Y STAFF HELPS COMMUNITY, SHARES EXPERTISE
Y staff work diligently within their Y roles to support families and youth and to connect with individuals. But the Y’s impact goes far beyond the walls of our current building or the programs we run off-site because so many of our staff members also commit to other organizations and volunteer to strengthen this community from outside their Y positions.
Amber Alexander is your Y’s Volunteer Coordinator and Youth Development Office Coordinator. She also teaches group fitness classes—Barre and yoga-inspired water classes—to Y members. It’s outside of these roles that she has an equally significant impact.
On weekends, Amber travels to Salem and facilitates yoga classes for adults in custody at the Oregon State Correctional Institution. Her involvement in the correctional system has offered her valuable insight into the lives of adults in custody.
“I knew that going into this experience, as with the other areas I volunteer in, I would be learning a lot,” Amber says. “But the impact my work with these men has had on my life and the way I see the world around me has been incredibly profound.”
Her volunteer work extends beyond the prison system. Amber is on the Board of Directors for Cornerstone Community Housing, which is committed to building quality, affordable, longer term housing for people living with limited incomes and offers services that promote opportunities for economic independence and personal growth.
Amber also sits on the Steering Committee for United Way’s Volunteer Coordinator’s Network, which provides networking and training opportunities for volunteer coordinators in Lane County.
For the Young Professionals Network Summit of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Amber serves on the Planning Committee and Logistics Subcommittee.
“Being a part of our community in a variety of ways is important to me,” Amber says. “The only way to create strong partnerships and build lasting connections is to step outside of our immediate and familiar surroundings and join together with other community members and organizations. I love learning about our community and helping when I see a need. It’s only by working together that organizations can impact their communities and people can create change.”
Your Y is thankful for Amber and so many other members and staff showing up in generous, noteworthy ways in Lane County.
