2017 National Volunteer Week Begins April 23

As National Volunteer Week is marked later this month (April 23-29), the YMCA of Greater Brandywine honored 34 of its volunteers on Tuesday, April 4 at the Penn Oaks Golf Club during a breakfast reception. In 2016, more than 3,800 individuals provided over 60,000 hours of volunteer service at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Volunteers serve in all capacities – reading to children in the childcare program, coaching youth sports, organizing food donations, and serving on board and committees are just a few examples.

Volunteers from each of the eight branches that comprise the YMCA of Greater Brandywine were presented with awards for Youth Development, Healthy Living, Social Responsibility, or Mission Advancement.

• The Brandywine YMCA presented awards to Daniel Chidester of Downingtown, who received the Youth Development Award; Jeff Horton, also of Downingtown, who received the Social Responsibility and Mission Advancement Awards; and Lynn Stover of Coatesville, who received the Healthy Living Award.
   
• The Jennersville YMCA presented awards to Todd Kinkus of Oxford, who received the Youth Development Award; Kevin Witman of Cochranville, who received the Healthy Living Award; Jerry Rybarczyk of West Grove, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Tiffany McPeak of Oxford, who received the Mission Advancement Award.
   
• The Kennett Area YMCA presented awards to Katie Buckley of Chadds Ford, who received the Youth Development Award; Lynn Majarian of Kennett Square, who received the Healthy Living Award; Tracy Mann of Wilmington, DE, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Jim Porter of Chadds Ford, who received the Mission Advancement Award.
   
• The Lionville Community YMCA presented awards to Kathy Collier of Chester Springs, who received the Youth Development Award; John Coleman of Downingtown, who received the Healthy Living Award; Hilary and Andy Weismantel of Exton, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Maryanne Parsons of Chester Springs, who received the Mission Advancement Award.
   
• The Oscar Lasko YMCA and Childcare Center presented awards to Patti Brennan of Malvern, who received the Youth Development Award; Will Villano of West Chester, who received the Healthy Living Award; Dr. Gregory Smith of Kennett Square, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Chris Battersby of West Chester, who received the Mission Advancement Award.
   
• Octorara YMCA Program Center Member Paul Kabakjian of Atglen received the Youth Development Award. 
   
• Upper Main Line YMCA presented awards to Eric Burns of Berwyn, who received the Youth Development Award; Pat Spaziani of Exton, who received the Healthy Living Award; Gay and Bill Phillips of Berwyn, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Denise Lindsay of Devon, who received the Mission Advancement Award.
   
• West Chester Area YMCA presented awards to Viktor Ohnjec of West Chester, who received the Youth Development Award; Amy Vermeil of West Chester, who received the Healthy Living Award; Laura Aloisio of Glen Mills, who received the Social Responsibility Award; and Caroline Rachfalski of West Chester, who received the Mission Advancement Award.

Association Volunteer of the Year
In addition, Christy Pickar of Kennett Square was awarded Association Volunteer of the Year for her work with the STRIDE program, which leverages the power of running to build self-esteem, healthy living, and self-respect in third through eighth grade boys. Pickar has volunteered coaching for 12 seasons, where she leads twice weekly roundtable discussions and works with each boy to help him set goals and then work to achieve them. “It is a joy to watch the boys learn to believe in themselves, and to set a goal and reach it with equal parts physical training and mental training. STRIDE tells them they can do it first, then shows them how. I get to watch them learn that every day and that's something they'll have forever. It is a joy to be a part of that,” says Pickar.

Finally, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine presented the following special awards:

• Dr. Richard Newman of Downingtown and the Marshall Reynolds Foundation of Unionville received the Service to Youth Award for their ongoing support of youth programming at the Brandywine YMCA. 
   
• Jay Bellwoar of Malvern received the Distinguished Service Award for his generous support and longtime service to the Upper Main Line YMCA through numerous board and committee appointments.
   
• The Tri-M Group of Kennett Square received the Community Partner Award, which recognizes an organization that has demonstrated a commitment to the Y’s mission and values and has partnered with or supported the Y in outreach initiatives that strengthen the foundations of our community. 

About the YMCA of Greater Brandywine

The YMCA of Greater Brandywine is an association of eight YMCAs that offer life-changing programs for children, families and adults throughout Chester County. Our Y is a diverse association of individuals joined together by a shared commitment to nurture the potential of kids, promote healthy living and foster a sense of social responsibility. With more than 80,000 members annually, each YMCA in the association feature unique facilities and programs that best reflect the needs and interest of their communities. 

To ensure that everyone has access to quality programming, financial assistance and subsidized programming is available. In 2016 alone, more than 3.8 million dollars in financial assistance was provided to support 13,424 families with access to childcare, summer camp, programs and memberships. 
To learn more about the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, visit www.ymcagbw.org or contact our  Membership Engagement Center 610-643-9622, ext. 2144 .