In this edition of Us!...
- Upcoming Y Associate Events
- Y Associate Podcast
- Earn a $500 Bonus
- And the Winner Is...
- Shout Outs
- Special Shout Out: Three Decades of Service
- Community Kudos
- Payroll Information
- It's Not Worth the Risk
- New Y Roth Account
- A Note from John Hoey
- Organization Announcement
Y ASSOCIATE OPPORTUNITIES
UPCOMING Y ASSOCIATE EVENTS
Don't miss out on these upcoming associate opportunities:
- Y Associate Town Hall | Monday, October 30th, 11am - 12pm
The Y Associate Town Hall is a meeting for all Y associates that is streamed live on Facebook Workplace however, if you happen to be at the Y Associate Engagement Center, feel free to participate in person.
The town hall will include a brief organization update by John Hoey, followed by a roundtable discussion with Y colleagues, Sasha Batts, Jessica Chiaramonte, Javon Custis and Ryan Mechlinski, covering a range of important topics relevant to Y associates. John will conclude with a Q&A to answer questions you may have. Please submit your question in advance here.
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Holiday Budgeting Webinar | Wednesday, November 1st
11am - 12pm, 3pm - 4pm, 8pm - 9pm
Choose a time that works best for you!
Contact associateexperience@ymaryland.org for the webinar link.
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Special HR Edition of Us! | Friday, October 27th
A special HR edition of Us! will be published this Friday. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for valuable information every Y associate should know.
For more information on these and other associate opportunities, please check the Associate Experience shared calendar (part of your Y gmail calendar under the "other calendars" tab). To submit events to the associate experience calendar, please email associateexperience@ymaryland.org.
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; the things they are "all in" on! 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 six, "Back to School" with Youth Development leaders, Tijuanna Huggins, Shateria Murray, Natasha Morton, and Melissa Landers.
TELL A FRIEND!
We are growing our Y associate community and need your help. If you know someone who may be a qualified candidate for a high demand position, please encourage them to apply! If your referred person is hired, you can potentially earn up to a $500 referral bonus through our Associate Referral Program. Click below to download our flyer and spread the word!
GOOD VIBES
COMPETENCY AWARDS
On Friday, October 13th, the Y Senior Leadership Team held their bi-annual leadership retreat where nominated associates were presented with Y Competency Awards: Advancing Our Mission & Cause, Building Relationships, Leading Operations, and Developing & Inspiring Others, as well as the Rising Star Award (given to an emerging leader under age 30) and The Quinney Award (given to an associate who embodies the qualities held by our colleague, Lynn Quinney who succumbed to cancer in 2012).
Please join us in congratulating our Competency Award winners: Marc Perry, Danielle Neal, Kristine Pennington, Chontey Copeland, Connie Schyan-Cusato, Kristyna Cole, Nikita Glenn, Darrell Jefferies, Thomas Downs, Jr., Dallas Kane, Heather Dye, and Megan Jones.
Can you guess who received which award?
Y ASSOCIATE SHOUT OUTS
We have another great batch of Y Associate Shout Outs 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 Sean Bajadek, Aniyah Brown, Jessica Chiaramonte, Katherine (Betsy) Gilotte, Mary Grace Gonzalez, and Leroy Pinder.
If you have a colleague you'd like to "Shout Out", simply click below to fill out the nomination form.
SHOUTING OUT 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE!
Time flies when you're shaping young lives. The Betty Sterner Y Preschool in Catonsville has been serving families and building lifelong learners for 30 years! Please join us in congratulating our Y associate team at the Betty Sterner Y Preschool in Catonsville for continuing our rich tradition of nurturing and preparing decades of 2-5 year olds for success in kindergarten and beyond.
We also have two Y Preschool associates celebrating 30 years at the Y! Enjoy these delightful stories about Bettina Washington and Cheryl Rosendahl, and join us as we thank and congratulate them on their long-standing contributions and commitment to Y families!
Bettina Washington (Ms. Tina) has been with the Betty Sterner Y Preschool in Catonsville since it opened in 1993! She started as a part-time teacher while also teaching full-time at her church's preschool center. She later transitioned to full-time in 2015. Ms. Tina has personally shaped generations of families who have come through the doors of the Betty Sterner Y Preschool over the last 30 years. Imagine that!
From the moment Y associate Cheryl Rosendahl saw a Stay & Play job advertised on a dry erase board at the Hill Y in Westminster 30 years ago, she knew it was right up her alley. "The Y was just looking for someone to work 4-5 hours a week and I thought, I can do that!" says Cheryl.
Today, after three decades of unwavering commitment to the Y, Cheryl is the Director of the Y Chipmunks Preschool in Carroll County, a position she has held for over 20 years.
