There’s No Place Like This Place

Lekisha Robbins - Fitness Instructor

Sometimes people find the Y in simple ways. For Lekisha Robbins, it started with a yoga class.

Around 2009, she was just looking for a local place to take yoga. Lisa Lemons was teaching at the time, and that class drew her in. Lekisha began attending regularly and tried other classes as well. In those early days, there were only a few instructors. It was a small but passionate group building something meaningful.

Then someone at the front desk asked her if she would ever consider teaching Zumba.

Her answer was a hesitant maybe.

The YMCA offered to pay for her training, and she attended her Zumba certification in December 2009, even spending her birthday weekend at training. By January 2010, she was leading Zumba classes at the Washington County Family YMCA.

Later, when Lisa was ready to step away from teaching yoga, Lekisha stepped in to lead that class as well. What began as attending a class turned into years of service, leadership, and connection.

When asked how she has seen the Y build stronger families and a healthier community, Lekisha does not talk first about fitness results. She talks about community.

She has watched relationships form inside her classes. She has seen people hold one another accountable. She has seen friendships grow. As she puts it, it is not so much just a workout. It is fellowship.

That sense of belonging is what keeps people coming back. It is what helps individuals stay consistent and families stay connected.

When asked what she would say to someone considering joining the Y, she does not hesitate.

They are missing out if they do not join.

Because the Y is so much more than exercise. It is preschool. It is childcare. It is youth classes. It is Healthy Kids Day. It is a gym, a gathering place, and a safe space for families to grow.

As we celebrate 25 years in Washington County, alongside 175 years of the YMCA movement nationwide, our theme says it best.

There is no place like this place.

And people like Lekisha are exactly why.

Thank you, Lekisha, for saying yes and for helping create the fellowship that strengthens our community every single day.