A very happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, aunts and anyone else among us who assumes the role of caretaker in one way or another. Mothers are the backbone of the world and, I would argue, the Y’s core constituency in many ways. The original multi-taskers, moms know how to love and nudge at the same time, cradle and challenge, lead and defend, show up when they are needed and selflessly and wisely stay back when it’s time to let their children fly (or stumble).  I marvel daily at the skill I see among our women associates who seem to so artfully juggle the demands of work and home life. Mother’s Day is a much-deserved and well-earned tribute to women everywhere, in every stage of life. I hope it was a happy day for all of you!

Moms are famous for teaching and modeling many things, including the critical importance of friendships. This is fundamental to our overall well-being throughout every phase of life but perhaps even more so as we age. Our associate-led Innovation Team working on enhancing the membership experience we provide to seniors heard this loud and clear when they interviewed scores of senior members who repeatedly told them, “I come for the fitness. I stay for the friendships.” Picking up on this theme, our newly appointed Senior Advocates at all of our Y centers are hard at work organizing enriching activities to help keep our senior members social, active and purposefully engaged.

Leading the way was a group of senior members from the Hill Family Center Y in Westminster.  They recently went on a Duck Pin bowling excursion to Taneytown Thunderhead Lanes, organized by Hill Y member Gerry Borowy and Center Director Mike Walters.

According to Mike:

Everyone enjoyed themselves.  We arrived early to grab lunch at the snack bar and socialize.  Then we divided up into groups with a blind draw in three lanes to bowl.  With cheers for strikes, high fives for collecting those tough spares, and light ribbing for missing pins, everyone enjoyed the time together.   We bowled two games each and returned back to the Y after two hours.

We will go again and already have more trips planned!

Well done Gerry and Mike! Thank you for facilitating this experience for our members. It’s a great example of responding to what our members want and one more way we demonstrate why in fact it is deeper here!

All the best,

John

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