The only door that was open...

Hi my name is Lena, and my heart belongs to YMCA!

Why do I have such a big love for YMCA... because its the first organisation that opened the doors towards my dreamsIt was summer 2009 when I heard about YMCA for the first time, I joined them and since then my doors have opened to everywhere.

Lena with her new CEO

I was so eager to learn and experience different cultures, the Y showed me how people from different cultures and backgrounds can live and function together as one. Through the Y I met so many people from all over the world that gather in one placed called the YMCA... they bring change and they help others.

I traveled and learned a lot with YMCA. Being a woman who was born and raised in Kosovo, I had very few opportunities to see how the world functions outside of my borders. With the Y I have traveled around Europe, meeting important people and learning from them, improving my English, being part of different projects that made me feel that I am worthy and I can be someone in life.

In Spring 2013, me and my family decided to make a huge change in our life by moving to Canada. To the land of immigrants! I thought it was going to be easy, the doors and opportunities will be waiting for me. However i faced a different reality, I was looking for jobs all over,  I was getting nothing, no jobs for me, I needed "Canadian experience". The only door that was opened and was welcoming for me, was YMCA of Toronto. Now I realize how big and how powerful our YMCA family truly is.

 I started volunteering for a YMCA Employment center, and after a few months they offered me a Summer Job, working with students. Just before summer ended I applied for another job with the YMCA-Newcomer Information Center and now I am working with new immigrants and trying to help them. Being a new immigrant myself, the YMCA was the one who helped me and my family with basic needs and getting settled in this new country and i want to do the same for others.

Celebrating the week of citizenship with Co-workers

If you want to move on with your life and improve your future, you should be part of YMCA... or if you are involved already you should stay with YMCA! 

With Love from Canada 

Lena




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