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Woman volunteers at YMCA for the fun of it

By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

Alice Hassibi said she’ll only volunteer at the YMCA as long as she’s having fun. She’s been having fun for at least five years now, and has no plans to quit anytime soon. “I tell my ladies that I’ll quit when it’s no longer fun, but it hasn’t happened yet,” said Hassibi, who teaches water aerobics and water walking two times a week to a group of women, many of them senior citizens, at the Uniontown facility.

Wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit, her short blonde hair slicked back, Hassibi bounces and splashes around the pool for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday morning, encouraging the women in her class to give it their all.

“They all work at their own level,” she said. “I joke around with them, they joke around with me, and we have a lot of fun.”

All fun aside, Hassibi does a lot for the YMCA, volunteering 15 to 20 hours every month. In addition to teaching her water class, she also serves as a substitute Silver Sneakers instructor and volunteers for other occasional events.

Silver Sneakers is a senior citizen physical fitness program that works with health-care providers to provide fitness programs to older adults.

All of Hassibi’s work and contributions were recently acknowledged during a board meeting at which time she was presented with the 2005 Uniontown YMCA Program Volunteer Award.

“Alice does all kinds of things for us,” said YMCA director Steve Cooper. “She’s pretty sharp.”

Hassibi, who resides in Perryopolis, said she was “unbelievably surprised” when she found out she was the recipient of the award. “I burst out in tears; I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I don’t deserve it. I’m here because I enjoy being here and working with seniors.”

A retired teacher and administrator, Hassibi said she started working out at the YMCA to relieve stress. She soon began leading the water aerobics class she was enrolled in when the instructor couldn’t make it, and eventually began to teach her own class.

“When I first came here, I begged Steve Cooper to allow me to sign up for only six months instead of a year because I didn’t want to waste my money if I didn’t like it,” she said. However, she did like it, and she’s been a proud member of the YMCA ever since.

Even when she’s not teaching, Hassibi still can be found at the YMCA. She takes yoga and physical fitness classes there and often works out in the evening two or three nights a week, driving down with her husband when he gets off work.

“I’m here all the time,” she said, laughing, as she pulled a Silver Sneakers T-shirt over top of her wet bathing suit following a Thursday morning workout session.

Hassibi said she “firmly believes” in the YMCA and said many people don’t realize the treasure they have in their own back yard.

“Not enough people come here and use the facility,” she said. “This is one of the most beautiful YMCAs in southwestern Pennsylvania. I encourage everyone to at least come and take a tour.”

Hassibi, according to Cooper and several other YMCA staff members, is liked by everyone who meets her.

She is, they say, an ambassador of the YMCA, promoting the facility whenever possible and attracting people with her gregarious personality.

“She’s one of the most friendly people you’ll ever meet,” Cooper said. “Everyone likes her. She’s willing to do anything. She’s a big help.”

Although Hassibi said she’s “not looking for awards,” she said she was “extremely honored” to receive the volunteer award and said her time spent at the YMCA has been “tremendous.”

“The ‘Y’ has invested in me,” she said, noting that the facility has paid for her to become certified by the Arthritis Foundation and the Aquatic Exercise Association.

Sitting in the lobby outside the pool area, Hassibi is relaxed and comfortable in the familiar surroundings. She said she doesn’t see herself quitting the YMCA anytime soon.

“I’m still having fun,” she said.

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