Y in Ellicott City
"My son loved every week of camp! He made friends and loved all of his counselors."
Kyrell, Y Head Start in Baltimore County, Merritt Park Site
"The teachers are awesome! They go above and beyond to make everyone feel like family."
Jane, The Y in Catonsville
"I love the community of friends made while taking the water fitness classes. Roberta is the best!"
Tayshawn, Y Before & After School Enrichment at Westowne Elementary
"Everyone is very welcoming and my son loves it!"
Greyson, Sherman Early Childhood Center
"The director is amazing, the teachers are great and the environment is very nurturing."
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 October 17th. The submission deadline is Friday, October 11th. (US! DEI Quarterly will be published on September 19th.)
RESOURCES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
GET PAID!
| PAY PERIOD | PAY DATE |
|---|---|
| Jul. 28 - Aug. 10 | Aug. 20, 2024 |
| Aug. 11 - 24 | Sept. 3, 2024 |
| Aug. 25 - Sept. 7 | Sept. 17, 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.
OUR WORK TOGETHER
Dear Colleagues,
With community building at the heart of our strategic plan, All In On Community, we spend a lot of time as an organization defining exactly what that really means, what it looks like and how to achieve it.
Although it sounds like an easy thing to do, building community requires intentionality from both a human and an organizational level. It can be as seemingly small and organic as a warm hello and as rigorous and planned as a multi-layered strategic plan complete with expectations for measurable outcomes. It is not an either/or; it is both.
With this in mind, I am sharing excerpts from a recent email sent by Jessica Chiaramonte, Executive Director of the Y in Catonsville. In it, she pays tribute to Janet Jarvis, a Y group fitness instructor who just retired after an amazing 44 years with the Y! As you will learn from the story below, Janet naturally embodies the Y’s imperative of community building.
“July 31st was Janet Jarvis' last day with us, after 44 years with the Y. Her last class was her Everfit Class, which she has been teaching for the last 15 years. At Janet's last class, participants took turns sharing their gratitude with Janet for all she has done. While health and fitness were common threads, what most of the participants shared was about how Janet has supported them through life events, through losses that many seniors experience later in life, and how she has become a friend to them. She has created an incredible community in all of her classes, but especially the Everfit class.
Janet will be back as a special guest star for Healthy Seniors Day, and while she is looking forward to retirement life, she is already planning to come back as a member and popping in on her old classes.
She is definitely a forever part of the Y community!”
So, thank you to the irrepressible Janet Jarvis and to every Y associate like her who goes out of their way to make everyone in their path feel welcomed, included and cared for. That instinct for building community, engagement and inclusion is at the core of the Y’s mission, strategy and purpose.
As Jessica stated, Janet may be retiring but she is not disengaging from the Y community. She will be an active Y member, and a continuing inspiration to all of us. Well done Janet! Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement. See you around the Y!
All the best,
John Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland