Tom's Y Story:
About a year ago, my long-term treatment for Metastatic Renal Cancer was going well enough that I thought I’d give work a try. I had been forced to stop work eight years earlier due to the intensity of my treatment. I had been volunteering for several years with LiveSTRONG at the YMCA, a program that teaches body, mind, and spirit fitness to cancer survivors. I mentioned this to my program director, who offered me a part-time job at our YMCA with the Membership Team. I figured this would be a good step in re-entering the work world.
One year later, I can’t imagine life without our Y. In addition to the Membership Team, I’m also serving as a Youth Engagement Specialist, basically connecting with our adolescent and young teen members who often can feel overlooked. I’m finding this new position extraordinarily rewarding. Most of us don’t know or understand our youth. We don’t know the challenges they face.
I’ve learned about kids who aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from, kids who are homeless, kids who have few or no adults to turn to for much of their day, and the list goes on. All of this in our small community of Red Wing...at our Y.
I’m humbled to be a small part of the solution. Our Y is a safe haven for our youth. We are here to listen, to help, to guide, to care. I’m seeing a difference, which means the world to me. Our primary goal as an organization is youth development. When we see this succeed, it’s....glorious.
The Y is my career. As a person with advanced stage cancer, I understand intimately the sanctity of each and every day. Every day must have a purpose. With our Y in my life, that purpose is being fulfilled. When you see one of our kids, give ‘em a smile and a “hi.” You’ll love the way you feel, and you just might make a difference, too.
-Tom C.
Membership & Youth Engagement Specialist
