With spring very much in the air, the Easter and Passover holidays remind us of the power of renewal and hope. In the world we’ve been living through, it seems inevitable that those feelings seem particularly heightened this year. At the Y, we are seeing a steady return of more and more families, health seekers and seniors. More kids are jumping in our family fun pools, climbing our rock walls, kicking soccer balls and enjoying our Stay & Plays. It's an encouraging sign indeed and one our Y family center associates are quite buoyed to see. With months of experience now under our belts managing the increased need for safety for our members, participants and associates, and the vaccination process now rolling out to the general public, we are anticipating a spring and summer about as diametrically opposed to last years’ as one can imagine.
As usual, our members say it much better than I can. Here is a very small sampling of the comments that are rolling in daily on social media and our online customer feedback tool Listen 360:
- “Very good about keeping everyone safe! I feel quite comfortable swimming there because all the people are concerned about the safety of others. They do everything they can to make our experience there a good one!” (Leon at The Hill Family Y in Westminster)
- “I feel safe and we are excited to get the kids back to activities like swimming and basketball.” (Heather at The Dancel Y in Ellicott City)
- “The Y is one aspect of my life that is somewhat normal! You all are friendly and it's nice to see your faces.” (Anne at The Weinberg Y in Waverly)
- “I enjoy the personable, family atmosphere that lets me know that both our mental and physical health is important to them.” (Shyla at The Greater Annapolis Y in Arnold
The momentum and good feelings are real, but the mountain we have to climb back up is steep and long. Today we have only 54% of the members we had when COVID shut down our Y family centers a little more than a year ago. Ensuring that everyone is safe, promoting the importance of vaccinations and public health, and focusing on the essential personal, familial, and community experiences for which people come to the Y will lead us up that mountain.
All the best,
John Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland