FREMONT — The board for YMCA of Sandusky County has employed a brand new government director after the YMCA transitioned from its earlier director retiring amid the hurdles of COVID-19.
“It was an fascinating time frame,” board member Marc Glotzbecker mentioned, because the long-time director Denise Reiter was retiring from her place.
The county YMCA board signed a administration settlement with the Toledo YMCA and that group assigned Fremont native and Fremont Ross alum Jeremiah Wagner to return to the Fremont facility he had used as a youth and was a member.
Wagner had years of expertise with Toledo, different YMCAs
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“We had the choice to increase that administration settlement, which we did,” Glotzbecker mentioned. “He did a wonderful job.”
Wagner had 15 years of administration expertise in health, wellness, sports activities and recreation. He got here to Fremont after serving as government director of the East Toledo and Downtown Toledo YMCAs, a mixed $7 million operation. Wagner additionally has a grasp’s in training from Cleveland State College and a bachelor’s diploma from Bowling Inexperienced State College. He and his fiancé stay in Whitehouse with their 4 youngsters.
Wagner started his publish on the Sandusky County YMCA in summer time 2021 underneath the Toledo YMCA administration settlement.
After the 12 months, the Sandusky County YMCA Board employed Wagner outright as its worker.
“We began loads of nice stuff right here during the last 12 months,” he mentioned.
Wagner mentioned that when the Toledo YMCA goes in to work with smaller amenities, the administration employees does an analysis of the operation on the way it meets YMCA objectives and operations, and that was accomplished for Sandusky County as nicely.
YMCA in Fremont getting new coats of recent paint
Wagner mentioned the native YMCA was capable of hold applications going but it surely wanted extra.
“The complete operation wanted an overhaul,” he mentioned. Below Wagner, the county YMCA upgraded the working system, the accounting system and the employees construction.
A lot of the work wanted was simply to renovate the within entrance of the constructing and places of work. The employees renovated the preschool and youngster care areas, added a youngsters zone, and painted the inside with new shiny YMCA colours. The objective is to include YMCA branding and making an attempt to comply with the perfect practices.
Wagner was on the native YMCA when it needed to shut every part down throughout COVID-19, apart from the day care, which was stored open as a licensed Day Look after Important Staff.
Within the months since, Wagner has been engaged on opening up the entrance of the constructing — eradicating the turnstile and COVID-19 protections.
New director emphasizes customer support
The objective is to make the entrance entrance extra welcoming, he mentioned.
There are also new employees members together with an aquatics coordinator and new program director. The YMCA has 55 to 65 workers, with eight of these being full-time.
Now as the brand new regionally employed government director, Wagner is working to develop the membership. With 4,200 whole members, the YMCA in Fremont is at about 75% of the membership it had earlier than COVID-19. Wagner mentioned the numbers are persevering with to enhance.
The YMCA is constant to do the nice issues it did previously, he added. Bingo was introduced again in January.
He is also working to show his employees to be extra interactive with members.
“Everybody has a task to assist folks the minute they stroll within the door,” Wagner mentioned.
The employees wants to help members with no matter objectives they’ve, together with swimming, youngster care, and health.
“No matter causes for them to come back in, we have to assist them with these objectives,” mentioned Wagner, who’s an avid sports activities fan and health fanatic.
The brand new government director mentioned when he was despatched to the Fremont facility in 2021, he had not been there since he was 18. As a teen, he thought the YMCA would shut when town opened its new recreation middle on the east aspect of town.
Now that he’s again, he sees there’s a function for each amenities and isn’t working to duplicate companies. Plus it appears the recreation middle tends to serve eastside residents whereas the YMCA serves westside folks, he mentioned.
Wagner finds returning to Fremont ‘tremendous, tremendous rewarding’
Wagner has an extended historical past with the YMCA. He was a part of the opening workforce of the brand new College Recreation Heart at Cleveland State College in 2006 earlier than his YMCA expertise started with the YMCA of Better Cleveland.
He later accepted a place to affix a small-town YMCA (like Fremont) in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, the place he served as a senior stage director overseeing the YMCA aquatics, health and youth/grownup program departments.
He determined to return to Northwest Ohio, becoming a member of the YMCA of Better Toledo as affiliate government director and opening a brand new YMCA in Waterville. After success on the YMCA within the Anthony Wayne neighborhood, he then assumed the function of government director managing the East Toledo YMCA in Oregon and the Downtown Toledo YMCA.
“He is performing some nice issues,” Glotzbecker commented.
The board member mentioned Wagner is creating a greater surroundings on the YMCA.
Coming again to Fremont has been “tremendous, tremendous rewarding,” Wagner mentioned not too long ago. He nonetheless has household locally.
“The applications I used to be capable of take part in as a child, I’m now capable of give this again.”
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This text initially appeared on Fremont Information-Messenger: Native YMCA board hires Wagner to improve applications, refresh facility