Day: February 11, 2022

During these uncertain and unfamiliar times with the COVID-19 Coronavirus, one of our members is not only continuing to stay active while at home but is including his family.

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ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – South Georgia game wardens trained for water survival at the Albany YMCA Sports Park Monday.

Around 25 game wardens with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources learned how to survive dangerous situations that can come up on the waterways they patrol.

The training includes scenarios like search and rescue and even encountering a potentially dangerous suspect.

DNR Cpl. Scott Carroll said the training could help save not only the game wardens’ lives, but yours as well.

“This is more specifically designated and oriented to an officer surviving a traumatic event in the water, if he should go in the water, to either save his own life or somebody else that’s in the water,” Cpl. Carroll explained.

Day one of training wrapped up around 5 p.m. Monday.

The game wardens planned to return for the final day of training Tuesday morning.

We all know most kids do anything they can to avoid eating their greens, but on Friday, they ate them with a smile.

The Albany YMCA is teaching children how to eat healthy from the vegetables that they pick from their garden.

By Grason Passmore| July 5, 2019 at 9:34 PM EDT – Updated July 6 at 12:21 AM

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – We all know most kids do anything they can to avoid eating their greens, but on Friday, they ate them with a smile.

The Albany YMCA is teaching children how to eat healthy from the vegetables that they pick from their garden.

Two weeks ago, YMCA taught their summer campers the importance of growing their food. They even started their own vegetable garden.

Food and Nutrition Consultant Terrie Alby showed them how to make the food they grow.

“Eating healthy is delicious and fun. So, learning that at an early age and trying different foods, favors and textures is very exciting,” said Alby.

Alby hopes the YMCA kids will try something new and be excited to take it home to their family and friends.

Dan Gillan, President & CEO, Albany Area YMCA talks about upcoming Fall Sports Program with Georgia CEO.

http://ceonews-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video/video-files/AlbanyCEO-06-17-19-03-Gillan.mp4

By Brad McEwen  [email protected]

For quite a lot of folks, a job is simply a means to an end—essentially a way to fund whatever lifestyle that person decides they want to live. Often little thought is given to things like work/life balance or personal fulfillment.

Quite simply, for a large number of people out there, it doesn’t matter what the job is as long as it pays the bills.

That was certainly the mindset of Albany native Mike Harper when he first wandered into the Albany Area YMCA building on Gillionville nearly 30 years ago to apply for job doing landscaping.

But it didn’t take long for his thinking about that job to change.

“Basically I was just looking for a job,” Mike says now. “I mean, I worked with Defender Services out at M&M Mars at night and Hemby’s Cabinets called me, so I went to work with them and M&M Mars, so I had two jobs.

“I worked at Hemby’s Cabinets for about two weeks, put in my two weeks’ notice and came here. And I’ve been here ever since. That was back in August of ’01.”

As Mike explained it, he had applied for the job mainly because he knew the advertised pay would be enough where he wouldn’t have to keep working two jobs, and he knew by doing landscaping he knew he’d be working outside and with his hands—two things he has always enjoyed doing.

Plus, in his mind, the pay they were offering to essentially “cut grass” was a really good deal, considering what he knew of the YMCA property.

“When I came in, what’s so funny about it is, I knew nothing about the sports park (the YMCA facility on Gillionville Road near the Southwest edge of Dougherty county that contains an Olympic size swimming pool and several outdoor fields),” Mike explained during a recent Beyond the Bank chat about his time at the Y. “I’m like, ‘Forty hours a week, just to cut grass!?’ I’m thinking, ‘Man, I got it, this is a milking job.’

“Then I got on and they showed me everything around here and then they took me out there and showed me that and the jaw dropped.

“But that was what I started off doing, cutting grass. And I did it for many years, and still do it to this day. I’m not above doing anything that needs to be done for the YMCA. I don’t want to sit on my butt and do nothing or be behind a desk. I like getting out and just being active. My wife tells me I’m a workaholic, but I like it.”

While the sheer volume of the landscaping work required to keep the local YMCA locations looking neat and tidy (Lee County’s facility also falls under the auspices of the Albany Area YMCA and is therefore another location Mike maintains) certainly offered plenty to keep the self-professed workaholic busy, it also marked the tip of the iceberg of what Mike would ultimately be responsible for as his career with the nonprofit progressed.

