Over the course of the three years that I have served on the Boothbay Region YMCA Board of Trustees, the Y has made great strides towards improving the lives of youth and teens within our community. This poignant impact has been made possible through the dedication of staff members, volunteers, and generous donors of the BRYMCA. Every day we are given the opportunity to positively affect the lives of youth in our community and we have done so through important programs and initiatives such as Youth in Government, the free summer meals program via Healthy Lincoln County, Camp Knickerbocker, and the Teen Membership Initiative supported by Paul and Giselaine Coulombe.  
 
Youth in Government has given me, and youth like myself, the opportunity to gain experience in government, an area in need of youth voices. It teaches those involved the processes of the legislature, how to lobby, debate, and create meaningful legislation that models what is needed in the real world. Specifically, while involved with YIG, I was able to represent Maine as the Youth Delegate for the 2017 YMCA National Advocacy Days where I met like-minded youth and learned how to tell my “Y story”. I met with Y mentors and advocates who taught me how to spread the positive message of the Y while creating change in government by lobbying on Capitol Hill. I talked with Maine’s U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and met with Maine’s U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin, discussing how organizations like the Y are extremely important to youths’ development and character, using my own experience of growing up at the Y as an example.  
 
While my time at the Y began at the mere age of three, I remember more vividly my time spent at Camp Knickerbocker. My summers were spent making new friends, swimming in the lake, and enjoying quality time outdoors both exercising and exploring. The counselors were mentors to me and other campers and they offered support, advice, and most importantly, fun, for children like myself when we needed it most. Camp continues to provide a welcoming and fun environment for campers across the Peninsula and beyond, with campers from Damariscotta's CLC Y joining in on the fun as well. While I’m no longer a camper, I do get to return to Camp K and spread the same joy that camp gave to me as a child, now as a counselor. I make one-on-one connections with campers and can see the joy that this community brings them every day as they swim, boat, run, and play with new friends. The summer meals program, which is offered at camp every week, has also made significant changes in the Boothbay region as well. It offers families the support and peace of mind they need, allowing them to be worry-free about food insecurity. The healthy and balanced breakfasts and lunches provided ensure that all children, regardless of financial status, are offered at least two meals a day, free of charge. Thanks to donor support, the Y is also able to provide scholarships for families to ensure that every child is able to attend camp.  
 
For youth in the community that are too old for camp, the Boothbay Region YMCA is proud to have the Teen Membership Initiative which offers free membership to teens within the Boothbay Region Community. Supported by the Coulombes, the Initiative began in 2015 and has since funded Y memberships for hundreds of teens, giving all youth within the Boothbay region access to a safe, supportive, and sustainable community. Thanks to the Coulombe Family, every child in the Boothbay region has the opportunity to thrive, to be inspired, to change the world. The Teen Membership Initiative truly represents how one individual and one gift can change the lives of so many for the better. By giving the opportunity of exploration and success to the youth of the Boothbay region, the Family’s gift has not only strengthened the future of our community but the future of our world as well.

Lillian Sherburne is a 2018 graduate of Boothbay Region High School.