The YMCA Makes Leaders

Mr. Rogers. “Hot Rod” Hundley. Tony Hawk. Dr. Phil. Janet Evans. Bob Newhart. A Sesame Street star, an NBA star, a pro-skateboarder, a T.V. personality, an Olympic swimmer, and a comedian have more in common than fame. They all have ties to the YMCA.

Surely it is no coincidence that several influential leaders in America have emerged from a place with high standards and strong values. Some of these individuals grew up in the Y while others attended summer camps. A few played on intramural sports teams and others worked out there.

For over 150 years the YMCA has produced leaders that have positively impacted the world. The YMCA in the suburban town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, does exactly that.

Meet Emily Crider: through her YMCA experience she’s been a volunteer, a babysitter, a substitute teacher, a college graduate, a summer camp counselor, and a tutor. Emily started at the YMCA when she was six and is now teaching and counseling the same camps she was once a part of. She has graduated college and through her positive experiences at the YMCA she has chosen to become an elementary school teacher. Although not a president or an Olympic medalist, Emily has achieved a title as a positive leader in her community.

Emily’s first experience with the YMCA came through elementary school classmates who simply said, “The YMCA is where the fun is!” Her parents decided to take her to the after-school programs because the YMCA seemed like it had an exciting, positive environment for their daughter. Not once did her family regret their decision. Emily flourished at the Y.

“I loved getting to meet people even though I was shy. Being at the Y got me to break out of my shell so I could be a part of this community,” Emily stated.

However, it was not just the new friends that brought her here. The outstanding reputation and core values of the YMCA drew her - and kept her - there. The YMCA provided her with camps and activities that had the right environment: teaching responsibility for one’s actions, respecting others, and being a constant role model. Emily also found it encouraging that the YMCA shared and encouraged her own Christian values.

Emily continued by explaining how kids from all walks of life have been changed by coming to the Y. “Kids learn to make the right choices, especially if they come here.” She stressed how the Y reinforces its Christian morals on the youth. “Coming to the YMCA is not like having a babysitter that doesn’t care what you get away with. There’s accountability here.”

One of the most challenging and rewarding parts of working at the YMCA was learning to work with different kinds of people. “Working with different personalities creates a team environment,” she explained, “and provides children with clearly defined roles, allowing them to work together to accomplish a positive outcome.”

The Y’s positive environment had a huge impact on Emily. She began serving the YMCA in 2002 by volunteering at the age of 12 until she was old enough to join the staff in August of 2005. Emily became more comfortable with leading others, and it was there she honed her leadership skill. “I learned more about social interaction that I would not have learned in a classroom,” she said with enthusiasm.

Emily’s supervisor Carla Haller, the director of Marketing and Membership at the Chambersburg Y, not only left a deep impression on her, but Emily had done the same to Carla. “I’ve worked at the Y for 25 years,” Haller explained,” and it feels great to see someone grow as much as Emily has. I watched a shy little girl turn into a compassionate, mature young lady. Knowing the Y played a huge part in that makes me love my job even more.”

Emily went on to describe her experiences at the Y: “There was no single life-altering event at the YMCA; it’s the environment that changes you. Nowhere else is there a place that you experience responsibility or respect hands-on. You can learn about respect in school, but it’s uncommon for kids to apply leadership qualities outside of the classroom. At the YMCA, you see the kids are different from the moment you walk in the front doors and they learn to accept one another.”

Even after graduating Shippensburg University with a degree in Elementary Education, Emily continues to spend her time working at the Chambersburg YMCA. “You can’t form good relationships with people like you can with those at the Y. That’s why I like it here.”