Photo above: Kelly from the Shawnee After School Program

This piece was written by Sara DiMantova,  a Program Leader at Virginia Tech YMCA since 2006.

From the very first day I led the Shawnee After-School Program, I knew I was a goner.  The first kid off the bus was Kelly, as it would be every day for the next 3 years, with a huge smile, running inside to get her snack and share all about her day at school. All the volunteers, myself included, loved hearing all her stories.  They ranged from what she learned about butterflies in science that day, to the songs they were learning for the school play.  She would proudly spout all her knowledge to anyone who would listen, and sing those songs loud and proud so we could all learn.  Kelly was always one to share her snack, crayons, coloring book, play-doh, or the hula-hoop.  She never liked seeing people argue and always helped me break up fights, or decide who would get to sit next to who each day – everyone always wanted the seat next to Kelly so there was always a conflict.

This summer Kelly’s family moved to the Midwest so her dad could teach at another university.  The first day of site this year when she didn’t come bounding off the bus, excitedly yelling, “YMCA! YMCA!”  I realized how much of an impact she’d had on me during the short time I had known her.  I’m sure I speak for the other volunteers too, when I say that having Kelly at Shawnee was so wonderful.

I know the point of having an after-school program is to teach the kids about the values of the YMCA (among many other goals), but I feel like when Kelly was there, it was she who was teaching the rest of us.  She placed no importance on how much money she or any of the kids had, and ignored everyone’s different religions, often making everyone say a prayer with her thanking her God for the snack they had and for the YMCA.  I only hope that she gained as much from playing with us twice a week as we gained from her – and that all the kids to come will love coloring with us as much as she did.