ThurstonTalk Article by Heidi Smith
Continuing To Operate Through COVID-19
At the Y’s existing downtown and Briggs locations, the staff has played a vital role in supporting families during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it began, one of the first challenges was figuring out how to safely open and what activities to offer. The result has been effective. Even if families have been able to come for just a brief visit, it makes a difference. “One family that signed up back in September told me, ‘This is the best part of our week,’” says Fudge. “I was so happy to hear that. It’s been a tough balancing act for us to provide as much as we can with limited hours and staffing. When those bright spots happen, it fills your heart.”
Navigating the tension between bringing people together and promoting public health has been a challenge the Y staff continue to embrace. Early on, the team stepped into the childcare gap as many facilities around the region shut their doors and began providing critical services, especially for children of first responders and essential workers. “If you go to any of our branches or childcare sites now, we are the safest game in town,” says Cronk. “People are interacting in appropriate ways. They are masked up and they’re thriving in that environment.”
Shelton School District Superintendent Dr. Alex Apostle is looking forward to seeing a similar scenario unfold in Shelton once the new facility opens. He sees the Y as a significant community asset that can offer multiple benefits to the district. “We had conversations early on about the Y offering support for students who may be experiencing difficulty academically,” he says. “We talked about starting programs after school or even on the weekend where we could work together.”
Since the pandemic began, supporting families has become more important than ever. The Shelton Y will be well-positioned to fill that need, Apostle believes. “The YMCA will be offering tremendous opportunities for families to be together in a very positive environment where they can participate in sports and different activities,” he says.
Although the site has been under construction since the groundbreaking ceremony in November 2019, some still can’t quite believe the Y is coming to their town, even when they visit the building site. Yet despite the chaos of the pandemic, wildfires and the resulting smoke of those fires that ravaged the west coast this summer, the project has stayed on track, missing just two days of construction. “I keep saying that Shelton is our pandemic silver lining,” says Cronk.
To learn more, visit the South Sound YMCA website or call 360.753.6576.