New Executive Director

As Rosemary Seuss left the YMCA’s Kernersville branch to help at another location, Erin Craver is being welcomed in as the Kernersville YMCA’s new executive director with her passion for working with children.
Craver grew up in Winston-Salem and graduated from Reynolds High School in 1997. After high school, she attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she double majored in psychology and human development and family relations.
Craver started out with an interest in pre-law, but soon realized she wanted to work with children.
After college, Craver worked at SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) before she took a position at the William G. White, Jr. Family YMCA in Winston-Salem.
“I enjoyed working at SCAN, but it was a very trying position,” she said. “At the Y, I still got to fulfill my passion for kids.”
Craver said she started out at William G. White, Jr. Family YMCA as the family life director, overseeing camps and childcare, as well as special events such as birthday parties and Healthy Kids Day.
Craver said her biggest passion and priority is to help equip families and their kids with what they need in order to develop confidence.
“I think a lot of times, you have to help build character and confidence, whether it’s a child or adult. The Y has very intentional programs to help do that and that’s what I fell in love with at the Y and that is why I have stayed with them for 10 years,” she explained. “What intrigues me about youth and their family is that it does take a village to raise a kid and the Y is perfectly situated to reach both the community and families.”
Having the experience she gained in her previous position, Craver is confident in continuing the growth of the Kernersville Y and is looking forward to building programs.
“I am looking forward to getting to know the community better, meeting new faces and reconnecting with people from when I was younger,” she said. “I look forward to my stretched goal to grow the membership and programming, and inviting the community in and getting to know the YMCA. I think there is a lot of untapped potential here in the community.”
In getting to know the community, Craver has also joined the Kernersville Rotary Club.
“I am finding different ways to get embedded in the community,” she said. “I like to meet new people and I am thrilled.”
Craver shared that in building on the programs at the Kernersville YMCA, they have recently hired a new full-time staff person to oversee their exercise programs.
“My immediate goals are to provide more group exercise programs. We are more than just a gym and swimming. I think it’s important to help people reach their potential,” she said.
Craver said in the near future they will be redesigning the wellness room, where the cardio equipment is located.
“We want to get some color on the walls,” she remarked.
Craver is glad she had the opportunity to come in during the Bright Beginnings Program.
“I’m very excited to have been here when Bright Beginnings was going on. At the YMCA I came from, they didn’t have that. Seeing this program, it touched my heart,” she said. “We served 124 kids that day and that was just the kids we took shopping. I am very thankful to all the donors who helped us.”
Craver noted that they have backpacks with supplies left over that they will drop off for children in Kernersville schools who are in need who may not have been able to go shopping through the Bright Beginnings Program.
Craver and her husband, Jon, have two children, Elijah, 16, and Charlie, 20 months.