YCONS Feature: Mary Jo Hayes
The closest thing the Merrimack Valley YMCA has to a celebrity is Prospect Hill’s own Mary Jo, a Lawrence local and beloved swim instructor who has taught generations of swimmers since joining the Y in 1975. She built a life here doing what brings her joy, saying, “I wake up in the morning and I am excited to work.”
She’s retired three times, but something about the Y keeps calling her back. She says it’s the community, the structure, and the simple happiness of teaching kids how to swim. When asked how long she planned on working for she says, “I would like to do this until I can’t do it anymore.” Over the years, Mary Jo has taken on whatever needs to be done. “I was even a mermaid the other day,” she laughs. Some of her favorite moments are when someone stops her in public to say, “You’re still teaching?” or “You taught me how to swim.” Those small encounters remind her how her work has impacted so many in the Merrimack Valley.
Her favorite memory in her 50 years of being with the Y was an overnight Y retreat in the ’80s, remembering everyone “feeling like little kids at summer camp, staying up late and laughing.”
The Merrimack Valley YMCA is so grateful for Mary Jo’s 50 years working with us, and for her dedication, her joy, and the countless people she has helped. We are honored to have her as part of our Y family.
