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E6 Herald-Banner Saturday, MarcH 31, 2012

THE FUTUREH E r a l d i n g

r e c r e a t i o n & H e a l t H

By amber PompaHerald-Banner Staff

Having been employed by the YMCA for the past seven years, Christa Compton is a big believ-er in health, family together-ness and the various opportuni-ties the Greenville YMCA pro-vides the community.

Compton came on as sports director for the YMCA in 2005. After serving in that position for a couple of years, she moved into the one she is cur-rently holding, project director.

“My job is a little bit of every-thing,” she said with a laugh.

Compton organizes every-thing to do with the YMCA’s child care programs, like child watch and the summer day camp. She also meets with ACE site coordinators from Greenville Independent School District in regard to the part-nership between the YMCA and the ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education) after-school program.

In addition to this, and being over all the sports programs offered by the YMCA, she is heavily involved in the family events that the YMCA puts on, something she particularly enjoys.

“Our most recent was the Father-Daughter Dance,” she said. “We put on one family night event each month. Some are more extravagant than oth-ers, but they’re always a blast.”

Having grown up in Greenville, Compton can well appreciate the children’s activi-ties that she is now involved with that she used to utilize as

a child.“I remember taking a baton

class here and we actually got to perform in parades,” said Compton. “I also learned to swim in this very pool, like many others in Greenville.”

According to Compton, the YMCA is an integral part of Greenville life.

“It touches such a variety of people in so many different sit-uations,” she said. “It’s rare for you to see the kind of diversity

that you’ll find here anywhere else, and interacting in a har-monious way.”

In addition to the diverse population the YMCA reaches, it also reaches a variety of dif-ferent age groups, according to

Compton. “The Y has something for the

whole family,” she said. “It’s our goal to increase healthy liv-ing and the idea of social responsibility for everyone in the community, for all ages. It’s a huge advantage to have an atmosphere like that in the community, because you don’t get that at every facility.”

With all the responsibilities Compton has within the YMCA, in addition to having three kids and a husband at home, all vying for her attentions, it’s dif-ficult to find time for herself, but find it she does.

“You just have to be orga-nized and maintain that bal-ance between work and home,” she said. “I’m pretty meticulous and over the years have per-fected that particular juggling act. Making time for those moments in my kids’ lives, as well as my passion for the kids and families the YMCA touch-es, is important enough for me to walk that balance beam.”

Compton is looking forward to the expansion of the YMCA, which is currently in the silent fund-raising part of the build-ing campaign.

“I think we’ve gone as far as we can go with this facility,” she said. “I feel like we have something special going on here, something everyone can be a part of, and to not have that, I think it would be detri-mental to the community. I really believe the community will always have need of us. And if their needs change, we’ll change to meet those needs.”

aMBer PoMPa / Herald-Banner

christa compton has served seven years at the yMca of Greenville, with many of those being served as project direcor, and she looks forward to many more, hopefully in a new facility.

PrOFilE On

Christa Compton

YMCa sports director promotes health in greenville

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