How could you resist this smile?

While Stacy Olson’s Y story starts with her learning to swim at Sequoia YMCA as a child, it certainly doesn’t end there. Stacy started working at the Y as a Swim Instructor and Lifeguard when she was a teenager and made the Y a career upon graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2006 when she became the Aquatics Director. She valued all that the Y taught her and how it provided financial support for those who might otherwise not been able to afford opportunities available through Y programs. She still cherishes the memories of the children who learned to swim through swim lessons and the SPLASH program and takes pride in knowing the Y offers lifesaving skills to everyone. You could see what a role model she was when the kids in her swim lessons dressed up as Stacy for Halloween.

Later, Stacy decided to pursue her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. While in school earning her Master’s degree from USC, Stacy continued working for the Y as a Youth Sports Instructor and Summer Camp Director. When she started teaching full time, she decided to shift from working at the Y to volunteering so she could remain a part of the community and give back some of what the Y gave to her. Seven years later, she can still be seen in the pool filling in as a swim instructor and a water aerobics instructor.

Stacy and Family

When asked why she chooses to volunteer for the Y, Stacy said: “I love that the Y represents all of Redwood City. At any given time, there are people from a vast array of cultural, socioeconomic, and political backgrounds gathered together in one space, one community. The Y has provided a social group for my octogenarian grandmother with whom she exercises in the morning. These women are willing to provide her with transportation, call to check on her when they see she has missed a few days, and offer a lovely friendship. Likewise, the Y also provides me with a place to exercise and see old friends, and for my kids to be exposed a diverse group of kind, welcoming people. Plus, the Y has a small town community feel in the heart of tech land and is just a fun place to be!” If you see Stacy at Sequoia YMCA, her husband Jerome, or their two kids, Charlotte and Ryan, be sure to say hello and share your Y story.