As the new Green Bay West Side Y’s Healthy Living Director, Kim Elsing is constantly striving to set the standard for excellence. A role model to her children, to Y members, and to fellow staff, Kim has been leading by example for over a decade now.
Kim has been a part of the Y since she was 24-years-old, serving in a variety of roles. Her journey began following the arrival of her twins, when she started looking for work without the steep cost of daycare. Luckily, she found out that working at the Y gave her the best of both worlds!
She began as a swim instructor in the preschool department, providing little ones with opportunities to gain confidence in the water. As time progressed, she found herself being motivated to take on a bigger role in the organization. The Health & Fitness Director at that time encouraged her to start teaching fitness classes since she was already an inspirational figure to women juggling both motherhood and personal health. This started her transition from the preschool department to the fitness department.
As a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, Kim’s favorite class to teach was and still is ‘Strength Train Together,’ which she’s been teaching since January of 2012! Through her role, Kim has had the opportunity to meet a great deal of members, many of which have become more than just clients.
Kim shared the heart-warming story of a member who gifted her a camera. Kim was adopted as a child and was flying out with her own children to Seattle, Washington to visit her biological father. The member approached her before her trip and told her that she needed to remember this moment for rest of her life. She then gave Kim the camera, which Kim used to document the experience.
“When I say Y Family, it’s for real. We are all really going through life together and getting to know each other in a way that, when there’s big things that happen in life, you’re there for each other, you’re celebrating, you’re crying. That’s what’s so cool about our Y community,” she says.
With the impact of COVID-19, Kim realized that she needed to be in a position to help the members as best as possible and for as long as possible. That drive led her to take on the role as Healthy Living Director, where she is now leading all areas related to Healthy Living at the West Side Y, where she continues to serve the community in a time of need.
Thank you, Kim, for being a part of our Y Family! The YMCA is lucky to have you.