Jake Downing is the Experience Manager at University Hills-Schlessman YMCA.
“I help just about everyone,” Downing said.
He oversees the front desk team and collaborates with other departments to improve the member experience.
“I think what I like most about the YMCA is the people I’m with every day,” he said.
Downing has worked at this branch of the Y for a long time, earning the position of manager, and his parents sent him to kindergarten at the Y Academy.
“It was affordable, kid-friendly, a place my parents wanted me to be safe, and it was in the community,” Downing said of his parents’ decision to enroll their son at the YMCA.
After graduating from Y Academy, Downing attended summer camps and organized sports programs playing baseball and basketball.
“I had enough good experience that when I was thinking about where I wanted to work, the YMCA was in the back of my mind as a good place to be,” he explained.
During high school, he manned the lifeguard stand at the pool and eventually became the head lifeguard, while also working overtime at the front desk.
“My parents always taught me that if you want something you have to go out and earn it, so this gave me the opportunity to go out and earn it.”
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He continued to work at the YMCA while earning his college degree.
“I went to school and then I worked 40 hours a week,” Downing said.
During her years at the YMCA, Downing learned a lot, including time management, responsibility and how to be a good listener.
“You have to listen to your members. They talk about their experiences so you can grow from the good experiences and deal with the ones that aren’t so fun,” he explained.
Downing said the most rewarding part of working at the YMCA is the sense of community he has developed with staff and the members they serve, and he plans to continue working there as long as new opportunities arise.
Link: YMCA Metro Denver
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Libby Smith
