YWCA New director is impressed

She wants to plan programming based on residents' suggestions.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- "Wow!" was all Victoria Curran could say when she first saw the Salem Community Center.
Curran is the new executive director of the YWCA of Salem, which is housed at the community center.
"It is a beautiful facility," Curran said. "Walking in here is simply awesome."
Curran lives in the McKeesport, Pa., area with her husband, Lawrence, but the couple plans to buy a home in Salem. He is a private-duty nurse and will seek a similar position in Salem, she said. The couple have five children and seven grandchildren.
Fell in love
Victoria Curran said she fell in love with Salem the moment she drove into town for an interview.
"You have this beautiful drive through the country and then this little town opens up to you," she said. "I liked it so well I stopped at the Chamber of Commerce for more information on the way out of town."
Curran said the YWCA of Salem has a solid foundation of programs and services. Her goal is to build on what is already established without duplicating efforts of other agencies or organizations.
She has been in the position about a month and is networking with civic groups and social service agencies. Her priority will be to create programming that the people of Salem suggest, and to come up with creative ways to gather that information, she said.
Although the YWCA is known mostly for its health, wellness and fitness programs such as aquatics, aerobics and spinning, there is much more to the Y's mission, she said.
A series of parenting sessions in which parents and children participate together in child-development activities such as finger-painting is one example of programming Curran would like to implement.
"It's good for parents to work with children on activities that the children want to do," Curran said. "Parents should let them do some of those things -- like finger-painting -- that are good from a child development standpoint, even if they're messy."
Teen Leaders of America, the YWCA's teen programs, are housed in the Salem Memorial building and The Phone Booth youth center. Lyndsay McLaughlin, teen coordinator, works on programs that enhance academic and career development, culture and recreation, Curran said.
Background
Carla Capel, YWCA interim director, said Curran's background and personal interests fit well with the YWCA's mission of empowering women and eliminating racism.
"We were all really impressed with Victoria's variety of leadership and experience, including oversight of all operational, financial and leadership functions of a human service agency," said Roberta Jenkins, YWCA board president.
Curran will finish a bachelor's degree in social science at the University of Pittsburgh in December. She previously worked as director of neighborhoods and housing with the United Way of Allegheny County. There she developed programming to address critical needs facing Allegheny County and worked with agencies in 59 programs with budgets totaling $4.2 million.