In the ensuing years—as is typically the case with nonprofits—Mike’s responsibilities continued to increase, to the point where there are now few things related to the running of the YMCA that Mike doesn’t put his hands on.

“Well, I’m over this facility, all the ground and property,” he began. “That means supplies that come through here. If it’s broken, from like a treadmill or a floor machine, to a bus, to air conditioning, to boilers, to whatever, that’s my field. That’s what I do. I maintain them and I try to keep them up and running. I’m a jack of all trades.

“There are times I have to call in outside help and all, but mainly I handle stuff. I do this facility, the Lee County facility and the sports park. They all fall up under me. There’s 70 acres of grass a week that has to be cut. And as of right now, it’s just me.”

In addition to the facilities management, Mike is also responsible for coordinating all of the many volunteers who lend their time and talents to keeping the Y running smoothly so it can serve the Albany area community that relies on it.

“I coordinate the volunteers, people who come in to help,” Mike continued. “Like (Turner) Job Corps; if they want to come help out and all that, I’ll set up the schedules and things and the times for them to come in and help do things.

“Or, resource development may say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this person who needs these hours for his college or schooling,’ so I work with them to—and again it goes back to whoever needs to be helped in the community—to get them lined up. For example Eagle Scout projects. We have a garden out here that’s been done, the playground piping and the peanut hulls that were just done, the gazebo, the roof on the gazebo, those were all scout projects. And that helps those kids learn and develop maturity in their life. It gives them a sense of pride and ownership to know that, ‘I was over that. I did that.’”

It wasn’t surprising that Mike would point out not just the fact that he would be the person to help coordinate a scout project to benefit the Y, but also that those projects help both the YMCA and the scout doing the project.

Throughout our conversation the benefits that others get from a relationship with the YMCA was a topic that Mike brought up repeatedly.

For instance, when discussing the fact that the YMCA has partnerships with other nonprofits, such as a place like the Anchorage faith-based men’s substance abuse recovery ministry, Mike almost dismisses the benefit the YMCA gets and keys in on how that partnership benefits the men of the Anchorage.

“I have an agreement with the Anchorage where I can call or send them something and say, ‘I need two guys,’ and they’ll send me two guys every day for two hours that I can have weed-eat, I can have them dust, I can have them do whatever, cut tree limbs, spread mulch, anything that helps me out.

“There’s always sticks to pick up at the sports park, pine cones to be picked up. There’s always weeding that needs to be done. There’s trash cans that need to be emptied, there’s dusting that needs to be done.

“We teach them, we practice safety, they get goggles and so forth and we’re helping them. If they came Monday through Thursday then Friday would be a reward day. We would let them come in all day, swim, play basketball, racquetball, whatever they want—tennis, jog, lift weights. And that was a reward for helping us because I believe in giving back.”

Of course, by his own admission, Mike said he didn’t always think in terms of giving back or in terms of how what he was doing could benefit others. That thinking was something that developed over time and over the course of his career has actually become the driving force behind why he shows up to the YMCA every morning to face whatever challenges his various responsibilities present.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you that when I was 9 years-old I was dreaming of working at the Y and not being rich,” Mike said with a smile. “Everyone, at 9 years-old, is like, ‘I’m going to be a football player, basketball player; I’m going to make lots of money, I’m going to take care of mama, and I’m going to have all this stuff.’ Things didn’t go that way.

“I didn’t do college and I mean it’s kind of a good thing I didn’t go to college because I’m not going to lie, I was a wild child in my teenage days.

“But it’s really one of those things where me just being here, being around the people and seeing what you do for the community, that to me, changed me.

“I honestly feel I could go somewhere else and get a better paying job with the skills that I have, but I don’t want to. I do NOT want to. I’m content and happy right here.”

So happy, it would seem, that Mike plans to retire from his current job when he’s old enough, before likely becoming a YMCA volunteer in his retirement.

“It’s been 29 years and when I get 62, 65, if the Lord’s willing, I’m going to be right here until I retire. Then I’ll give it to somebody else. At that point I’ll have about 43 years in and then if they need me, well…”

That Mike knows today that he’ll likely be willing to continue lending his time and talents to the YMCA after he’s retired, really is just another example of how much of an impact the organization has had on him.

