February 24, 2020
A community is like an ecosystem in which the well-being of each part is co-dependent and every link is as strong or weak as the foundation or branch which feeds it. Businesses in our community are an essential part of that ecosystem. When they are active, engaged partners in community building, everyone benefits: individual people and families, the community as a whole, the employees and the companies themselves. It is with this in mind that a new initiative has been launched. It’s called "Building Community: A Y Networking Event for Forward-Thinking Business Leaders." Developed as a breakfast series for local businesses, this event is intended to engage them in the many ways they and their workforces can join the Y's community-building mission, and the rewards of added employee well-being which come with it.
The most recent event was held that week and included 40 leaders from area businesses. It focused on the Y's Workplace Mentoring program as both a valuable vehicle to help young people as well as a benefit to the employee mentor who gets to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with helping others. The event was held at the local headquarters of M&T Bank, a long-time Y supporter and a Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Y Workplace Mentoring Sponsor (sort of an exhibit A of an ecosystem of caring and community building).
Many thanks to corporate partners Ben Bogdanowicz from Whiting-Turner and Natalie Arteen from M&T Bank, School Administrator Susan Fringer from Westport Academy, Y Workplace Mentors Hershel Waites, Gina Brown and Susan Schnaars from M&T along with mentee Demontez for facilitating and participating in an excellent panel discussion which brought to life both the logistics as well as the two-way benefits of Y Workplace Mentoring. Thanks also to Y associates Lori Rogers and Eric Somerville for developing this informative breakfast series, and long-time Y board member from M&T Bank, Mo Jishi, for his passion for the Y’s impact.
As a guy who spent the majority of his career working in the corporate world, I know firsthand how engaged corporate partners and workforces can be transformative in a community and in a Y. I see workplace mentoring as an especially valuable and practical way for area businesses to help strengthen the communities in which they live and work, as well as to deliver a new and meaningful benefit for their own employees.
Thank you.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland