43
Y gives Liberty woman honors
Photo
Janice M. JanJanin
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown YMCA is a place to make friends for life, friends who become family, said Janice M. JanJanin, recipient of the Y’s 2010 Joe Check Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Y is such a great place for everyone — children, adults, families and special-needs individuals, said JanJanin, longtime volunteer and member of the Youngstown Y.
She headed the Y’s 2010 and 2011 Strong Kids Campaigns and was co-chairwoman in 2009, when she became a member of the Y’s Board of Directors.
JanJanin of Liberty participates in and instructs the Y’s spinning program that helps raise money for the Strong Kids Campaign, the Y’s annual fundraiser to help young people in need receive Y memberships.
The 2011 campaign raised $205,346 exceeding its goal of $185,000, according to the Y’s annual report. Money was raised through events, including the Strong Kids Campaign Party and the annual spin-a-thon in February.
“Janice brings the energy to get more Strong Kids volunteers involved and get them to raise their level of commitment,” said Tim Hilk, the Y’s CEO.
The volunteer award is named in honor of Joe Check, former longtime director of the Y’s Camp Fitch in North Springfield, Pa.
“The Y is so much more than a workout facility. You can spin, take swim lessons, lift weights, participate in a basketball league, join a volleyball team, take a yoga, pilates or pilates reformer class, take an art class, send your kids to camp, learn to speak French or brush up on your computer skills to name just a few,” said JanJanin, a self-employed financial adviser with an office in Boardman.
For many years, JanJanin has been involved in Y fundraisers, including the Memorial Five Race during Memorial Day weekend and the Triathlon and Tour de Spin, both in July.
She began volunteering while at Ursuline High School, from which she graduated in 1984. The Ursuline program allowed students to leave schools for a few hours to volunteer at preschools, schools, day care and nursing homes, she said.
“It made me aware of how everyone can make a difference in people’s lives,” said JanJanin, who graduated in 1988 from Youngstown State University with a degree in accounting.
She said she got involved in Y fundraising efforts because everyone, regardless of their financial ability to purchase a Y membership, should have the opportunity to be a part of the Y.
“We emphasize youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. It doesn’t get better than that,” she said.
JanJanin doesn’t limit her volunteering efforts to the Y.
She also is president of the Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries Board of Directors, a member of the Junior Group of Goodwill, and a board member of the Antonine Sisters Adult Day Care Center in North Jackson. She is a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Youngstown.
“The Y has bestowed upon me a great honor, but I certainly don’t do it for that,” she said. “I believe that you have to give to receive, not to receive financial gain, but to receive the blessings of life.”