When I asked if being a servant is something that was important in his family growing up, Mike was pretty honest, telling me that his desire to do for others is something that has truly blossomed because of the experiences he’s had at the Y.

He said that almost from the time he became a part of the organization he started to see the true Christian heart at the root of everything the YMCA is all about.

“I knew nothing about the YMCA,” Mike said. “I didn’t know what it was about, didn’t know what it did for the community. All I wanted was a job.

“Well, I got it. And it’s been a big change on me, it really has.

“The sense of… love, I guess you’d say, that the Y has for its community and its employees. When I started here my wisdom teeth were abscessed, but I didn’t have the money to pay for it. So the Y paid for it and slowly took small increments out of my check until it was paid. I mean what company would do that? To know that they care about the employees like that, is really something. Like I said, it’s not a job you’re going to get rich at, but it is one that you can feel prideful about being a part of because you know what you’re doing for this community is worth it.”

As a member of the YMCA whose family uses the exercise facilities and pools, as well whose children participate in youth sports through the Y, I’m keenly aware of what I think the YMCA does for the community. But I do have to admit, it was pretty special listening to Mike discuss with pride all the things the organization, and by extension he, does for this community.

In addition to providing all of the things one thinks about when they think of the YMCA, Mike said it’s important to also think about the fact that at less than $70 a month for a family membership, the monthly cost of the YMCA is staggeringly low—even for many families in this impoverished area.

Additionally, the YMCA provides multiple services geared to improving life for a large segment of our population that is desperate need and can’t get many of those services anywhere else.

One such example is the organization’s afterschool and summer programs, which allow for children to spend their afternoons and/or summer days in various camps at the YMCA, where they will be protected and engaged.

Through the summer camps—which are priced in such a way to make them affordable to nearly everyone—those children are not only learning the importance of exercise and community, they are also, quite frankly, being provided with basic necessities many of them would not have without the YMCA—things such as nutritious meals.

That program, which is geared toward low income families, but also available to the general public, is modeled after the organization’s afterschool programs, both of which provide a safe place for children to gather when adult supervision is not readily available in the home to go along with the much-needed food. Each summer, the YMCA’s summer programs serve well over 500 area children, many of which are also in the afterschool program.

“Some of these kids, when it comes down to summertime or afterschool, they’re really worried about where they’re going to get their next meal from,” said Mike of a serious local problem that’s actually being addressed by several area nonprofits and organizations. “Here we do breakfast in the morning with them and we do lunch and all with them.

“And it’s great that the Y’s able to provide that.”

Additionally, the YMCA has a partnership with Easterseals that allows individuals dealing with varying disabilities to have not only a place to go for exercise and spiritual improvement, but a place where they can also develop interpersonal and employment skills.

In fact, part of Mike’s job is helping to coordinate those volunteers and employees—many of which end up working with him on grounds and facilities maintenance duties.

“I have three guys in the men’s health center that work for me that have some type of disability,” Mike said. “And being able to employee people like that is great. We have special needs people that come in here when school’s in Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday and they’ll help pick up trash and rake leaves and they’ll clean windows—whatever is needed.

“So they’re learning things about society and how to work and it’s great that they also get to help out with the kids at certain times too. It helps both sides. And again, it’s great that the Y can provide that.”

While Mike feels good that the organization that recently celebrated its 175th anniversary is doing so much for the community through its programs, he mentioned repeatedly how much personal fulfillment he gets out of being a part of that, or out of something as simple as just spending time with the many kids that come to the YMCA on a regular basis—kids he’s very aware often don’t have a strong support system outside of school or a place like the Y.

“I like talking with the kids down here in the child watching area, after school programs and all,” he said with a broad smile. “Some of those kids, they just need a little extra attention. I’m not going to say guidance, because I don’t ever want to step on mother and father’s toes, but they need a little extra attention. They need to know other people care. And we all need that.”

But while Mike is able to see so much of the good going on in the community through the YMCA, he said he still gets discouraged from time to time when he sees and hears all the negativity and hatred that exists in the community where he was born and raised—even if he feels good about the direction of the organization under its current leadership, which is led by Executive Director Dan Gillan.

