The Riverbrook Regional YMCA in Wilton has welcomed back a familiar face to its leadership team — beloved, former camp director Aaron Britton.
Britton served as the Y’s camp director for 16 years until 2016, when he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. But after receiving a lung transplant, Britton was able to return to the Y, and earlier this summer stepped into the full-time position of Human Resources Director — a role that not only represents professional growth for him but a personal triumph over a devastating disease.
“Nothing Short of Inspiring”
Britton’s history with the Y stretches to 1993, when he was a college student working part-time at the Brookfield YMCA. In 1998 he began working full-time at the Wilton Y, where he quickly advanced to camp director and led legions of campers and counselors at the infamous Camp Gordyland.
“I loved being a part of the camp for so long,” Britton said. “It was 19 years —16 as the camp director — and seeing campers become staff to then become supervisors. That was just such a wonderful piece of it.”
But in 2016, his career was abruptly put on hold when he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis — a condition usually detected in early childhood, but in his case a rare form that wasn’t flagged in childhood.
“Once I got the diagnosis and learned how serious the disease was, that was when I decided that I needed to step down from my position at the Y and focus on my health,” he said.
Britton’s condition was grave until he received a double lung transplant in May 2023. His recovery during the critical first year was slow but steady, and eventually he returned to the Wilton Y in a part-time position at the front desk.
“From basically 2016 to 2023 I was home, sick and trying to do the best that I could,” he recalled. “But after my transplant… I still, at that point, was home, but was better because I could breathe! And I was more mobile, and rebuilding my body.”
He returned to the Y in late 2024, with a part-time position at the front desk while he continued his recovery. With a profound sense of good fortune and a desire to “make the most of it,” Britton decided to throw his name in the hat when the HR position opened up earlier this summer.
“Christene Freedman, our CEO, she took a chance on me,” he said. “Just to be given that opportunity, after everything I’ve been through, I’m very grateful.”
But Freedman didn’t see it as “taking a chance” at all.
“I always believed in what Aaron could bring to the table. We recognized his strengths and potential from the start,” Freedman told GMW. “I’m thrilled to see that confidence affirmed in his leadership as our director of HR.”
“Aaron’s journey is nothing short of inspiring,” she said, calling his return and promotion “a full-circle moment” and a testament to his resilience and impact on the community.
With Britton at the helm of human resources, Freedman says the community can “expect a renewed focus on inclusivity, staff development and mission-driven leadership.”
Britton admits his path from camp director to human resources may seem circuitous, but he believes his years running camp prepared him well for his new job.
“Camp director [to] HR director — they completely translate,” Britton said, referring to the common skill sets needed. “How to speak to people, how to handle difficult situations, how to discipline staff, how to hire staff… I didn’t start from scratch.”
Perhaps proof of Britton’s knack for HR, three camp staffers under his tenure are now at the director level in the organization, including current camp director Mike Kazlauskas as well as Director of Membership Experience Molly Blosser and Early Childhood and School Age Development Director Kimberly Fejes.
Still, he’s on a learning curve that he expects will extend over a full calendar year, as seasonal demands change.
“I’m enjoying that piece of the learning process, because I think that that’s what makes us all better,” Britton said.
“My goal here as the HR director is [to] make everything easier for everybody,” he said, whether it’s for department heads who need to fill positions or employees signing up for benefits, for example.
Taking Up The Cause
Britton’s inspiring story is now woven into the fabric of the Y itself. After his cystic fibrosis diagnosis, the organization embraced fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Y’s staff and community members have raised more than $100,000 through fundraising events like dunk tanks and annual kickball games.
This fall, the Y community is rallying behind the Fejes, who will run the 2025 New York City Marathon to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s “Breathe Team CT”. [Donations can be made on Fejes’ marathon fundraising page.]
Britton marvels that the Y staff and community have rallied to support a cause so meaningful to him personally.
“It’s very humbling, because I know they don’t have to,” Britton said. “But that has shown me what kind of people are part of an organization like this. The YMCA itself is a charity, and that this charity is also donating to another cause — it really speaks to the heart of this community.”
CEO Freedman signaled the Y’s commitment to the cystic fibrosis cause would continue.
“[Britton’s] promotion not only honors his legacy but also signals the Y’s continued dedication to causes that matter deeply to its staff team and YMCA members,” she said.
“Keep Going”
Reflecting on his many years at the Y, Britton says the its steady mission is what has always motivated him.
“The physical building has changed, but the culture here is what is constant,” he said. “It’s just such an invigorating environment, because you have all walks of life, at all stages of life that are here… There’s always somebody new to meet and talk to.”
“No matter what job you have here, it’s really a great feeling that the whole organization brings about,” he continued. “Using my experience to help people really excites me.”
Britton has learned that perseverance and a positive outlook are paramount.
“The one thing that I always think of — with my own journey, in terms of having been as sick as I was — was basically just to never give up. There’s always a reason to keep going,” Britton said. “Good things do happen. And that was kind of where my mindset was, like I’m doing all of this for a reason. It’s just another positive piece towards being healthy.”
“I try to tell myself each day, I’m fortunate to be here, so make the most of it,” he said.
There are currently several employment opportunities at the Riverbrook Regional YMCA. They are posted on the Y’s website.