Everyday Heroes
This community has been great to our Y. Because of the generosity of our community we enjoy world class facilities. It is the people inside these facilities, however, that make the Y a special place.
Two of these great people are Cathy Young and Frank Burlison.
Cathy recently celebrated her 33rd year with the Y as a childcare professional! Her heart has always been in teaching kids and she has never been interested in taking on a supervisory role because it would take her away from working with the kids she loves. The impact she has had on hundreds of kids is inspiring.
Calmy using our Y values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility she is able to redirect behavior with her words and actions without ever raising her voice. I do not know of anyone so skilled at teaching kids our values, and it really is a pleasure to watch her in action. Parents will tell you they are much better parents for having watched and learned from Cathy. She has had a tremendously positive impact on our community as she has helped preschoolers get the right start in life. Whether their parents are doctors, lawyers, or business executives or foster parents, grandparents raising kids, or single parent moms, Cathy provides the same firm but gentle guidance and unconditional love, earning her the nickname The Velvet Hammer. She is a true hero and we appreciate her so much.
Frank Burlison has served as our Y Swim Team coach for more than 25 years. In that time he has coached thousands of swimmers. The athletes Frank has coached have consistently been outstanding students and have gone on to attend schools like Northwestern and Stanford as well as the Air Force, Naval and West Point Academies, Ivy League schools and many more. Virtually 100% of our swimmers graduate from high school and go on to college. We have alums who are college professors, teachers, doctors, lawyers, career military, non profit workers, coaches and more. He is a great mentor who just recently announced that he'll be retiring in August of next year.
My wife and I are fortunate to say that both our grown kids were blessed to have been taught and mentored by both Cathy and Frank. They were too young to remember much about Cathy, but her influence is there. They would both tell you that Frank is one of the most influential adults they have ever had in their lives. Many other parents would say the same thing.
It is people like Cathy and Frank who really drive the Y's mission of developing youth and promoting healthy living and social responsiblity. I am so proud to work with everyday heroes like these every day heroes.