“The leadership vibe here is great; Dan’s a very grateful boss, he’s caring and loving and very passionate about what the Y’s about,” Mike explained. “As far as changes, I’ve seen things coming over a long period of time, good and bad.

“It’s sad to say, but I’m going to say that some of the (bad changes) are because of the negativity of some of the people of Albany. And the reason why I say that is, you go back to where you have all this hate here in Albany. And I’m not going to name names, but I’ve talked to people that used to bring their kids up there and they don’t bring their kids here anymore because (they say) we’re primarily (serving) DFACS (kids).

“I’ve heard them say, ‘If it was 50/50, I’d bring my kids back.’

“But it’s a minority that’s actually DFACS. And even if they are, they’re still children. I mean they need love just like you. Everyone does. They need a place of safety like we’ve got here because there are a lot of kids that are orphans.

“I mean put yourself in their shoes. You’re not thinking about that child, what kind of problems that child has, what he’s been going through. You’re going to sit there and tell me the reason why you don’t come back here is because of this?

“It’s not the child’s fault. And it’s not even your fault. It’s just the way society is. Well, we need to lift up that part of society. I wish I could tell you what it would take to alleviate (that kind of thinking). Well, I know what it would take, but it’s hard to get everyone to get over the hate that we have and get to know that child.

“I guarantee if you did, your eyes would open. And your heart would definitely open.”

Throughout my conversation with Mike, his deep appreciation of what the YMCA does this community was a common theme, with the facilities chief repeatedly mentioning how much personal satisfaction he derives, not just from his job, but simply from being associated with the YMCA.

It was clear almost from the outset why Dan Gillan thinks so highly of him and why Dan urged me to spend some time talking with Mike about his role in the organization.

“Mike really is exceptional in that he has a passion for what he does and a genuine heart for our Y and community,” Dan told me. “He is more than the ‘maintenance guy,’ electrician, plumber, mechanic, carpenter, janitor, housekeeper, groundskeeper, landscaper, and pool operator.

“His commitment and tireless and selfless sense of duty is what enables our Y to serve its members and community. He is a ‘go-to’ resource when it comes to troubleshooting various facilities and equipment challenges and he always knows who to call or where to go to order parts.

“I like to think I know a lot about these trades and skills, however, Mike has taught me a thing or two and I appreciate his work ethic. He has a sincere concern for the staff members on this team and I consider it a privilege to know him and to serve with him.”

After spending just a short while with Mike, hearing him talk about his community, the YMCA and the profound impact his connection to that organization has had on his life, it was readily apparent why Dan has such kind words to describe him.

Even more importantly though, spending some time with a dedicated servant like Mike also reminded me of why we started Beyond the Bank in the first place. If there’s any truth to the notion that Albany, Georgia is a special place, it’s because of folks like Mike Harper and the powerful (if often unheralded) impact they have on this community.

To learn more about the Albany Area YMCA and its many programs, visit www.albanyareaymca.com

Connect with Brad – 229.405.7212 – [email protected]– @BradGMcEwen 

By Joe Whitfield [email protected]

ALBANY — Col. Dan Gillan — some might call him Lieutenant Dan (a famous reference from the movie “Forrest Gump”) — emerged from a staff meeting Thursday to explain why the Albany YMCA still thrives in a world of 24 hour fitness gyms at $10 a month and remains a strong community asset after 109 years.

“The YMCA is not a gym,” said Gillan, who is the YMCA CEO and driving force behind the organization. “But at the Y we deliver programs to the community and provide a place to gather, to send their kids to play ball, classes for adults and kids, weight training, swimming and so much more.”

That includes a cancer survivors yoga class in partnership with Phoebe Health Systems, after school care at Northside Elementary in conjunction with the United Way and meals for children through Second Harvest.

The Albany YMCA has been a staple in the Albany community since 1909. The YMCA organization itself is now celebrating 175 years of existence. Staying relevant in a world that is constantly changing is what drives Gillan and the Albany YMCA.

“Sometimes we have trouble telling our story at the Y,” Gillan said. “But we are here to serve the community and start with children as young as six months old and have members as senior as 99 years old.”

Gillan and his staff spent part of Thursday discussing the programs planned for the fall and how his staff could meet the needs of the community.

