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Member Stories
Jan Shull
Jan Shull has been a key employee of our YMCA for close to 12 years. She serves as Administrative Assistant in the Association Office and deals with many of the business functions of our YMCA. She has been describes as the Queen Bee, Momma and Pit Bull. Her organization skills and attention detail are invaluable. You definitely don’t want to get a check request marked up with her red pen or an email sent with ALL CAPS. Even though she is the Y’s task master, The Y staff are fiercely loyal to her and she has been described as the HUB of the YMCA. It is my honor to present Jan Shull, the Part Time Staff of the Year Award.
The Swink Family
Since they joined the Y in 2008, the Jason and Andrea Swink family have become one of our regular dedicated members.
On most days you can find Jason and Andrea working out at the Y. Not at the same time! Jason is one of our early birds, who come into the Y three days a week at 5 am. Andrea comes to the Y after she has dropped off their son, Peyton at school. She is also there three days a week, every week.
Andrea and Jason were the Co-Chairs for the We Build People campaign. They have done a great job helping our staff tell our Y story to our community. Jason coaches their son, Peyton’s baseball and basketball team.
During the summer months, Andrea and Peyton become daily participate at our outdoor water park and Peyton had an awesome time at Swim Camp. He is already begun making plans for our Summer Camp 2011. Their oldest son, Brett works for us at our Riverbend YMCA Golf Course where he has been recognized by his supervisors for the great job he is doing there. Their daughter, Natalie volunteered for us in the Library twice a month.
Each member of the family understands our Y mission. They portray it in the Y and outside the Y. It is my honor to present the YMCA Family of the Year to the Jason and Andrea Swink Family
DeNell Brown
DeNell Brown, is 11 years old and attends Marion Intermediate School. She is in Ms. Wilson’s class.
She has been at the Girls Club for over 2 years, and she is also a member of the Dover YMCA. Academically she does a great job and is always on the A/B honor roll;
At the Girls Club, she is the job leader on the Club newspaper which is about the girls and club activity. Shayne Collins mentions that she has learned to manage her academics and complete assignments in timely fashion so she can do many extra-curricular activities. She always takes the time to help with the younger girls and their homework. She dances with Tammy Arrowood’s Stars of Tomorrow; she’s involved in her church in youth choir. She’s an avid reader and is an Accelerated Reader standout, reading at least 2-3 books per week.
She has a younger sister and older brother. She is the daughter of DeShawn and Natolyn Brown.
Josh Cathcart
A Life Transformed – Josh Cathcart
In addition to my full time job with Wachovia-Wells Fargo, I have also been a part time employee of the Y since 2005. Before I began working for the Y, I was the member that paid his monthly dues just in case I wanted to work out but never did because of feeling self conscience and awkward in the wellness room. I was unmotivated and overweight.
Finally, one day I got sick and tired of feeling …well, sick and tired. In desperation I prayed for the motivation to become healthier for myself and for my family. It didn’t happen immediately but a month later I began walking on the treadmill everyday for a few minutes. That turned into 30 minutes, then light jogging, and then jogging steadily for extended periods of time. Within 6 months I lost 60 lbs and was running in the Y sponsored 5k races. I even ran a half marathon in Myrtle Beach. The Y has been great for re-building my self esteem and a great place to meet friends that help me to stay motivated.
My wife, Jessica, goes to Dover to exercise on her lunch break. We utilize child watch for our son, Elijah. My son loves interacting with the staff and other children in child watch. That gives us the peace of mind we need to focus on our workout. I love the Y culture and believe in what they do for our community. I am honored to serve my.