The heart of our Durham YMCA is our members, volunteers and staff. We are blessed with staff members who take great pride in our YMCAs and serve with a heart for the mission and building a stronger community. George Dunteman is the ultimate humble MVP, and while he's done his best to evade the recognition spotlight, we're so glad that his extensive fan club finally cornered him!
“I have been a member of the Lakewood YMCA since 1970. I learned how to swim there, and my son was also very involved in YMCA programs throughout his childhood. I was hired for a full time position in the Lakewood Wellness Department in 2002. I served as a Wellness Director and Personal Trainer at Lakewood for several years, before switching to our Facilities Department.
"I chose the YMCA for a career because I enjoy helping others. The YMCA allows me to do that, because of their strong Mission, and commitment to making our community a better place to live for everyone. I love the positive environment, the dedicated staff, and the great diversity of members.
"When I am not working, I am usually hiking in the woods with my dog. I lift weights everyday and I have been involved in Martial Arts since I was a kid. When I have time, I love to fish and go camping.”
There was no shortage of enthusiastic colleagues and members when we asked folks to share about George and what he means to us:
“When I think of George the words that I would use to describe him are humble, generous, thoughtful, positive, grateful, and caring. One of the reasons I love what I do is because I GET to work with people like George everyday. He gives you a reason to smile! If you haven’t had the honor of meeting George…you need to because you are missing out!”
-Laura Ferguson, Executive Director
“George takes great pride in keeping Durham’s wellness equipment running like a well-oiled machine. Everyone calls on George for everything, but he never complains. George’s humbling spirit allows him to truly live into the Y mission of putting Christian values into practice while impacting the lives of members, staff and the community.”
-Gail Burwell, Facilities Director
“He is the most underpaid person at the Y because he does EVERYTHING! And he is by far the champion of the We Build People campaign. But in all seriousness, he is one of my favorites. He is one of a kind. I salute him for doing what he truly loves.”
-Holmes, Durham YMCA Member
“A few things come to mind when I think of George. One is that he does not have any long pants at least that is what he told me once. No matter how low our temperature drops, George will always be wearing shorts. The other is that George is on top of keeping the equipment going. Sometimes the equipment has issues - George is the man to call and he gets it back on track. Also, he has always been a very friendly staff member. Easy to talk too.”
-Clay, Durham YMCA Member
*You may notice that George's thumbnail photo is a tad grainy. The backstory there is that his preferred feature photo was one with his Y teammates. George (far right) is as clutch - and sharp - as a winning axe bullseye!
