EUGENE FAMILY YMCA WELCOMES NEW SLATE OF BOARD OFFICERS
Joe Carmichael to lead Board into the new Y
Eugene, Ore., June 22, 2021 - The Eugene Family YMCA welcomes a new slate of Board Officers as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and works toward completing its campaign to build a new Y.
During the 2-year term, Joe Carmichael will serve as Board President, Matt Longtin will serve as President-Elect, former Board President Chip Radebaugh will take on the role of Treasurer, and Katie Gatlin will serve a third term as Secretary.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have such invested board members leading our Y," said Eugene Family YMCA CEO Brian Steffen. "Their passionate commitment to the health and well-being of our commu
nity and innovative thinking will help guide us into a new chapter of the Y's history."
Carmichael has served on the YMCA's Board of Directors for the past 10.5 years. He is a Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager at Oregon Pacific Bank and a 2015 Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce's 20 under 40 award winner.
"I joined the Board because I understand the power of our YMCA in this community," said Carmichael, whose new term starts July 1. "If it weren't for the YMCA, my grandmother would have likely died of heart failure in the 60s. Instead, I got 31 years with her and was able to see how much fuller her life was because of the Y."
Ingrid Carmichael, born in Eugene in 1912, joined the Eugene Family YMCA in 1955 with her husband Lorin. Ingrid helped raise capital funds for construction of the current Y facility at 2055 Patterson Street.
When she was 50 years old in 1962, a physician's exam revealed Ingrid's weak heart. The doctor, a Y member who volunteered his services at the Y, prescribed an immediate start to an exercise regimen to reverse the critical situation.
Ingrid faithfully worked out at the Y and could be seen in fitness classes many days a week up to the last week of her life in 2009. She saw the Y as not just a place for fitness, but a place to find deep friendships, support and love.
"She loved 3 things in her life," Joe said. "Her family, her church and the YMCA. She saw her Y family as an extension of her own so Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and other holidays at Nana's house were always filled with new and old friends she had made at the Y."
Ingrid, who also served on the Y Board for 10 years, lived to 97 years old. Joe credits the YMCA for her long life, and he wants more people to experience the Y's gifts of connection and well-being.
"Given my family's deep connections to the Y, it is incredibly meaningful to be able to honor my grandmother's legacy and help make the vision of a new facility a reality," said Carmichael. "Post-COVID, there will be a huge number of people going back to work who will need the YMCA to help with childcare. I look forward to growing our programs to serve more people and have an even greater positive impact on our community."
Carmichael leads a Board of 13 community members with diverse backgrounds and expertise to help guide the YMCA's mission: "strengthening our diverse community by offering programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all."
"It's inspiring to pass the torch to a fellow community leader personally impacted by the Y," said Chip Radebaugh, who served as Board President for the past 2.5 years. "It was an honor to serve alongside a committed Board and staff during the pandemic while continuing our campaign for a new Y. We are grateful to have Joe at the helm now as we emerge from this public health crisis, recover and forge a path toward a stronger community in the future."
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About the Eugene Family YMCA
The Eugene Family YMCA is one of the region's leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Each year across Lane County, the Y engages more than 18,000 people regardless of age, gender, income or background---to nurture the potential of children, teens and seniors; improve health and well-being; and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In 2020, the Eugene Family YMCA awarded $413,506 in financial assistance. The YMCA has been serving the Eugene-area since 1887.
