The YMCA Hall of Fame has upcoming inductee from Colquitt County

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2023

MOULTRIE — Everyone aspires to find that job that gives them purpose and satisfaction. The job that turns into a lifelong career because it’s a passion. The job that doesn’t turn into simply a job no matter how many years pass.

Norm Joyner, acting COO at the Moultrie YMCA, found “that job” straight out of college.

“I had to go to summer school to get my degree finished,” said Joyner. “Afterwards, the school’s Director of Health and Fitness of PE called and said there was a job opening and I should interview for it.”

The job was in New Jersey as the N. 3 PE position at the YMCA Montclair location.

“I still have the letter they [YMCA] sent me on July 31, 1967, offering me the job,” said Joyner. “I had never set foot in a YMCA until July 3 [for the interview]. I flew there, never been on a plane before.”

At the time Joyner was living in North Carolina, where he was born, raised and completed his collegiate career.

“I already had some opportunity to teach in North Carolina,” said Joyner. “But, my wife, who I met at Shaw University our junior year, is from New Jersey, so it was nice to take her back.”

By the completion of 1967, Joyner would both begin his YMCA career and marry his college sweetheart.

56 years later both are still going strong.

“Of course it was hard,” said Joyner when asked about moving his family around so much. “I have to make my wife find a new job every time or the kids change schools. But they were all supportive, except when we were in Los Angeles. That one was tough. None of them wanted to leave LA.”

Having continued to serve the YMCA well into retirement, Joyner still remains heavily intertwined with the organization and, because of his cumulative efforts and influence, is being inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame, July 10 in Atlanta.

“After my first promotion I decided the YMCA was my career,” said Joyner. “They gave me lots of training up front, especially that first year. Even sent me to training. They made me a director after four years. It changed the whole trajectory of my career. I was promoted just about every other year after that. Companies just don’t do that.”

Since the YMCA began their Hall of Fame as a way to celebrate and acknowledge those professionals and volunteers that, through a lifetime of commitment to the mission and cause, established lifelong positive changes to both the movement and to individuals only about 150 people have actually been inducted.

“I am not going to take it lightly,” said Joyner. “It is not something to take lightly. I am humbled about it. I am extra fortunate to have the induction happen on my current home front. ”

This is the first time in YMCA history that the general assembly, which takes place every four years and is where all inductions are completed, will be hosted by Georgia’s capital.

The process to even be considered a nominee for induction is very rigorous.

“It’s a huge process,” said Joyner. “All the information and documentation had to be submitted by June 2022 just to be considered, and I was just informed I’m being inducted in March.”

Standardly, each candidate has a team of six. One prime nominator who acts as the spokesperson and five others who present letters on behalf of the nominee.

Joyner had a team of 10. His prime nominator was accompanied by nine letters.

“Nothing but humility,” said Joyner. “That you’ve done something well and someone else is paying attention and recognizes you and recommended you. I can’t even express it.”

The senior vice president for the YMCA USA International Division, Tom Valentine, was the primary nominator for Joyner.

In addition to getting the supporting letters, Valentine also had the responsibility of picking five of the YMCA categories required of all Hall of Famers, making three to four different examples on behalf of the nominees for each.

Between his 35 years as a professional and time after retirement, Joyner’s submission packet was nearly 30 pages, not including the letters.

The nine letters made a conglomeration of those who Joyner has worked with throughout his career.

The national director of the YMCA world alliance, national general secretary, two members of the national staff and two now retired CEOs made up the required six letters.

The final three letters were extra special to Joyner.

“I didn’t even know they wrote letters until I got the packet,” said Joyner. “Three of YMCA’s current CEO’s heavily involved in the movement that I used to mentor wrote letters for me. To know that you helped someone get to that level, and then they do that for you? So humbled.”

So, why did so many people rush in service to help give Joyner this prestigious honor?

Put simply, it was well deserved.

Joyner’s journey has been, well, 56 years long, and has had a lot of unexpected turns and unique experiences, which have resulted in many lifelong relationships.

“Every stop I’ve made has been tremendous,” said Joyner. “There’s ups and downs, but every stop career wise has been beneficial.”

Along the way Joyner has worked at a plethora of locations both coast to coast within the states and to many international locations.

Joyner was fortunate enough to be in Los Angeles during the 1984 Olympics and was asked to be a YMCA representative at the games.

“Reform movements from all around the world came together to hold the world conference during the Olympics,” said Joyner. “The worldwide YMCA Health and Fitness was always number one from a programmatic standpoint, and I mainly hosted the health and physical alliance, though I did also help spectators get from point A to B to C.”

Though he was attending the Olympics for work, the YMCA made sure to give Joyner the opportunity to not miss some events firsthand.

I had about 20-30 tickets to events,” said Joyner. “I think about a third of what I went to was track and field. Going to the coliseum there is just so much going on. On TV you only see one event at a time, but in person there is so much more to watch. It is so exciting. I can’t even explain it. I mean, it’s the Olympics.”

