As LaShawn Brooks prepared to retire from her job with the city of Gary, she was unsure about what lay ahead.
But when she was tapped as the new executive director of the Gary Tolleston YMCA, it felt like coming home, as if she found her true purpose.
“This very area is where I was born and raised,” she said, smiling as she looked around the brand-new $50 million YMCA that opened on Sept. 28.
Sitting at 91,000 square feet, it offers three basketball courts, an upstairs indoor track, two pools and a whirlpool, strength and cardio equipment. It also boasts classrooms, a wellness center, a child development center, a teaching kitchen, community gathering spaces, and a locally operated cafe. More than 800 community residents are members.
Brooks’ family came to the area, like many Southern Black families, for better opportunities at Gary Works. Her mother worked in the mill while caring for her siblings. At 56, she remembers growing up as Gary thrived, with hospitals, businesses, and a strong school system.
A former student of Tolleston Middle School, she remembers the area fondly for the vibrant park that gave neighborhood children the chance to play basketball, run on a track, and participate in many other sports-related activities. In the summer heat, they swam and enjoyed the outdoors.
As they became teenagers, they went to the local corner stores looking for their first job. Often, that’s where she’d see her peers working.
“It was a family-oriented place,” she said. “So anyone could tell you what to do as a kid; if whoever in the neighborhood saw you doing wrong, it was fine for them to correct you as a child.”
Brooks remembers that community-centered childhood fondly. It’s why she spent her municipal career serving others. During her 36 years as a city employee, Brooks served in various roles, including events, managing Marquette Park Pavilion, and in the constituents services office
“I love working with people, love helping and making a difference in the community,” Brooks said, which made joining the YMCA a natural fit. “So, what other organization than a nonprofit that does it best? So that’s when the light bulb went off for me.”
While she saw family and community members leave Gary, she knew that wasn’t an option for her: She had to stick it out.
“I love my city,” she said. “I believe in its comeback, and I just wanted to be a part of it.”
For her, that comeback means being part of the good things happening in Gary, including her role as the Y’s executive director.
As a familiar face in the community, she can personally connect with people whether they come into the Y for the first time or the 20th. That trust and respect have allowed her to tell community members upfront that she’ll follow through on her promises while maintaining the structure needed.
“When you get to be a part of change … your voice is heard, and you are a decision-maker. So I make sure that whatever the community is saying … I remember that and voice that,” she said. In her words, she doesn’t want to waste the role and responsibility bestowed upon her.
According to Crossroads YMCA, selecting Brooks for this role was not only easy, but inevitable.
“LaShawn brings the rare combination of strong business acumen, people leadership, and genuine heart,” said Rebecca Cheek, chief people experience officer at Crossroads YMCA. “We hire for both character and competence, and LaShawn embodies both. Our hope is that her leadership creates a YMCA where every person in Gary feels safe, loved, invested in, motivated, and proud.”
Now, almost a month after the new YMCA opened, Brooks spends early mornings walking around and inspecting Gary’s newest community investment. Every day has been different, she said, but that hasn’t taken away her excitement. If anything, she compares it to being a kid on Christmas — she doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring, but that doesn’t stop the excitement.
“You don’t want to miss a moment,” said Brooks, who prefers interacting with fellow employees and Y members to sitting behind a desk. “I don’t want to miss an opportunity to hear a suggestion, or hear [a happy memory], or just greet someone. My schedule is to spend a little time in every department of the Y every day.”
When she has a moment, she looks down from the second floor and watches community members interact. Sometimes she sees smiles as they leave, or people reaching out for hugs and greetings to those they haven’t seen in a while; other times, she sits in the cafe area, talks with members who spot her, or listens to the music on the overhead radio with them.
For many, it has become a place of relief, and she can’t help but feel overwhelmed with pride.
Some days she turns into the new facility’s parking lot, sits in her car, and stares at the building. She hopes the new facility will offer a safe, loving space like the one she felt growing up in the neighborhood.
“This is so worth it,” Brooks said, her voice choked up with pride. “I’m so grateful, not only to be employed here, but grateful that I got to be the chosen one to make a difference in so many people’s lives.”
