Adapting to Change
Written By Jordan Rosenfeld
When COVID-19 forced
many of the Mount
Madonna YMCA ' s programs and facilities to close up shop , including its partner , the Centennial Recreation Center [ CRC ], and its after school programs , Andrea Nicolette , the YMCA ’ s Executive Director , immediately brainstormed how to meet community members ’ needs .
“ It was hard , it was emotional , it was scary ,” Nicolette said .
First on her list of priorities , other than the welfare of her teammates , were the vulnerable seniors who come weekly to the Morgan Hill and Gilroy Senior Centers for meals and social time together . “ We are doing what we can to keep [ the seniors ] engaged , and finding ways to be there for them ,” she said . Though they couldn ’ t do much about the social side , they continued to feed between 180-200 seniors every week day through a combination of pick-up and delivery options .
Next , Nicolette knew that the loss of childcare services the YMCA provides were devastating to families . So , they partnered with the Morgan Hill Foundation and the Morgan Hill Unified School District to create an afterschool program over the summer for the children of essential workers , housed at Barrett elementary school .
Despite potential risks of exposure , she said her staff wanted to be there with the kids . “ It gave us all a really good sense of purpose ,” she said .
As the organization has been forced to adapt to continually changing COVID-19 guidelines , Nicolette has found herself doing the same thing . “ My whole identity changed ,” she said . She even found her typical work uniform changed from blazers and slacks to tennis shoes and yoga pants . Fortunately , versatility is nothing new for Nicolette , who , in her nearly 19 years working for the YMCA , has had a wide variety of jobs within the organization , and knows how to roll with change .
What mattered to her most was that the YMCA continued to serve the community . The CRC provided an immediate opportunity .
“ It was really important for all of us , for the community , to have somewhere to go . If we could just provide an hour for people to get out of their home and into another environment and become healthy , we thought their mental and physical health would be better . That ’ s what drove us .”
Thankfully , the County made it possible for gyms to provide outdoor services , and Nicolette and her teammates jumped into action to literally turn the CRC inside out at the end of July . Her teammates impressed her by pulling together , despite anxiety over their jobs and health , and within two days they had organized an outdoor version of the CRC , utilizing the front parking lot and the back patio .
“ I ’ m so fortunate to work with some really strong women . I don ’ t know where I ’ d be without them . Because of them , we were able to literally get the CRC moved outside .”
Additionally , Nicolette says the CRC and the YMCA ' s teammates have come together even more closely to hold each other up emotionally during these challenging times . “ We ’ ve all had our emotional moments where we think I can ’ t do this for one more day , but these women raise me up every day .”
With each of the changes the County has made , from shut-down , to reopening outdoors , to moving some of the equipment back indoors , Nicolette says it is a big group effort . “ We all get together and think about how does this work . Then we plan to make it happen .” Even though the gym experience
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN WINTER 2021 gmhtoday . com