That is a once in a lifetime experience that Joyner got to have twice.

After transferring to YMCA’s Atlanta downtown branch to be an executive, the 1996 Olympic Games came to town.

Joyner was once again asked to be a face for YMCA, getting the chance to have a second experience around the Olympians.

Shortly after these unique and memorable experiences, Joyner was invited to join the YMCA National Staff.

“Adrian Moody (at the time worked on the national staff, but used to be an executive member at Moultrie’s YMCA) recruited me from the Atlanta metro staff to come to the national staff. He thought since I had experience in health and wellness, children care and youth sports that I could be a natural consultant. It was a tremendous opportunity.”

At that time, there were 34 YMCA’s in the southern district, including Moultrie.

“I met Rich Gallagher when he was a junior staff person and I was doing some training,” said Joyner. “We’ve stayed in contact through the years and built that connection.”

Intending it to be a short stint, Joyner ended up staying on the national staff for almost nine years.

“I never felt out of place,” said Joyner. “I was able to provide support, guidance, leadership and training. The longer I stayed the more I was able to serve. I eventually got exposure to the international level and the worldwide movement.”

Joyner began traveling to places such as Haiti, South America and Africa for training, conferences, relationship building with partners, wellness program organizing and much more.

“Moody is who first got me into the international movement,” said Joyner. “I owe him a tremendous amount of credit.”

After nearly 30 years of combined service, Joyner announced retirement.

“I retired in 2002, whatever that means,” said Joyner with a smile on his face. “I left at 58 years old with the plan that I would still be able to do something.”

It didn’t take long before Joyner figured out what that something would be, and he started traveling quite frequently to South Africa to assist with the relationship between international YMCA programs.

“I’ve made about 28 trips over 13 countries in South Africa in the last 20 years,” said Joyner. “I’ve taken over 800 people and have worked to help cultivate the relationship and support the international movement.”

As with the Olympics, the YMCA let Joyner enjoy some personal time abroad.

“I’ve been on about 13 safaris across South Africa,” said Joyner. “Seen everything you can think of. Cheetahs, lions, warthogs, giraffes and elephants. and it’s not like the zoo where you just see one or two. You see big groups. There is nothing else like it.”In addition to his volunteer work with the YMCA’s international movement, Joyner has also spent his retirement years assisting 19 different branches across the states with Chief Operating Officer transitions.

“I go to the location for anywhere between four months and one year,” said Joyner. “I assist in terms of the hiring process and fitting the seat the COO left until a new one comes in.”

}Joyner’s current opportunity to assist with a COO transition is at the Moultrie YMCA.

“I’ve known Rich Gallagher for quite some time,” said Joyner. “When he asked me to be here in the interim I accepted because I already knew a lot about Moultrie. It was easy to make that decision and support Rich.”

14 months later Gallagher and Joyner are still looking for that perfect COO to step in at the Moultrie YMCA. “I mentor the staff and Rich,” said Joyner. “This YMCA is growing and experiencing an expansion, especially with the development of merging with other communities, like Bainbridge.”

Last March, Joyner had the opportunity to to once again visit Africa as a YMCA representative. This time, Gallagher accompanied him.

{p dir=”ltr”}While they were in Africa, Joyner was again given a once in a lifetime experience.

{p dir=”ltr”}“It was Monday March 6, 8:30 p.m. my time, 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time,” said Joyner. “We were all out to dinner at a very nice restaurant after a day of working, 35 of us in total. 12 were from the United States. We had a private room and everything. Well, I got a call from Tom Valentine. I thought he was going to ask me to do a presentation…he had me step out … he said to me, ‘I just got a call from the Hall of Fame committee that you have been selected.’ I broke out.”

{p dir=”ltr”}Joyner went on to explain how all 35 attendants of the YMCA committee gathered for that dinner watched him cry unabashedly on the balcony of a top tier restaurant. Gallagher, thinking something horrible had happened to Joyner’s family, tentatively walked to him.

{p dir=”ltr”}“I just handed him the phone,” said Joyner.

{p dir=”ltr”}When Joyner regained his composure after hearing such tremendous news, the dinner party turned into a celebration for him.

{p dir=”ltr”}“They got the band to play the YMCA song,” said Joyner, reflecting on how his peers tricked him into thinking there was a phone call for him at the front desk. “As I was walking over, they started playing and everyone started dancing. They played the song for 10 minutes.”

{p dir=”ltr”}Joyner was understandably overwhelmed.

{p dir=”ltr”}“It was so appropriate to get the announcement in Cape Town in front of all the folks that know me and were on the trip and have been on this journey. Rich was there. I felt the gratitude and weight of the accomplishment.”

{p dir=”ltr”}So, at 78 years old, after 56 years with the YMCA, how is Joyner feeling?

{p dir=”ltr”}“Truly blessed. I mean that in all sincerity. I’ve got a wonderful life. No doubt in my mind that I would not be sitting here if it was not for this journey; because, that’s what it is, not a job, a journey.”