Hundreds gathered at the Boise Centre on Wednesday, June 5 to celebrate another incredible year at the Treasure Valley Family YMCA. While this gathering serves as an official board meeting and is the transition for many board members joining or retiring, it is also an opportunity to celebrate our volunteers, donors, members, and staff for their contributions to our cause and to honor those who have made a significant difference in our community with their time, talent, or treasure.
Micro-communities at the Y
If you have spent much time around the Y, you’ll know that Cause is at the core of everything the Y does. To keep that at the forefront, teams start with Cause moments -everyday stories of lives changed through the Y – to inspire their actions. The annual meeting was no different. When looking for an example of a community with a purpose, we didn’t have to look any further than one of our water exercise classes.
Water fitness instructor, Eva Horn, shared the story of her 7 a.m. water fitness class which was in danger of cancellation due to a lack of staff. Eva rose to the challenge and earned her certification to begin teaching the class herself.
Eva shared how this small community of class participants relies on this class and each other not only for fitness and motivation, but also for community, support, friendship, and laughter.
Communities like this happen every day at the Y and we were so honored to hear Eva’s story and celebrate with members of her class in attendance.
Welcoming and Honoring our Board of Directors
We also took this opportunity to honor five members leaving the board this year, Liz Beem, Sharon Burke, Jim Chalfant, Kathy Lee, and Alex Zamora. We thank them for their service to the Y and are grateful for their service to this community.
We’re also thrilled to welcome five new board members –
- Darron Page, Simplot Company Senior Vice President of Global Solutions
- Erin Erkins, Erkins Commercial Real Estate, Marketing & Business Development Director
- Corey Surber, Director of State Advocacy for Saint Alphonsus’ parent company, Trinity Health
- Dave Ward, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer of Blue Cross of Idaho
- David Zarkou, Specialty Executive Medical Director at St. Alphonsus
Celebrating our Incredible Volunteers
It’s volunteerism that makes the Y so special. Within the Treasure Valley, volunteers serve in many capacities. Hundreds of volunteers shape and mold the future of young people as youth sports coaches. Others provide leadership and direction as committee and board members. Many volunteers advocate for the Y by asking others to give. And still, others greet people daily to ensure the Y remains a welcoming and safe place for all.
Volunteers keep us focused on delivering our services to meet the critical needs of our community. This year’s volunteers of the year were:
- Mike Job – Caldwell YMCA Volunteer of the Year
- Chelsey and Nick Jordan – Downtown Boise YMCA Volunteers of the Year
- Mikki Franz – Tomlinson South Meridian YMCA Volunteer of the Year
- Krista Madril – West Boise YMCA & Boise City Aquatic Center Volunteer of the Year
- Book it Forward! Idaho – Child Development Volunteers of the Year
- Sarah Llewellyn and Jenny Alderden – Y Camp Volunteers of the Year
Another Wonderful Year at the Y
In addition to these honors, the Y celebrated our 2024 Civic Engagement Scholarship winners and the 2024 Y Not Go On Scholarship winners. We shared an update on the state of the CapEd Downtown Boise YMCA Capital Campaign and the Capital Campaign for Y Camp at Horsetheif Reservoir and celebrated our dedicated supporters.
The afternoon closed with the announcement of the 2024 Service to Youth Awards and the 2024 Vern Emory Award winner. Click here to learn more about those honorees!
We want to thank everyone who attended our annual meeting and we’re looking forward to another incredible year at the Treasure Valley Family YMCA!
Also, a huge thank you to our generous sponsor Heritage Bank for making this incredible event possible!