Over the last few days we’ve been interviewing Y members, participants, volunteers and other friends to ask them all one central question: “Why does the Y matter in your life and in the life of the community?” The answers have been heartening to say the least and will be shared soon in a video we are assembling right now. Not surprisingly, a few themes have emerged, one of them being that the Y is like family. It’s a comfortable, familiar and accepting place where people know they belong, because, quite simply, everyone belongs at the Y!

Though not on our interview list (or even previously known to us for that matter), Terry Linda, a visitor from Texas, unknowingly jumped into the conversation through her Facebook post after visiting the Y in Catonsville. Terry’s post echoed what so many others have told us– the Y is family.

Terry Linda    10:33am Mar 10:

“I flew into BWI for the DC Rock and Roll Marathon. While waiting on my friend to fly in I decided to stretch out in a water aerobics class. I had a blast today making new friends. Everyone was so nice and friendly to me, including the front desk staff who was willing to take my pic outside in the snow even though the snow didn’t show up. I’ve been a member of a Y since I was a little girl in Selma, Alabama. My first job was a lifeguard there. I now live in Missouri City, Texas and belong to the Y there. Thanks for having me as a visitor and making me feel like family….”

Thank you Terry for making the Y part of your visit to Baltimore and thank you especially to the legendarily friendly associates at the Y in Catonsville for making a “perfect stranger” feel so much at home. That is quintessentially Y and, perhaps more than in a long time, deeply important for the overall well-being of every individual who walks through our doors and for the larger community of which we are all a part.

All the best,

John

John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland