Thu, 05/21/2015 - 8:00am

BILL PEARSON, Staff Reporter

New Boothbay Region YMCA membership director Lura Raymond, right, visits with fellow YMCA workers Richard Teague and Rose Mooney this week. Raymond started working at the local Y in March. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register

A University of Maine graduate and Orono native is the Boothbay Region YMCA’s new membership director. Lura Raymond, 28, began her duties in March. As the membership director, she is responsible for ensuring the best possible experience possible for members.

Raymond worked primarily in nonprofits since receiving a degree in business administration from the University of Maine in 2008. She has worked for the American Cancer Society branch in Massachusetts, March of Dimes branch in Scarborough, and National Kidney Foundation office in Portland. She also worked as the Southern Maine YMCA’s volunteer coordinator in Portland.

“I saw the opening here and reached out to Andy (BRYMCA executive director Andy Hamblett) because the membership director’s position was right up my alley,” Raymond said.

A major part of Raymond’s job is reaching out to the community and telling them about the BRYMCA.

“My job is to share of the story of how we are. My goal is to reach beyond what happens in the four walls of this building and expand its reach into the community,” she said.

Hamblett said Raymond’s past experience working for a YMCA and her being a “people person” makes her an excellent addition to the staff.

“Lura bring YMCA experience and is passionate about the Y and its mission: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility,” Hamblett said. “She is outgoing, focused on customer service and brings a team approach to the position.”

Raymond is excited about living in the Boothbay region. Her new job brings her closer to her boyfriend who is stationed at the Coast Guard base in Boothbay Harbor. It also allows her an opportunity to live on the Maine coast.

“I tell people I know more about potatoes than lobsters,” Raymond said. “It has been a real pleasure living here. I’m very appreciate of the welcoming attitude that I’ve experienced since arriving.”

Lura is pronounced “Laura.” The unique spelling is something that four generations of women on her mother’s side carry on.

“It was my great grandmother’s and grandmother’s name. It is my mother’s middle name. And I have a cousin Lura,” Raymond said.