Good opportunities abound at the Tuscarawas YMCA
Meagan Shaheen began her duties as CEO of the Tuscarawas County YMCA on Oct. 31, 2022.
With a little less than six months under her belt, Meagan Shaheen, who began as the CEO of the Tuscarawas County YMCA on Oct. 31, 2022, said she is pleased with how things are going at her new job.
In her new position, Shaheen handles membership, strategic planning, staff development and capital improvements. She has a wealth of experience.
Shaheen’s last position was district executive director in Stark County, where she supervised both the Meyers Lake YMCA and the Eric Snow YMCA in downtown Canton.
Sports, fitness, health and safety have always been important to her. The large outdoor pool in her hometown of Minerva was where Shaheen first became a lifeguard and a swim instructor. At her first year at Heidelberg College, she played soccer.
“I transferred to Kent State my sophomore year. I continued on my work with the Y as a lifeguard and teaching swimming lessons throughout college,” Shaheen said.
She worked mainly in aquatics at the Akron YMCA because it was close to KSU.
“When I graduated from college, I worked briefly at Camp Y-Noah, which is a resident summer camp for the Akron area YMCA, as a waterfront director outside, and so I got some outdoor recreation experience, just different experience from being in a branch,” Shaheen said.
Her first full-time position was as an aquatic director with the Akron area YMCA. Shaheen worked there for about a year until a position opened up in Stark County, closer to her home in Southern Stark County.
She felt she had come full circle.
“I started my career with the YMCA of Central Stark County, because when I was a lifeguard at the Minerva pool, the Minerva pool was under the umbrella of the YMCA of Central Stark County,” Shaheen said.
At Stark County she worked as an aquatic director, then senior program director and worked her way up to executive director at the Myers Lake YMCA before becoming district executive director.
Because YMCA staff members tend to know other YMCA staff members, Shaheen was already acquainted with the staff at the Tuscarawas County YMCA before her move here.
Shaheen said she is excited the Tuscarawas County YMCA membership is back to pre-COVID levels.
“Since the pandemic, all YMCAs talk about what their membership levels are, and most YMCAs have not gotten back 100%,” Shaheen said, adding the local facility has 6,200 members.
There are many positives at the Tuscarawas County YMCA. Shaheen called the switch to have the fitness room open 24/7 a great move and something that has helped retain members. The change was already in the works when Shaheen began.
A partnership with Tuscarawas Health Center of Aultman Orrville of Dover, which has offices across the street from the YMCA, is another positive. The organization provides therapy in the Healthy Living Room five days a week. When they are not using the space, it is available for members.
Inside the building, small changes have been done including the usual twice-yearly spring and fall carpet cleaning and painting in the aerobic room and multipurpose room.
“Even though it doesn’t seem like a big thing, I think those little things that you can do around the building to freshen it up make a big difference,” Shaheen said. “Nobody wants to come to gloomy space.”
Shaheen said she is looking forward to the new outdoor playground, a gift from the Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club and community donors that is expected to be built this year. It will be open to the public.
The two biggest programs at the YMCA are swimming and gymnastics.
“With both of those programs, you can start from the very basic levels,” Shaheen said.
In swimming lessons participants can start as a baby in programs that include a parent and grow their way up through the swim team.
“The (aquatics) program not only serves young people, but we also have fitness for adults as well,” Shaheen said. “Dover and New Philadelphia also use our pool as their home pool and for swim meets as well. We also host the Special Olympics swim team.”
The facility has an extra pool that is kept at a higher temperature, which they use to serve people dealing with arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions that make it a challenge to be able to exercise.
Shaheen reported 49% of the annual campaign goal of $92,000 has been donated. Other fundraisers include the Turkey Trot and Jack Marsh Golf Outing.
“I think people don’t always understand that the YMCA is a charity and a nonprofit. But when they do, I think that they’re more inclined to want to give to it because they realize the huge impact that it has on people. It looks different for every single person, but it impacts everybody’s lives,” Shaheen said.
Financial assistance for membership for those who qualify is something Shaheen feels sets the YMCA apart.
“I think that can be very transformational, because if you give somebody an opportunity they wouldn’t have had otherwise, that can really change somebody’s life,” Shaheen said.
The Tuscarawas County YMCA is a welcoming place for those seeking to improve their health.
“We’re family for people in the community who don’t have family, and I think that can motivate people to continue to be healthy and have a healthy, active lifestyle,” Shaheen said.
Visit www.tuscymca.org.