The YMCA Professional Network (YPN), connects and empowers Y leaders to achieve personal excellence in the YMCA Movement. On Friday, December 13, Massachusetts YMCA teams came together at the Boston Marriott in Quincy to celebrate the Y’s collective impact across the Commonwealth and to recognize the achievements of the Y’s most distinguished local leaders at the YPN 2019 Recognition Awards.
At the event, South Shore YMCA Regional Vice President, Laureen Browning, was honored for her 16+ years of service to the South Shore community, children and families as she received the prestigious YMCA Triangle Award. Each year, the Triangle Award recognizes a long-standing YMCA Professional who has made a positive impact on their YMCA members and community, who embodies the YMCA mission and its values, and produces positive measurable results for more than a decade. The nominee must also have displayed creativity and innovation, involve volunteers, produce positive, measurable results, and produce a final positive impact on the association, community, and/or peers.
As Vice President of Youth Development, and now Regional Vice President for the South Shore YMCA, Browning has worked diligently to navigate challenging and ever-changing operational and regulatory landscapes to successfully open and operate four YMCA early learning centers in Hanover, Norwell and Quincy and nine afterschool program locations across the South Shore. These programs serve over 800 children each day and provide working parents with access to safe, high-quality early education to give their children a chance to grow and thrive.
South Shore YMCA President & CEO, Paul Gorman, presented Browning with the award, introducing her as a respected colleague who works tirelessly to support her team, her community and most importantly, to protect and support children.
“It is an honor and a pleasure to present this Triangle Award to a friend and colleague, Laureen Browning,” said Gorman. “When I began at the South Shore Y over a decade ago, Laureen was the Associate Executive in our Quincy Branch. As we started to create our vision for a new Y at that time, Laureen’s experience, focus and drive was apparent. She was promoted to our Vice President of Youth Development and led the massive growth of our early education and afterschool programs. Working collaboratively with all she encounters, Laureen has been not only an incredible professional, but also a coach and mentor for a lot of us at the Y including young professional women. Because of Laureen’s tireless energy, I cannot think of a more deserving candidate who better embodies the qualities of a Triangle Award recipient.”
“I have worked with many of you through the years,” said Browning as she accepted her award. “We took Child Protection training on the road and trained 20-30 YMCA’s across the Commonwealth because we are so passionate about protecting children. My journey here at the South Shore YMCA has been an absolute blessing. It has shaped the person who I am today, which means it has shaped my family, including my grandchildren. It really has been a fantastic journey, and I want to thank each and every one of you for the work you have done with me, and for the YMCA of Massachusetts and beyond.”
Also recognized for her work and impact on the lives of children was Katie Squarey, Assistant Director of Afterschool and Camp Programs for the Quincy YMCA, who was awarded the Emerging Leader Award.
At the event, Gorman also took the stage to present the day’s Mission Moment, during which he recognized all YMCA’s for their combined efforts to donations of toys, gifts, food and funds through Y Holiday Assistance Programs to help make the seasons brighter for our neighbors in need. Gorman thanked donors, YMCA staff, members and community leaders, including Chef Paul Wahlberg who has donated over 1,300 Thanksgiving meals to be packaged and distributed by volunteers through the South Shore YMCA’s Germantown Neighborhood Center in Quincy and other area charities.
“At the Y, we celebrate giving every day. The work that the South Shore YMCA does along with our members, donors, volunteers and staff each year is reflective of the work you all do to serve the community. From our Giving Trees, to our food pantry, and programs like our $100 for 100 which allows 100 kids to buy gifts for their families, I thank you all for truly making a difference for our communities at the holiday season and all year through.”
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About the South Shore YMCA
The South Shore YMCA is a not-for-profit association of individuals dedicated to improving the quality of life for all through programs that promote healthy spirit, mind, and body. Serving the communities of Quincy, Randolph, Holbrook, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Hanover and beyond, the South Shore Y provides the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive through its services and programs. Financial Assistance is a Y community benefit available to all families in need, applicable to all Y programs and services. To learn more about the South Shore YMCA, visit www.ssymca.org. The South Shore YMCA. The Better You Belongs Here.
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