For most members at the North Lexington Family YMCA, Jess Davis is a fixture. He’s been an employee at the location since the doors opened 20 years ago, and today he’s the facility director. Jess is responsible for ensuring the daily and long-term functioning of the Y. He oversees all routine maintenance in order to keep the facility safe, clean and functioning properly for all members, program participants and staff.
Friendly and approachable, you’ll often hear him asking members and participants about their families, or he’ll be deeply engaged in an important conversation about the Cats most recent football or basketball game.
Jess never forgets a name, flashes his smile easily, and knows that every kid he meets might be just like him in the future: a lifelong YMCA guy.
Next time you are over at “North” ask him a question or two, we guarantee you’ll feel better about most things after chatting with him for a few minutes! But for now, read below to find out more about what makes Jess tick.
“I’ve been at the North Lexington Family YMCA since June, 2000, and it’s always been a second home to me,” Jess said. “My Y story dates back to my early childhood. My mother worked at the YWCA in downtown Lexington, and she wanted us to see and experience different things."
“We participated in summer camp at the Bar Y Ranch for many summers, and one of my fondest memories is of the last day of camp, when you would spend the night and the camp counselors would make a huge barn fire which was ignited by a huge ball of fire that came from the sky on this special night.”
As Jess grew up, he continued growing up with the YMCA here in town. “The ‘gray Y bus’ would pick up about twenty boys from Johnson Elementary every Thursday and take us to practice for our Saturday game of all sports seasons,” he said. “Later in life, I went to the High Street YMCA on snow days to play ball.”
These wonderful experiences as child and young man had to impact Jess later in life, and he outlined how profoundly they did. “The Y was, and still is, a strong foundation – one that helped me raise my family. At one point, I realized that this is where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do with my life, work at this powerful non-profit."
“Other jobs may have paid more, but they were going to bring more stress, and I can say for sure that this job has made me emotionally happy and fulfilled.” Jess believes in his heart the mission of the Y is what keeps him here. “The Y is larger than any company, its mission and focus on having its doors open to all frequently reminds me that is better to give than to receive."
When we asked Jess what he appreciated most about the Y, he was quick to answer that it was the support the association has shown him during his military deployments.
“The Y stood behind me through both of my deployments to Iraq and my third to Afghanistan. They’ve supported my military service for the past 23 years.”
“However, beyond this support, in those two plus decades, I’ve rarely met anyone in my career that have I not personally liked,” he added with his signature smile.
Jess was born in 1968, and since this is the year of MLK’s assassination, Jess feels a strong bond to the teachings of the civil rights leader. “I will tell everyone who is willing to listen that we all have a chance in life regardless of background, race, gender and degree of pigment in the skin.”
When he thinks about his personal Y experience and career, his face lights up as he tells us what makes him happy and excites him at the North Lexington Family YMCA. “Kids! This facility wasn’t here when I was young, and I think about how lucky these kids are to have the pool, courts and wellness center available to them.
“Beyond that, seeing how much this location has grown over the years.”
Jess then pauses, and closes with this gem, that we all should remember when we think about the YMCA and its impact on our lives: “There is no doubt that ‘North’ reflects its community, and brings out the best in it each and every day.”