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Board President Profile: Christie Bik

Christienne “Christie” Bik

Board President

Christie Bik (Shrewsbury) was elected to serve as president of the YWCA’s board of directors. Christie has held various positions on the YWCA’s board of directors for 11 years with increasing roles of responsibility including vice president and president-elect. She also served as a member of the executive committee and chaired the YWCA’s Public Policy Committee. Most recently, Christie served as a tri-chair of the YWCA’s LIVE Capital Campaign, spearheading the fundraising campaign for the YWCA’s $24 million renovations of its Salem Square facility in downtown Worcester.

Christie is director of government affairs and public policy at Fallon Health. In this role, she supports Fallon Health’s business objectives and mission by focusing on strategic public, community, and government relations opportunities. Before Fallon, Christie spent eight years in the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney. Previously, she was a legislative assistant for Congressman James P. McGovern and legislative aide for State Representative Robert Spellane. Christie is a graduate of American University and received her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. In 2007, Christie received the Massachusetts District Attorney Association’s Spotlight Award, and in 2014, she was honored with Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty award. Christie also serves on the Boards of the New England Council and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

What does “empowerment” mean to you?
Empowerment is when your voice is heard and acknowledged and change happens.

What are you most excited about being the new YW Board President?
I am very excited about the next chapter at the YWCA Central Mass. Under the leadership of our new CEO, I see so many ways the YWCA can continue our mission in our community and our nation.

What advice do you have for young girls today?
My advice is to stay engaged and committed to your beliefs. We need to all of you to be engaged and make change.

Who Inspires You?
Young girls inspire me especially my daughter. They are so strong and committed to making the world a better place and making sure they will be leaders in it.

What’s Your Favorite Quote?
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

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YW Staff Profile: Darlene Belliveau

Darlene Belliveau

Darlene Belliveau

Director of Children’s Services

Where Did You Attend School?
Doherty Memorial High School, studied at Becker College and earned an  Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelors in Psychology.

How Long Have You Been At YWCA?
37 years

What’s The Best Part Of Your Job?
Welcoming families and children being a resource and building that home to school connection. Supporting families with events at the YWCA and in the Worcester Community my goal is to make parenting as seamless as possible for them! My goal for the educators at the YWCA is to support, coach and mentor and provide a team of professionals who respect parents as equal partners that practice core values. My goal for the children is for them to make valued friends, successful learners and develop a foundation for kindergarten and beyond!

Who Inspires You?
When we collaboratively work together as a TEAM to implement strategies that help children and families succeed!

What Song Empowers You?
You Light up My Life By Debbie Boone helps me to keep positive energy!

What’s Your Favorite Quote?
“We can FEAR everything and run or we can FEAR everything and rise!”

What Does The YWCA Mean To You?
Empowerment! Welcoming, Family-Centered! We strive for our families and educators to become part of our extended family!

About Darlene’s Department: Early Education & Care

YWCA’s Worcester and Westborough Childcare Centers serve children ages 1 month to 5 years. Our programs are designed to spark each child’s natural curiosity and encourage age-appropriate learning. Group childcare allows children to learn and play in a healthy, secure, and friendly environment. YWCA Early Education and Care centers feature:

 

 

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YW Staff Profile: Amanda Mattingly

Amanda Mattingly

Pronouns: she/her/hers
ICAPP Supervisor

Amanda Mattingly is the ICAPP Supervisor for the Domestic Violence Services (DVS) department at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts. In her role supervising ICAPP, which stands for Intensive Co-Assessment Planning Process, Amanda works with survivors of domestic and sexual violence who are experiencing housing instability using a trauma informed social justice lens and wellbeing orientation.

In addition, Amanda works on the DVS training team to train staff and community members on domestic violence, advocacy, and vicarious trauma. Amanda also sits on the Worcester Domestic Violence High Risk Team, the Housing Stability and Self-Sufficiency Sub-Committee of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, and regularly attends community meetings such as the Coordinated Community Response Network (CCRN) and Continuum of Care (COC).

Where Did You Attend School?
UMass Amherst- English

How Long Have You Been At YWCA?
2 years

What’s The Best Part Of Your Job?
I love being able to witness when a survivor achieves their goals and feels empowered. I also really enjoy envisioning and working for a better world with my brilliant colleagues.

Who Inspires You?
The survivors I get to work with inspire me all the time with their courage, persistence, and wisdom.I am constantly learning from our participants!

What Song Empowers You?
Times Like These by Foo Fighters

What’s Your Favorite Quote?
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept” – Angela Davis

What Does The YWCA Mean To You?
The YW means a great deal to me – I have the opportunity to serve survivors, to think critically about how our culture and systems can change to prevent violence, and actively strive to shape a better world. I am lucky to be part of a great team!

About Amanda’s Program: ICAPP

Intensive Co-Assessment Planning Process (ICAPP) is a new pilot approach supporting sexual and domestic violence survivors, in four counties across Massachusetts (Worcester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin). ICAPP is an intensive, time-limited process to support positive outcomes and increase wellbeing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. ICAPP addresses some of the systemic fragmentation and inaccessibility that impedes survivors’ progress and access to housing. ICAPP is centered around using a Wellbeing Orientation which includes building on what’s going well in people’s lives and what’s working for them, in their family and community. ICAPP provides immediate intervention during approximately the first 24 hours when a Participant is in need of emergency housing. Over the following weeks, mid-term options are co-assessed, balancing the need for assessing the longer-term implications and tradeoffs of any decision with the need to focus on the here and now. The purpose of ICAPP is to join with the Participant and their family to determine what is needed in the immediate future, without having to make decisions that may trigger a cascade of events that are hard to undo or that have long-term consequences.

