This Is What Stepping Up in a Crisis Looks Like

Image via the YMCA of Orange County (Facebook)

When crisis hits, good people are driven to step up. And 2020 has brought more than its share of occasions to ask, “How can I help?”

Whether we’re business owners, government officials, or leaders of nonprofit or civic organizations, most of us are passionate about the community where we live and work. We naturally want to help when friends and neighbors are struggling. Too often, though, we don’t know what that might look like.

When I spoke at the national YMCA meeting in Anaheim last year, one of the things I talked about was how Ys could reinvent themselves as a vital part of the local economic engine. I recently got a call from the YMCA of Orange County with a terrific story I just had to share.

The YMCA of Orange County is a great example of how to connect to the local economy, and they really showcased what we should do in times of crisis to help our community. Foundational organizations are always important, but they can be lifelines during a crisis. What they did when COVID-19 hit exemplifies what “stepping up” looks like.

To set the stage, this YMCA serves a huge population: Orange County, Riverside County, San Gabriel Valley, and Pomona Valley. They have five locations, 80 childcare centers, and New Horizons and Y-Inclusion programs for people with special needs. They are a deeply important part of the community.

The Orange County Y saw a unique opportunity and they took it. They stepped up to support the local workforce in various ways—one of which is helping to support, build up, and positively influence their children.

Image via the YMCA of Orange County (Instagram)

At the beginning of March, the YMCA of Orange County was closed down along with all non-essential operations. At that point, CEO and President Jeff McBride along with other organization leaders rolled up their sleeves and asked, What is our mission, and what do our citizens need? How can we make the biggest impact on the community?

They realized the Y was desperately needed to provide childcare services to essential workers in healthcare, law enforcement, firefighting—especially those with no other support system. Because the Y was already categorized as an essential service, 30 of their childcare locations were able to remain open and provide care. Then as the summer approached, the number of locations grew as the demand increased.

Now, with school back in session, the YMCA is even more crucial. Many parents count on them for afterschool care and distance learning support for their kids. The Y meets those needs by providing a structured academic enrichment program that reinforces concepts taught in classrooms based on state and district standards.

We can all learn a lot from how the YMCA of Orange County has stepped up during COVID to assess and respond to the needs of the community. Here are a few takeaways:

1. Figure out the most pressing problems your citizens face. Solve them in a way that connects to your mission.

Image via the YMCA of Orange County (Instagram)

The YMCA’s mission centers on putting Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. Its childcare program develops the “whole child” through meaningful experiences, programs, and collaborations that build relationships and a sense of community—while promoting the Y’s core values of responsibility, respect, caring, and honesty.

All of the factors that play into the YMCA’s mission are deeply important to parents. They don’t only need safe and reliable care for their children; they have very real concerns about their academic and social well-being during COVID. The Y has been able to step up in a way that helps alleviate citizens’ biggest worry: the well-being of their kids. Having good, stable childcare allowed them to go to work and support their families.

2. Don’t just “check the boxes.” Go above and beyond. 

Relieving anxiety has always been an important piece of a good childcare program. This is even more true in a pandemic! To help parents to feel good about leaving their kids in their care, the Y, in partnership with the local healthcare agency, put very serious safety protocols in place, including stringent screening and sanitizing measures, mask requirements, and a reservation system that helps ensure physical distancing.

3. Do the right thing, even if it costs you. 

While the Y always provides financial assistance to those in need, during the pandemic they have provided even more. Yes, this drained a lot of their resources, but they knew it was more important to help the community and do the right thing.

4. Keep your finger on the pulse and flex as needed.

As community needs change, be ready to shift in response. When the crisis hit, the Y was offering their traditional curriculum-based childcare programming. However, as distance learning was implemented by the schools, the demand for educational support and services was apparent. The Y instantly pivoted and developed a program to offer distance learning support at our childcare locations, complete with teacher support, Wi-Fi, and Chromebooks (if needed).

5. Get inventive. Don’t be constrained by how you usually do things. 

The YMCA was approached by a local medical center to do a pop-up center near their facility. They rented hotel conference space and ended up serving 250 kids at that center. They also set up a pop-up for a local university for medical school employees and students and others who wanted their children served by the YMCA. Plus, they expanded their hours to accommodate schedules of healthcare parents working longer shifts.

Image via the YMCA of Orange County and ABC7

6. Don’t stop at solving one problem. Think, “What else can we do to help?”

Try to anticipate other issues people might have. Besides focusing only on the childcare issue, the YMCA knew that mental health would suffer during the pandemic. They realized exercise would be important for helping people cope. They moved their fitness equipment outside so that people could work out in safer conditions. They practiced regimented sanitizing protocols. People loved it, and the Y was able to retain most members and even gain new members.

This last point may be the best takeaway of all: It’s possible for an organization to grow, even in a crisis. While this was not the goal, the YMCA actually gained new membership during COVID. When we provide real value to our customers, this happens naturally.

Stepping up to help others in times of crisis can be its own reward. Yes, it feels good. But also, the goodwill we create may come back to us in surprising ways. We are all connected. When we take action to positively impact the community, we can’t help but impact ourselves as well.

---

---