Today’s Monday Mission Update is a little late coming out because, frankly, I’m still in a state of stunned exuberance over my beloved South Carolina Gamecocks making their way to the Final Four. Certainly not everyone reading this is a college basketball fan, and most people reading this may care little about my alma mater. Well, that’s okay, but you have to admit that America loves an underdog, and so this unprecedented run by the Gamecocks is a wonderful life lesson for anyone who ever thought that some things in life just can’t happen and so forget about trying to achieve them. 
Just like no one ever thought that a Gamecock team whose head coach is a former bouncer and junior varsity high school basketball coach would knock off Duke and others to get to the Final Four, a lot of folks never thought that our Y could have the impact we now have across the region. In both cases, there were a lot of naysayers and challenging obstacles in the way. The thing is this: no one really knows what’s possible until a lot of very hard, focused and relentless work gets done. Results don’t come out of nowhere in college basketball, the Y or in life. You can’t and don’t build anything of real value or substance overnight. Just saying.
So there, I tied the Monday Mission Update to my Gamecocks. How about that?
In addition to all of the March Madness this weekend, there was also some wonderful madness at our Ys. Ushering in springtime, kids popped up at Ys across the region for egg hunts, bunny hops and a whole lot of other wacky shenanigans! Sores of children (parents in tow) rummaged for that elusive egg, played games, made and wore silly hats, enjoyed some yummy snacks and reminded us through their warm, big, carefree smiles and pure joy, what this season of renewal, beauty and boundless hope is all about (do you a sense a theme tying this back to my Gamecocks?).
These pictures speak a thousand words and are sure to give you a smile (almost as big as the one on my face right now)!
Enjoy.
All the best,
Gamecock John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland