LETTER FROM THE CEO: JAN 2015

I bet that most of us had a great Christmas/holiday season. We saw friends and families, gave and received gifts, and enjoyed that little bit of extra warmth that the season seems to bring. It would be a cliché for me to ask you to keep that holiday spirit all year round. In fact, I doubt that any of us could. Our lives are too full of highs and lows; it gives us a mixed experience all year long.

There are two ways that we can help you feel better in 2015.

It is an even bigger cliché to say that you are going to work out every week and lose weight, but you actually could. We can help you with that, and you will feel better. If you already work out regularly, why don’t you pay that feeling forward and introduce someone who is not as disciplined as you to the Y and our staff.

The other thing you can do is help us help others. I know you probably think I am talking about money (we are a nonprofit, so of course we need donations), but I am actually talking about you. We need you to help us teach children values through sports and to save their lives via our free swim lessons. Your time is more valuable to us than anything. We need more than 600 volunteers annually to run our programs and help us govern our Y. In addition to needing program volunteers, we need policy volunteers for the different committees of our board of directors. This is the kind of volunteerism that is good for the soul. You will have fun and make a difference in the life of a child.

[pullquote]We all have a debt to pay to someone, and I have a lot of open slots for volunteers.[/pullquote]

I know that each of us is very busy, but at some point in our lives we had a volunteer that made a difference to us. It might have been at school, the Y, church or the Scouts. We all have a debt to pay to someone, and I have a lot of open slots for volunteers. Please consider my offer and if you have time to give, please email me at [email protected]. Together, we can find a great fit for you in the new year.

Thank You, 
Chris Coker 
CEO/President of YMCA of Boulder Valley