Honoring Good Spirit

The YMCA Celebrates Its Volunteers

Sep 24, 2024

BAR HARBOR—On Monday evening, Nikki Dawes and the members of Girl Scout Troop 1315 lined up in front of the podium at the YMCA upstairs multipurpose room after sitting at the long card tables waiting for their Edward B. Mears Volunteer of the Year award, which was named after one of the Y’s founders.

They received that award for their collective spirit, or as some Y members might say “their collective awesome.”

Even at the ceremony, the scouts’ spirit lifted the mood at the YMCA volunteer event even higher that its already celebratory level.

The troop members were honored for their constant, yearly help at the mile eight water station at the half marathon. Race Director & Manager of Youth Activities Jennifer Britz gave each Scout a high five.

“We rely a lot on volunteers for our races,” Britz said. The troop has been at the water station for the last few years, including the downpour of 2023. Britz worried that after the torrential rains, the troop’s volunteering was over.

Far from it.

They all came back.

During the race, Britz doesn’t see the troop in action, but she hears the comments from the runners as they cross the finish line.

“The smiles at mile eight really kept me going.”

“The cheering at the Fabbri water station was amazing!”

The girls also beat on the water containers to make more noise, more happiness, more encouragement.

“You guys did an awesome job keeping the runners going,” Britz told the troop. “They aren’t simply showing up to do their task, they are going above and beyond.”

They also have a cheer: “Doing great at mile eight!”

They demonstrated it at the event where everyone was recognized for doing great as they collectively created something for the island community.

Chrissi Maguire, CEO of MDI Hospital called the MDI YMCA the heart of the community.

And the volunteers that coach and cheer and organize? The volunteers like the scouts?

They’re a huge part of what makes that heart beat.

“We cannot lose sight of the impactful presence it has each day on our community,” Maguire said of the YMCA during its volunteer appreciation event, Monday, September 23.

The MDI YMCA celebrated the backbone of its organization Monday night—its volunteers.

The Y and the hospital are both organizations that have spent over 100 years taking care of the health of the community. Because of that connection, she said she gets to witness firsthand the work that the Y does, including being ready to help the community and the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s more than a gym. It’s more than a pool. It’s more than a place to work-out,” Maguire said. “It’s truly a pillar of the community.”

The pillars of the Y are not just taught she said, but lived each day.

“In a world that we often feel is divided, this Y is a unifying force, bringing together people of all backgrounds,” Maguire said. That allows it to do incredible work effectively and inclusively.

Building social connection is a high priority for the YMCA and the hospital, she said. The Y is creating valuable space to bring the community’s kids and adults together.
Face to face, they build friendships and social skills essential for vibrant lives. She called out Leonard DeMuro, former director and constant volunteer as an example of someone who has given time and spirit to shape lives.

“That is the fabric of the Y,” Maguire said.

That fabric and heart was celebrated Monday.

“Just like DNA, we are woven together,” Maguire said. “None of this is possible and none of it will be possible if we don’t have volunteers.”

AWARDS

Senior Director Maegan Haney honored Luna Wilhelm with the YMCA’s Josh Sprague Youth of the Year award, named for Josh Sprague who was a Y member his whole life. The award states that Sprague “was a young man who showed us by example how to live through the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.”

Sometimes teens have heads down, earbuds in, not making eye contact, Haney said. Not Wilhelm.

Wilhelm is all about helping, about eye contact, about connection.

Wilhelm, she said, is “just a super nice teen.” She’s coached and volunteered. The Y called her great example.

When the Y started an indoor soccer program, Wilhelm told Haney, “Hey, I want to help!”

She expected something small, maybe spreading the word. That’s not what she got.

“No, I want to coach the team for 3-5,” Wilhelm told her.

This summer Wilhelm’s grandmother did an Aquafit class at the Y. Wilhelm did it right with her, talking to everyone, participating fully though she was likely the youngest in the pool by 50 years. What was she doing? Helping, encouraging, making connections.

Cate Schneider received the Norman P. Shaw Member of the Year award from YMCA Executive Director Anne Tikkanen. The award is named after a life-long Y member who advocated for the Y and gave it philanthropic support.

Schneider grew up in Bangor and swam many miles in many Y pools. With her husband, Kevin, she’s now raising a family in Bar Harbor. She was praised for her leadership on the YMCA’s board, support of the Y, and for putting fun in fundraising,

Schneider was instrumental in the launch of the YMCA’s free program, “Swim at the MDI at the Age of Five.”

She said that she was so excited to be coming to a town that had a YMCA and be a part of the community. “I think about how special it is to raise a family on MDI.” She thought about what was essential to raise a family here.

“I think about the hospital, the library, the school. There’s a lot of organizations that we talk about that make community,” she said.

But the Y? She said that she just can’t imagine not having a Y on the island.

The evening was moderated by Steve Gurin, board chair. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was scheduled to speak, but couldn’t attend. She sent her thanks and commendation for the 125 years of service of the MDI YMCA community.

Gurin said that there are approximately 30-40 part time employees and a handful of full-time employees at the YMCA.

“We have to play way bigger than our teams. There aren’t enough people hours in the staff to do all the things that this organization does,” Gurin said. Volunteers help allow the Y to exist.

The contributions of the YMCA and its people extend beyond the walls of the Y, Maguire said, and are evidenced in the many generations on Mount Desert Island and beyond, generations that have been and will be influenced by people like Leonard DeMuro, Dawes, the Girl Scouts, the Brownies, Wilhelm, and Schneider.

“You are creating spaces” where people belong and don’t have to give up who they are to be a part of the Y, Maguire said. That inclusion is important for the Y and for the community.

“Without this Y, we don’t have a heart,” Maguire said, thanking the staff as well. “Here’s to another 125 years of success.”

“Your commitment to the Y’s mission is a testament to the strength of this community,” she told volunteers. “It’s not just the lifeline at the Y. You are building the fabric of our future.”