YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg’s 6th Annual Celebration of Impact
Recognizing Employee and Volunteer Excellence
The YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg recently celebrated its 6th annual Celebration of Impact to recognize employees and volunteers who went above and beyond in 2023 to bring the Y’s mission to life.
Y staff, along with volunteers and Board Members, gathered at the new Speer YMCA to reflect on the outcomes of their collective efforts, including serving more than 20,000 members, thousands of youth and families across southern Pinellas County through Y programs and services.
The event was also an opportunity to celebrate outstanding performances over the past year. The shining stars who were recognized during the annual celebration include:
Unsung Hero Award Winner
Alice Perez
Director of Grant Compliance
Alice’s primary goal is making sure our funders receive accurate and timely reports and that our childcare sites have the tools and resources to remain 100% in compliance. Alice has tirelessly worked with our partners at the Juvenile Welfare Board and our own staff team to maximize the utilization of our contract. She works side by side with our program directors on budgeting and program management. Her work behind the scenes has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars for the organization.
Alice has created tracking documents for employee files and certifications and meets regularly with JWB staff to provide required information. She has developed a positive rapport with our funders and strives to represent the YMCA at all times in a positive manner.
Impact Award Winner
Ashley Arthur
Data Enrollment Specialist
Volume, efficiency, knowledge, and dependability. These are the best words to describe Ashley Arthur’s contribution in both her Community Health Specialist and Wellness roles for the last eight years at YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. Ashley effectively excels in a role unlike any other at the YMCA. She expertly toggles between being a highly organized program administrator and a talented program instructor in both Community Health, Wellness and Group Fitness.
Ashley has worked tirelessly to provide a high level of organization and accuracy to the programs within Community Health. In addition, Ashley has worked hard to become certified in all eight Community Health programs and is a Y-USA-certified trainer for Enhance Fitness so she can facilitate the programs and train new staff. She also facilitates Group Fitness programs like LES MILLS™ BODYBALANCE, BODYPUMP, and TONE for all three branches. Her participants love her classes and her Community Health groups continuously share that she has helped them meet their wellness goals, especially in programs like the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Progam and LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA.
More than that, she is a valuable resource and “go-to person” for Speer YMCA and Bardmoor YMCA assisting the Wellness departments with LES MILLS™ launches, fitness events like Spin-A-Rama, and personal training. She also assisted as a subject matter expert with the Wellness design and Group Fitness programming at the new Speer YMCA.
Ashley’s contribution to the success of our Community Health and Wellness programs over the last several years has been invaluable.
Leadership Award Winner
Beth Maday Chernek
Project Manager
From raising thousands of dollars at the Bardmoor YMCA, to mentoring staff, teaching budgeting, and now helping finish the Speer project, Beth is an outstanding leader who has touched almost everyone in our association.
The impact Beth made at the Speer YMCA with her involvement and planning was invaluabe. She made sure nothing was missed and that everything was in place ensuring Speer YMCA was topnotch and ready for opening day. Her drive, passion, dedication, and thoroughness are a huge asset to the organization.
Volunteer of the Year Award Winner
Joan McDonald
YReads! Volunteer
Joan has been volunteering for the YReads! program at Perkins Elementary School since 2015. She came to Perkins after teaching for 30 years in Arlington, Texas. Her teaching expertise has been a tremendous resource for the program. Her academic knowledge, genuine love for the students, and consistency over the past nine years make her an irreplaceable asset. The students and staff look forward to her arrival every Tuesday, and we hope she will continue to support the program because, without her, the program wouldn't be the same.
