News and Stories

What is your name?  SheriLee Voigt. What is your position with the Y?  Employment Facilitator at Pandosy. What do you always find yourself saying?  I feel so blessed to work where I work. If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world (currently alive) who would you select? Jackie Chan.

The 14th Annual Cycle for Strong Kids will take place virtually this year on Sunday, May 30th where participants can have fun supporting #YMCAStrong Kids their own way! The event welcomes riders and movers & shakers of all ages, encouraging everyone to get active for a great cause. 

After immigrating to Kelowna from Venezuela, I found it very difficult to feel at home in a foreign country. I was struggling to learn the language and had numerous doors slammed in my face while trying to find work. I was very lucky to find the YMCA where I started to volunteer and had the opportunity to learn more, connect with a community, and improve myself.

After two years of training to become an IRONMAN, I was crushed when the triathlon I registered for and had poured so much time into working towards was cancelled due to COVID. With the help of the YMCA of Okanagan, I was able to persevere through my training and create my own Lone Wolf IRONMAN. They provided the support and environment I needed to succeed.

After the birth of my second child, I was struggling to juggle two young kids when tragedy struck. I received a call that a crane had broke and fallen, dropping a 7,000-pound beam on my husband, Vince, while he was at work. It was so horrific, the first responders didn’t think anyone could have survived an accident of that magnitude.

After decades of battling an extreme drug addiction that left me working on the streets, I got clean and moved to Kelowna in search of a new beginning. I was finally sober, but still had so much healing to do to avoid relapsing.