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PENSACOLA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS SUPPORT OF THE CURRENT EFFORTS TO RELOCATE THE DOWNTOWN YMCA TO THE COMMUNITY MARITIME PARK. In a recent survey of PYP members, which garnered over 90 responses, 78% of our members expressed their support for the plan to move the YMCA to the Community Maritime Park. Additionally, 52% of our respondents stated that a new YMCA at the Park would increase their willingness to move to or live in downtown Pensacola. Last month, the Pensacola Young Professionals held an Urban Redevelopment Advisory Committee (URAC) Forum. At the URAC Forum, PYP members voted to select their three highestpriority items from the URAC Report. One of the items PYP’s members chose to support was a focused effort to increase affordable housing opportunities in Downtown Pensacola and create a vibrant, livable community in that area. A new, state-of-the-art YMCA will certainly contribute to that goal. This community facility would be an absolute asset for any young professionals looking to locate in the downtown area, and would work in concert with the stadium to add tremendous public value for those considering a move to Pensacola’s downtown core. For those already downtown, this amenity would increase the overall quality of life, as the facility is sure to improve the overall health of our citizens and increase the amount of safe after-school activities available to our youth. The Community Maritime Park was always dedicated to hosting community facilities, such as UWF’s proposed Maritime Museum. That goal is not lost, since the new YMCA facility is set to educate visitors with historical displays illustrating our community’s past and its close ties with the water. The proposed facility will also have ways for our citizens to enjoy our waterfront with kayaks, paddleboats, and stand-up paddle boards. PYP’s membership and its Board of Directors are strongly in support of the proposal to relocate the YMCA to the Community Maritime Park. We encourage our city leaders to arrange matters
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as necessary to allow this move to happen as swiftly and easily as possible. PYP is a non-profit organization whose mission is to share our passion for and belief in the Pensacola Bay Area, and to act as a catalyst for positive change in our community.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT As my last month winds down as your President of PYP, I have found myself looking back at what an outstanding year we’ve had. With so many events and projects, it’s easy to forget everything we’ve been a part of: a charity ball and charity golf tournament, thousands of volunteer hours with local non-profits, three political forums, the Chick-fil-A Leadercast, the first inaugural Blue Wahoos season, the URAC Report, and so much more. I want to use this time to thank everyone around me who made this last year so successful. Our Advisory Board plays a behindthe-scenes role for the Board of Directors, giving their time, advice, and experience to make sure we make good decisions. I want to thank our Advisor Board chair, Rodney Rich, for everything that he and his fellow advisors have done for us. Our organization is driven by the team chairs and general members who are the foundation of our spirit, our work, and our voice in this community. Thank you to everyone who stays involved and believes that we can move Pensacola forward. To all of the sponsors and business leaders who support PYP, thank you for caring about our community and the young professionals that are following in your footsteps. To bring my term to a close, PYP is holding its Annual Dinner on Saturday, March 23rd ON THE FIELD at the Blue Wahoos Stadium!! Our guest speaker will be Quint Studer, and we have been graciously sponsored by the Lewis Bear Company for our beverages. You do not want to miss this event! Call the PYP office if you would like to purchase tickets. Justin Spence will take over as your PYP President on April 1st. Justin has served on our Board of Directors for several years, leading various teams and projects. He played a crucial role overseeing his Community Development Council as they took on operations for
the Better Pensacola Forum. He has been my right hand Auburn Man, and he will be a great leader for PYP. Thank you for allowing me to lead this amazing organization for a year; it has truly been an honor. War Eagle Chad Stacy President- PYP
MEMBER OF MONTH: SYDNEE JOHNSON, PPDI MEMBER
Hong Tran is our Board Member of the Month. Hong holds the At-Large seat in charge of PYP’s Strategic Plan. As the Corporate Director of Strategic Planning for Baptist, Hong has been able to bring her expertise and knowledge to our Board to establish an adaptable plan for our organization. Her plan implements goals and accountability for our Board, Team Chairs, and PYP as a whole. We thank Hong for her hard work and dedication to PYP and Pensacola!
EVENT CALENDAR MARCH 14 QUARTERLY MEETING NATIONAL FLIGHT ACADEMY 5:30 PM MARCH 23 PYP 2013 ANNUAL DINNER PENSACOLA BLUE WAHOOS STADIUM ON THE FIELD! 6:00 PM
Sydnee Johnson is doing great things for PYP’s Pensacola Professional Development Institute. She recently organized a series of public speaking seminars for PYP, in conjunction with Toastmasters. Sydnee single-handedly arranged the four class sessions, bringing in a dozen great speakers and organizing the curriculum for the seminars. Thanks to Syndee, over 20 PYP members received great training in public speaking, thereby gaining personal confidence and improving their professional ability. PYP and PPDI want to thank Syndee for all of her hard work and diligence!
BOD MEMBER OF MONTH: HONG TRAN, MEMBER AT LARGE
MAY 4 PYP 2ND ANNUAL CHARITY BALL MUSEUM OF COMMERCE 6:30 PM MAY 10 CHICKFILA LEADERCAST PENSACOLA SITE HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH 8:00 AM
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WWW.PENSACOLAYP.COM For more information on Pensacola Young Professionals or to join please see our website Pensacolayp.com or contact Director Rachael Gillette Pensacola Young Professionals 41 N. Jefferson St. Ste 108 Pensacola FL 32502 (850) 332-7820