Letter: A Thank You to Wilton, from Former YMCA Chief Development Officer Jarred Barnes

To the Editor:

I must start with a thank you. Almost four years ago, a Pittsburgher, moving from Philadelphia (for those that know, let that sink in), came to Fairfield County Connecticut. All I knew about the state was the Merritt Parkway, which I drove on once, when traveling to a wedding in Rhode Island for friends from Lehigh University. Little did I know, the Merritt would become a major part of my commute, along with Route 7 and Belden Hill Rd. I digress…

Over the past years, I have been able to become an “insider,” a far cry from the “outsider” I was when I took the job as the Chief Development Officer for the Riverbrook Regional YMCA. This is due to all of our combined work together. I am blessed to have had the partners and community members I met in Norwalk, Redding and Wilton. We came together with the common goal, to make our communities stronger, make our communities more inclusive, and make our communities where we want to work, live, and play every day.

I think back to all the “new” and “different” things we did together. From three successful Rock at The Y events to Bands on the Beach this year, to the joint golf and pickleball outing Autumn Aces with the Wilton Library this past October. We came together to challenge the norm.

We also created a non-profit executive group which brought together all the different leaders in our community to make sure we did not schedule events on the same day, to collaborate and make each event stronger, and to support one another in our common goal — making Wilton and the communities we serve, stronger! Thank you to my fellow executives and leaders at the Y, the library, Wilton Historical Society, Wilton Pride, Wilton Youth Council, Wilton Chamber of Commerce, Wilton Land Trust, Connecticut Humane Society, Trackside, Wilton Garden Club, Friends of Ambler Farm, and those who I currently cannot think of. 

Thank you to the youth-serving and service organizations I have worked with closely: Wilton Little League, Wilton Baseball and Softball Association, Wilton Education Foundation, Wilton Public Schools, Kiwanis Club of Wilton and Rotary Club of Wilton.

Thank you to the Wilton Police Department, Wilton Fire Department, Wilton CERT, Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Town of Wilton, Our Lady of Fatima, Hindu Mandir and Temple B’nai Chaim for helping us create a stronger and safer community! 

A thank you as well to Heather and her team at GOOD Morning Wilton. Small, yet extremely mighty, this community asset helps all of us by reporting all sides of our stories, for the GOOD of the Wilton community.

If I have erroneously missed you in any of these groupings, I do apologize, this was not intentional.

Regardless of if you know me as ‘The Y Guy,’ Woody, some other name that I don’t know, or my given name, Jarred — thank you. Thank you for making this Yinzer feel at home, roughly 412-plus miles away from that. It was once said:

“Good friends never say goodbye. They simply say, ‘See you soon.’” – Unknown

I mean that, see you soon, because goodbye is never an option. It has been my honor and pleasure to be a small part of this community and I ask only this as I go: Please continue to volunteer, help, and donate to the organizations you deem important. Now, more than ever our Y needs you. The storm and flooding in August of last year stunned us, yet, did not stop us. The ‘Heart of Your Community’ needs you. 

Thank you for allowing me to be part of this ride and playing a small part in who we are. 

Sincerely, gratefully, and with true thanks,

Jarred S. Barnes