“We have a changing population, changes in demographics, changes in needs, so we have to be on top of that,” he said. Whether it is a young family with children, a young professional single, an elderly couple or a widower, the YMCA is looking to provide a place for any and all.

While he and the staff are putting together plans for the future, the Albany YMCA is working to meet the needs of the community with all sorts of programs during the summer. Right now there are sports camps taking place at the YMCA for children from ages 8 to 12 in soccer, baseball, basketball, kickball and more. The Y partners with Second Harvest Food Bank provide snacks and meals for the children before they go home.

“There are some kids that we serve that won’t have another meal before they go to school or come to the Y,” the Gillan said.

There are other activites for children younger and older, basketball leagues, swimming lessons, adult classes, child care, etc.

“We have an amazing staff,” he said.

That staff consists of only 15 full-time employees, but during the summer they will have up to 150 staff members as the needs of the community demand.

“This is the one place where all of the community can gather and it might be the first time someone has seen a smile today. We want to be the Gospel to someone today,” he said.

Leading the staff is Chief Operating Officer Andre’ London. The staff is committed to show the Christian traits of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility and to transfer those values to others.

“We have people of all ages and types who come to the Y,” he said. “Some just come early to get a good workout before going to work and for others the social aspect of the Y is just as important as the workout,” Gillan said. “Some of these older folks live alone and they come to get a workout and have some interaction with others.” He referenced a group of men who meet regularly and walk the track together. That gives them the workout they want and time to discuss the events of the day and the world around them.

Those are two keys to the success of the YMCA — diversity and Christian values. Gillan, who retired from the Marine Corps at Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics base in 2009, spoke of one of his predecessors to help explain the draw of the YMCA. He talked of B.B. Rhodes and an article in a ’70s magazine where Rhodes discussed his first crisis as director of the Albany Y.

That decision was whether or not to integrate the Y and let black residents join in 1969 and that was during a time of strong racial upheaval. Rhodes made the decision to welcome black residents to join. Gillan noted at that same time, the leaders of the Macon YMCA decided not to integrate. Today, there is no YMCA in Macon.

Today, at the Albany Y, the membership includes people of all races, ages, and socioeconomic levels. “I call it the ‘Color of the Y,’” Gillan said. “Each segment of the population brings value to the different programs in the Y.” he said. The YMCA is focused on the Christian values of love, charity and teaching lessons that can make a big difference in the lives of those at the Y. The YMCA organization is built around the guiding principles of the healthy living, social responsibility and youth development.

One of the newest things Gillan has introduced is a vegetable garden. Gillan also leads a troop of Boy Scouts and used the garden as one of his projects for the Eagle Scout awards. The garden includes tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries and more. A group of 8 to 10-year-old kids at the Y take care of the garden and have enlisted others to help them. The kids pick the weeds out, harvest the produce and will send some of the food home with the kids.

“It is one of those experiences that we are providing to kids that evolved from Boy Scout Troop 3,” said Gillan.”It is teaching them leadership, character and responsibility and they enjoy it.”

While many of the programs at the Y are centered around sports activities for children and the youth development aspect of the Y, Gillan has found ways to be a positive influence for those who are no longer children. The former Marine teaches a fitness bootcamp class for adults and relishes his time just talking with members.

He pointed to a conversation he overheard among a group of young 20-somethings in the gym during the 2016 presidential election period. Gillan heard some of the guys says they were not going to vote because they did not like any of the candidates. Being a former Marine, the conversation piqued his interest and Gillan joined the conversation to tell the guys how important voting was.

“I told them you are never going to find a candidate where you agree with them 100 percent,” he said. “But I told them to research the candidates and decide which one you agree with the most and go vote. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” he said.

After the election, a number of those in the conversation came to Gillan with smiles to let him know they voted.

The YMCA operates on membership fees make the payroll and most operating expenses, but donations are greatly needed to provide extra expenses. The YMCA has a current goal of $100,000 in donations to make sure the needs of the community are met and that anyone who wants to come to the YMCA can come to the YMCA.

“We don’t say no,” said Gillan. “We have a scholarship program that allows anyone who wants to come, to be able to come. Every penny of those donations go to pay for scholarships, after school learning and teaching people how to swim.”