There are times I get ideas for my next Volunteer of the Month column by just being in the right place at the right time. That is what happened when I met Kelly Miner at a Dewitt Rotary meeting. As a new member, Kelly was introduced to the club as the Associate Executive Director of the East Area YMCA. During a brief conversation with her after the meeting I found out that the ‘Y’ relied on volunteers to accomplish its mission. When asked if she would like to recommend someone from the ‘Y’ to be featured in the column she said; “absolutely.” This was not an easy task, as there are so many volunteers at the ‘Y’ that deserve this recognition, but in just a few days Amanda Coyle, Senior Program Director, contacted me and enthusiastically recommended Salatha Willis to be the Volunteer of the Month.
Salatha Willis, and his brothers and sisters, were born in Muskegon, Michigan. One of his fondest memories growing up in that area was the time he spent at the local YMCA. He said; “It was a great facility and beautifully located right at the lakeside. It kept me and my friends off the streets when not in school, and was well worth the 5 mile walk I had to get there. The staff made it a family atmosphere and kept us busy playing basketball and other sports and keeping us in good shape with all the fitness equipment. Looking back on it, I now realize if it were not for the ‘Y’ who knows what would have happened to this 9 year-old kid?”
After completing high school Willis attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, a Masters in Educational Leadership, and played on the university basketball team. While working on his Masters, Salatha got his first job as Hall Director, overseeing the safety and judicial concerns for 500 students. He was also responsible for the maintenance of the buildings the students lived in, and somehow found time to volunteer coaching kids sports and helping at the homeless shelter. Willis said, “I’ve always liked being with people, listening to them, and helping in any way I could, and that didn’t matter if they were a student, a parent, or the custodian of a building.” While at the university Salatha became the Assistant Director of Admissions and also taught classes. And, that is where he met and married his wife, Sheila, who was a law school student.
The Willis’ then moved on to Indiana State University where Salatha became Director of First Year Programs for Freshmen and he completed his Doctorate Degree in Higher Education. The next move was to Martin University in Indianapolis where he was Vice President of Student Affairs. The Willis’ got a little closer to Syracuse when they were both offered positions at Colgate University. Sheila became the head of the Title IX Compliance Department, and Salatha was able to take advantage of his previous experiences and involve himself in both the academic and athletic departments at the university.
Three years ago Syracuse University recruited Sheila Willis for a position in its Compliance Department, which she accepted, and Salatha became the Tutor Coordinator for student-athletes at the school. As he had done in their previous stops along the way, Salatha looked for the closest YMCA. He said, “After all, I now have two young sons and want them to be exposed to the same great experiences I had at the ‘Y’ growing up.” Then, with a tear in his eye, he added, “I recently found out that the YMCA I went to in Muskegon had closed. What will the kids do now?”
It didn’t take long for Willis to find the East Area YMCA in Fayetteville, not far from his home. “Right away I found it to be a community of like minded people that wanted a healthy, clean atmosphere, to recreate in. I wanted to help them have that, so I became a volunteer. I initially became a volunteer coach for kids playing basketball, but when I see a piece of paper on the floor I pick it up, or something out of place I straighten it out. And, on rare occasions when I see a couple of youngsters scuffling I step in and tell them that just a little communication between them could have solved their problem.”
Salatha has had life-long interest in having kids benefit from good experiences in sports. He credits this to Alvin Vanderstilt who taught him about life by playing baseball back in Muskegon. Although Vanderstilit was 80 years old at the time, he was very active as a youth baseball coach. But, Salatha said he was more than a coach. “He had me over to his house for homemade cookies and we talked about developing life skills. I could just feel the way he was interested in me and my future. I learned how good it was to be to be a people person. Because of that, I now love working with young people and developing their leadership skills, and I show them how you get happiness thru the happiness of others. Thank you Alvin Vanderstilt!”
Salatha Willis is also on the Board of the East Area YMCA. He is a community advocate on a task force to bring together leaders to decide what the most pressing community needs are. The task force is holding a community needs forum on Wednesday, May 4th at 5:30pm at the East Area YMCA.
While sitting in Salath’s office in Manley Field House, I suggested that his job as a Tutorial Coordinator for student athletes has become a critical job in the face of recent NCAA sanctions. As he nodded in agreement, I thought that the Syracuse University Athletic Department is fortunate to have people like Salatha Willis, who lives in Dewitt with his family, and enjoys reading about history and science, and, of course, enjoys watching the growth and development of young people.
For volunteer information at the East Area YMCA, contact Amanda Coyle at [email protected].
To recommend someone with a stellar record of volunteering to be featured in this column contact Mel Rubenstein at [email protected] or 682-7162.
