John Spears is in the gym at the Waynesboro YMCA at 7:15 am on Saturdays during basketball season, and not far behind him is a lady who has been running the concessions tables for the past 22 years.
“It makes for a long day a lot of days,” said Dawn Pryor, who first volunteered to run concessions for Y basketball when her daughter, Natasha, now 33, signed up for youth basketball in 1994.
Now Natasha works with her mother running one of the two tables – one upstairs, one downstairs – most weekends.
And Pryor’s four grandchildren – Shyhiem Washington, Kian Tate, Zaire Tate and Jasiah White – volunteer their time with Y basketball themselves.
When the young men aren’t playing, they’re coaching, refereeing, running the scorer’s table, or helping out with concessions.
“I want them to understand that you don’t always have to get paid for the things that you do, and when you give back to the community, it will come back to you,” said Pryor, who can’t imagine not being in the thick of it all, despite the long days.
“It can get rough at times. I’m in here at 7:30 in the morning on Saturdays, and the games might not be over until 4, 4:30. But I really enjoy it,” Pryor said.
Spears can’t imagine not having Pryor to lean on, either.
“It takes so much pressure off me having somebody over there that I can trust, and is in complete control of that area. She does a great job, and I don’t have to worry about anything,” said Spears, the youth sports director at the YMCA. “People don’t have any idea how hard that job is, but I just get out of the way. She’s unbelievable how she keeps this operation going.”
And it goes to a good cause. Money generated by concessions goes to pay for new basketballs and other equipment for the Y hoops program.
“That’s where this pays off, and it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that I can help the Y by doing this,” Pryor said.
And she gets to see her grandchildren grow into good young men at the same time.
“The peer pressure for youths today is so hard. There are so many temptations out there. But seeing them giving back the way they are, I know if something would happen to me today, at least I know that they were raised up to be pure gentlemen. That was my goal, for them to know to be able to give back. The reward will come to you. And it’s come to me,” Pryor said.
Volunteer at the Waynesboro YMCA
- Lead our boards of directors and committees
- Raise funds to ensure the Y is accessible to all members of the community
- Coach our sports teams and teach many of our classes
- Extend a hand to help adults who want to do more, be more or live healthier
- Advocate for the Y’s efforts to influence policies and initiatives that positively impact societal issues of importance to the community
- Participate in opportunities to give back and support neighbors
- Help our office/front desk staff and help maintain the inside and outside of our building.
There are many opportunities at the Waynesboro Y. Please stop by and fill out a volunteer form and help us to continue to help our community.
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