Jade Vespa's Y Story

Jade Vespa has been at the YMCA at the Essentia Wellness Center for almost a year but has been involved with the YMCA since she was a kid. She originally started with the YMCA soccer program in Virginia, MN and after graduating high school, she taught swimming lessons at the YMCA. When she became a single mom, she utilized the YMCA’s childcare which helped give her a couple of hours to herself each day. 

“I have always been super thankful for the YMCA and the programs they provide for the community," she said. 

One thing that drew her to the YMCA was the knowledge of knowing what to expect when coming in to work out.  

“There are always programs, they’re always trying to create more things to get more people into the door and I always found that impressive, to keep changing as time changes," she said. “This YMCA has women's weights, there are water Zumba classes, yoga classes... I feel like there’s a little bit of everything." 

Vespa utilizes the free weights a lot, which she said is where her background is. She coached CrossFit for five years but it didn’t have childcare. Coming to the YMCA has been helpful because, with a toddler, CrossFit wasn’t an option.  

“My son Sloan has taken swim lessons here, the infant swim lessons, which he absolutely loved," she said. “My husband comes here, and my daughter uses the gym facility to practice basketball." 

“This Y, in particular, has so much to offer," she said. She listed several services, such as the Yellow Bike, the friendly front desk staff, and the trainers upstairs who walk around and make known that they are available to people.  

“I feel like that is super helpful, knowing you can come to people if you need something, have any questions, or have anything that needs to be fixed."