Blog #6

Because of my lacrosse playoff schedule, my Boston trip got pushed back a few days, but on Thursday morning, I finally flew out. Before going, they tasked me with researching other YMCA’s work with the local police. I found articles, wrote summaries on how different YMCAs have done this work, and compiled them into a slideshow. For example, the Greater Cleveland YMCA partnered with the NBA to host basketball challenges with ten police officers and thirty residents. After creating this, I woke up at 4:45 AM, went to the airport, and hopped on a 6:30 flight to Boston. I was super excited for this trip because not only is Mr. Shapiro an amazing leader and mentor, but he is also my uncle. Since I was really little, I have seen him commit so much of his life to service and the world. He went from being the head of Mentor now to the head of the Greater Boston YMCA, and it has always been a goal of mine to learn from and be like him. So, I got to stay with my family in Boston and learn from him as a mentor and role model. When I got there, I met with Mr. Shapiro and got to meet many of his co-workers. At the time, he was in a senior meeting that I got to sit in on, where they talked about updates on the work they had been doing and things coming up. After this, we went to the groundbreaking of an organization named IBA’s new building complex. IBA stands for Inquilinos Boricuas En Acción. Their mission is “IBA empowers individuals and families to improve their lives and achieve socio-economic mobility through high-quality affordable housing, education, financial and resident empowerment and arts programs” (IBA). IBA’s new building, LA CASA, serves to do three things: Strengthen IBA’s services (bring them under one roof and make it easier for them to access; Reinvigorate IBA’s art program (Be a new home for IBA’s arts program dedicated to supporting Latinx artists, it will allow IBA to expand its programming); and expand IBAs education, social and economic mobility programs (provide more space and serve more people). We met many intelligent people at the event, and it was great to get that experience. I also got to learn a lot more about how people, organizations, and the city support an initiative. After this event, I went back and showed Mr. Shapiro my presentation, and we talked about the work they do at the Y. Then I helped Lauren, Mr. Shapiro’s co-worker, and assistant, with a few tasks around the office. I sorted gift baskets and matched receipts for the company, and after working during the day, Mr. Shapiro and I went to my cousin’s baseball game and were home for the rest of the evening. Overall, it was a great first day, and I learned so much about how companies like these operate!

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