The YMCA of South Hampton Roads renewed resolutions

8 January 2020
A photo of Anthony Walters, just after being selected as the new President and CEO of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads

From the desk of Anthony Walters, President & CEO for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads—

There’s no better time than the new year to make declarations for improvements. Committing to a healthier lifestyle and prioritizing professional growth are just a couple that top the list.

As people begin to shift their focus toward resolutions for the new year, the YMCA is generally at the forefront — a longstanding icon for health and wellness. However, it’s important we ensure residents in our region feel connected with our organization beyond the first few weeks of January.

For 160 years, the Y has been committed to strengthening community by connecting people with their potential and purpose. As we enter 2020, the organization has a renewed vision for improvements in customer service, youth programs and military engagement — inspired not only by a change in leadership, but the evolving needs of our members and prospective members.

This year, the YMCA of South Hampton Roads has five resolutions to kick off the new decade.

CHILD SAFETY

The Y serves more than 25,000 children monthly and ensuring safety across all of its programs and services is the No. 1 priority. Parents entrust us with their children after school and throughout the summer — relying on staff to provide first-rate child care services.

We will continue to leverage our proven track record of exceeding expectations by prioritizing safety training, age-appropriate curriculum and supportive interactions. Our Open Doors income-based pricing model and strong relationships with social services and other agencies position us to provide safe, nurturing youth environments to all.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

While the Y has a longstanding history of customer service excellence, we recognize opportunities for improvement. In 2020 and beyond, we strive to be recognized as the authority in top-notch service and satisfaction.

In tandem with excellent service, the Y seeks to provide access to all regardless of one’s history of home life. Income-based pricing assures the entire community can feel a sense of belonging with their local Y and community. Heightening the level of service our staff provides to each member will support a culture of connection and inclusion.

MEMBER EXPERIENCE

Member experience is what drives program development, policies and communication. We aim to create a unique, vivid and lasting member experience that inspires youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We want every member to come in and use the Y to fit their needs — whether that’s dropping children off at Stay & Play, participating in group fitness classes or convening socially.

Further, we will continue to provide access to state-of-the-art equipment, world-class programs and services, advanced educational resources, clean facilities, and a team of experts ready to assist on demand.

RESOURCE COLLABORATION

In the last decade, organizations across Hampton Roads have witnessed the vast benefits that collaboration offers. Our region is fortunate to have a host of organizations working toward similar goals — growing economically, eradicating poverty and improving health outcomes, among many.

While we have diverse missions guiding our paths forward, we share the same passion for improving the quality of life for everyone in the 757; and combining resources gets us a few steps closer to achieving such a lofty ambition.

In this new year, we are working to reevaluate our service delivery model to ensure our programs align with the needs of the community. To effectively accomplish this, we will continue to seek strategic partnerships and collaborative opportunities with like-minded organizations. Further, we will solicit community feedback to uncover new and innovative methods to keep our programs and services relevant and fresh to our evolving membership.

MILITARY INITIATIVES

The Y takes pride in assessing the community and identifying areas and populations where it can be of service — taking time to create programs that are meaningful and measurable. Recently, we’ve focused on providing more programs and access for seniors; and developing support for our military community comes with the same level of commitment.

With such a large military community in our service area, it is incumbent upon us to tailor the programs in our market to reflect one of the most important populations in our region.

We recognize these resolutions will require strategic planning, focus groups and considerable input from our board and the community at large, but we are willing to do the work. Every day, we inspire our members to push themselves, to go the distance, to move beyond the status quo and work toward being the best version of themselves.

This year, we are subscribing to that same methodology. We will remain resolute in our commitment to improving upon our history of excellence and vigilant in our efforts to provide an inclusive environment where everyone prospers. Happy New Year.