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!
Eran, Y Early Head Start, Baltimore County
“The Y Early Head Start home base program is a good experience for my child . My 3 year old son does not speak. He uses more sign language, but the Y Early Head Start home base program helped boost his confidence. He has retained most of the things he learned from the teacher. The colors, counting, and everything that is necessary. Ms. Jones (Nena) is doing a good job. Currently my son is preparing to join the Y Head Start for preschool."
Christina, The Y in Druid Hill
"My experience at the Y has been awesome! I love to go there when I can. When you feel like you want to be involved in something great, the Y is the place to be. I am so happy I joined. I would recommend for anybody to join. The Y is great for all ages. It is with the community, helping people and especially children. I want to involve myself more with other activities. I love to swim and I also do the food pantry when I come. Overall, me joining the Y has been so thankful. I appreciate the Y and the associates for all they do. Thanks for having many centers where people of all ages can go."
Allen, Out-of-School-Time, Historic Samuel Coleridge Taylor
"I love this program because it keeps my son occupied and teaches him a lot and let’s him make new friends."
Xena, Y Before & After School Enrichment, Spring Garden Elementary
"My kids hate pick up time, that’s a very good sign. They want me to give them 10 minutes more each time I come to pick them up. Thank you all for what you do. You are all life savers."
Judah, The Sherman Early Childhood Center
"The location is very clean! The teachers care about your children and they always have learning activities. The communication at this location is always top tier. There is never a moment when we don’t know what’s going on. We love the center!"
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 and we want to share your news! The next regular Us! enewsletter will be published on November 16th. The submission deadline is Friday, November 10th.
RESOURCES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
GET PAID!
| PAY PERIOD | PAY DATE |
|---|---|
| October 22 - November 4, 2023 | November 14, 2023 |
| November 5 - 18, 2023 | November 28, 2023 |
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.
OPEN A Y ROTH ACCOUNT
Beginning January 1, 2024, the Y Retirement Fund will add a Roth Account to the 403(b) Savings Plan.
The Roth Account is an after-tax retirement savings account option. Here’s what you need to know:
- Any paid employee of a participating Y will be able to contribute to the Roth Account regardless of compensation, age, hours worked, or length of service (just like the current Tax-Deferred Account!)
- Contributions will be made via payroll deduction and taxed in the year of the contribution.
- At retirement, contributions and interest in the Roth Account are tax-free if you are age 59 ½ or older and you satisfy the 5-calendar-year requirement for your Roth Account.
- Contributions to the Roth Account will receive Interest Credit and Annuity.
- Conversion rates that are established and reviewed periodically by the Y Retirement Fund Board of Trustees.
- You’ll be able to roll in employer-sponsored Roth retirement savings accounts from past jobs into a new Roth Rollover Account.
By adding the after-tax Roth Account option to your Savings Plan, you will have the flexibility to save for your financial future in a way that works best for your unique retirement goals. Click below to learn more.
OUR WORK TOGETHER
Dear Colleagues,
Last week, I participated in a webinar in which several Y colleagues from Europe spoke about the heroic and critical work they are doing serving Ukrainians in that war-torn country as well as the millions who remain refugees living in other countries across Europe. Y leaders from Poland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and other nearby countries spoke with passion and conviction about the work they are doing to ensure that Ukrainian citizens can live, work, recreate and thrive in the midst of a brutal war. To say that the conversation was both inspiring and distressing is an understatement.
Of course, this conversation took place in the wake of the brutal and lawless attack on Israelis by the terrorist group Hamas that took place a few weeks ago. The direct line between Vladimir Putin’s and Russia’s invasion of a free and sovereign Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on free and sovereign Jews in Israel is clear and striking.
We live in an unsettled world, which isn’t really new in the broad scope of history. Hatred of people based on racial, religious, cultural or other reasons is as old as time itself. We seem to be going through a particularly troubling period of strife, with ancient hatreds only intensified and spread more pervasively by the technology of our times.
So, when I see our Y colleagues stepping into the breach, in Europe and inevitably in the Middle East (there are two wonderful Ys in Jerusalem doing amazing work in the pursuit of peace and community-building across religious and cultural divides), I know that there will always be light when there is darkness. There will always be beauty when there is destruction. There will always be optimism when there is despair. And, there will always be good people who believe in peace, justice and democracy when none of that seems possible.
At the Y, we are part of a much larger community moving those things forward, often in the face of terrible counterforces.
And in these times, it’s essential to remember that what’s hard is often what is right.
All the best,
John Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland
ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
We have had some changes within our workforce, both celebratory and sad, since the last regular edition of US! Click below for updates.