It’s interesting to walk on a treadmill for the first time when you are pregnant.
That was the case for me. It was late 1990 and we were looking for a family-friendly place to exercise. My husband and I had our daughter who was 3 ½ and I was pregnant with our son.
The St. Cloud Y was very close to our home and offered swimming lessons, so we joined. I waddled on to the treadmill … and never looked back.
Over the years the Y touched us in many ways and I personally felt drawn to the mission, “To put Christian principals into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” The values of “caring, honesty, respect and responsibility” were attributes we wanted our children to share.
Fast forward 29 years and I am thoroughly enjoying my new role as the Fund Development Director for the Y. After working 30+ years in communications, a field I loved, I knew it was time to do something different for my “encore” career.
It’s funny, though. This doesn’t really feel like a “job” to me. The energy of our beautiful facility is invigorating. People of all ages, shapes, sizes, religion, national origin and economic class choose to be a part of the Y community.
We truly are the “front porch” of the community, a place for all to feel welcome. Our mission and values resonate with our donors. They like what they witness themselves or hear about the Y around town.
I am the lucky one who gets to ask individuals and companies to share their financial or in-kind resources. If you are at the Y working out or just want to stop by for a tour and a conversation about our scholarship and programmatic needs, please call me at 320-253-2664 or email diane.hageman@scymca.org.