 

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YW Staff Profile: Deryck Roberts

Deryck Roberts

YW Staff Profile: Deryck Roberts

 

Job Title:

Fitness Coordinator

 

Where did you attend school / what did you study?

I graduated from Becker College with a degree in Business and a concentration in Sports Management.

 

How long worked at the YW:

One month

 

What are your favorite workouts or fitness routine?

Leg workouts and running on the treadmill before I workout.

 

What song empowers you?

Any Jay-z song

 

What is your favorite part about the Fitness Center?

I love that the fitness facility is newly renovated and ready for workouts.

 

Who inspires you?

My mother, brother, and sisters.

 

What’s your favorite quote?

“I walk into every room as myself. I don’t walk in any room as anyone else. I’m not cowering, I’m not speaking soft, my voice doesn’t change – it sounds exactly the same way. I’m walking as myself and proud and I speak for us and that gives me a joy.” Jay-z

 

What advice do you want to share with your peers about being a member of the YWCA family?

The YWCA brings a family feel. We really concentrate on the connection between everyone- whether you’re an employee or a member.

 

What does the YWCA mean to you?

The YWCA, to me, means opportunity. A place where you can really explore who you are, who you want to be.

 

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YW Staff Profile: Alfee Westgroves

YW Staff Profile: Alfee Westgroves

 

Job Title:

Women’s Health Specialist

 

Where did you attend school / what did you study?

I have a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Worcester State University.

 

How long worked at the YW:

 2 years

 

What are your favorite workouts or fitness routine?

I have earned a green belt in Tang Soo Do karate. I also love to dance and think Zumba is a great workout.

 

What song empowers you?

The first half of the Hamilton Soundtrack or some 80s jam.

 

What is your favorite part about the Fitness Center?

 There’s something for my whole family.

 

Who inspires you?

Beyoncé has amazing movement and stamina.

 

What’s your favorite quote?

“Get in the way and get in good trouble, necessary trouble…seek justice for all.”- John Lewis

 

What advice do you want to share with your peers about being a member of the YWCA family?

It means a lot to me to feel so supported as an employee and an individual. It feels awesome to be able to follow my passion at work every day.

 

What does the YWCA mean to you?

A place where I can do work I truly believe in, where I know my work empowers others and helps better the community.

 

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YW Staff Profile: John Dwinell

John Dwinell

YW Staff Profile: John Dwinell

Job Title:

Aquatics Coordinator

Where did you attend school / what did you study?

Worcester State College and UMass Amherst

How long have worked at the YW?:

4 years

What are your favorite workouts or fitness routine?

  • Swimming
  • 200 yards of kicking with fins warm up
  • 200 yards Breast Stroke
  • 200 yards Side Stroke
  • 200 yards of Flutter Kick w/board
  •  Underwater swim

What song empowers you?

  • American Storm-Bob Segar
  • Under Pressure-Queen
  • Toes-Zac Brown Band

What is your favorite part about the Fitness Center?

The new facility is a breath of fresh air for the Strength and Cardio area of the YWCA. The new equipment is easy to use and understand and there is something here for all fitness levels. Having a new floor and lighting as well as having the ability to control the temperature of the Fitness Studios is a huge plus.

Who inspires you?

My mother and father. They were both great influences on my life. Both were people who enjoyed the outdoors and brought us exploring. They could make the most out of simple things. Both of them gave their children a love for nature as well as instilling a passion to help others through civic duty.

What is your favorite quote?

“The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed” Captain Jacques Yves Cousteau

What advice do you want to share with your peers about being a member of the YWCA family?

Enjoy every minute of it. Without knowing, you are making a difference in the lives of others.

What does the YWCA mean to you?

Community- working with others for a greater good. A chance to pass knowledge on to others be it working with my peers or in the pool teaching swimming and lifeguarding. Through the working with others, I find myself becoming a better person.

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YW Staff Profile: Jermoh Kamara

Jermoh Kamara

YW Staff Profile: Jermoh Kamara

Job Title:

Director, Wellness and Health Equity

How long worked at the YW?:

Started September 8th, 2020

Where did you attend school / what did you study?

Providence College- BS in Health Policy and Management; BA in Community Health

New York Medical College – Master’s in Public Health; Certified Health Education Specialist

What are your favorite workouts or fitness routine?

I enjoy strength and intense workouts so my favorite workouts are Snatches and deadlift.

What song empowers you?

Any African or Caribbean music that comes on Pandora.

What is your favorite part about the Fitness Center?

Our staff does an exceptional job at cleaning as it pertains to the COVID regulation for gyms. The fitness facility close for two hours during the day to deep clean so that it is safe for our members. We want members to know that we are on top of cleaning so that they can feel comfortable to come in to use our facility.

Who inspires you?

Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and the Dalai Lama.

What’s your favorite quote?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ― Marianne Williamson

What advice do you want to share with your peers about being a member of the YWCA family?

There is nowhere else that I can think of to start up with your fitness goals other than the YWCA. A membership at the YWCA grants access to our new fitness facility, group classes, and our pool. What we offer is exceptional and our affordable prices cannot be compared especially with our location being in the heart of downtown Worcester. It is the place to include in your everyday plans for nurturing a healthy lifestyle.

 What does the YWCA mean to you?

I am excited about the role I am in because I look forward to making the YWCA a home away from home. From the programs and services we offer, to the people I work with, and the members that come to the YWCA to use the wellness facility, I want everyone to feel at home when they come to the YWCA.