150 Years for All Mothers

A Mother's Day Reflection from President and CEO Loria Yeadon

Motherhood has been the greatest gift of my life and has also humbled me the most. I have three daughters who I have watched grow and their individual personalities and styles develop over the years, and each day, I ask how did I get so lucky to have these amazingly generous, smart, and kind young women in my life. I remember Joseph bringing me and Lorial home on Mother’s Day a week after her birth. She spent her first week of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to birth complications. Maternal health is so critically important and changes everything when you don’t have it. This was one of my scariest and most joyful moments as a mom — a bit of a metaphor of my motherhood experience — joy and pain, but all worth it. The real joy comes when they evolve from babies and terrible twos, to sassy teenagers and experimenting young adults, to career women and your best friends. How lucky am I! 

This Mother's Day feels even more special as the. YMCA of Greater Seattle is celebrating 150 years of service in the Puget Sound region. As I reflect on that milestone, I keep coming back to one simple truth: the Y has always shown up for mothers and their maternal health in support of all youth and families. For 150 years, we have been a place where families can find the support, the connection, and the care they need to grow. That promise has never wavered, and remains at the heart of everything we do, everywhere we do it. 

For generations, mothers have walked through our doors carrying the weight of everything they hold. The weight of working or going to school and caregiving at the same time. The weight of wanting more for their children than they were given themselves. The weight of finding time to take care of themselves and their own maternal health so they can continue to show up for their children and their extended families and communities. The Y has been here for all to help make the lift of life a little lighter.

Our early education centers have supported children from their very first years of life — giving working mothers the peace of mind that their children are not just being cared for, but truly nurtured. Through Kids Zone, we aspire to, give mothers the space to focus on their own Whole Person Health while their children play, learn, and thrive just down the hall. And at summer overnight camps like Camp Orkila and Camp Colman, we have given children experiences that build confidence, resilience, and connection to the natural world, and families a little breathing room in the hardest season to navigate. And because mothers deserve that same sense of renewal for themselves, our Women's Wellness Weekends are exactly that — a chance to rest, recharge, and reconnect with themselves and each other in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. The next retreat is at Camp Colman, September 25–27, 2026. 

Our commitment to being there for moms and their families continues today, and the need could not be greater. Maternal health remains one of the most pressing issues facing our community. Here in Washington, more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, and the disparities facing Black and Indigenous mothers in our region are a sobering reminder of how much work remains. I have seen firsthand how access to quality child care and enriching programs is inseparable from a mother's ability to protect her own health, pursue her career, and show up fully for her family. These issues are deeply connected, and they deserve our full attention. That is why I am proud to stand alongside the KD Hall Foundation this Mother's Day as they premiere '1978: The State of Maternal Health,' airing on KING 5 at 10:00 am. The documentary features 18 voices from across our region working to bring these urgent conversations to the forefront, and I encourage you to tune in. When a mother knows her child is safe, supported, and thriving, she can thrive too. That is what 'for all' means to us, extending to the many definitions of motherhood, including grandmothers who step in when needed, aunties and chosen family who show up without being asked, and single dads doing the work of two. Motherhood also includes mothers who are now with us in spirit, whose love and nurturing still shapes the people they raised, and those who are grieving today, whether you are missing a child or missing your mother, grandmother, or auntie. We hold all of you in our hearts. 

To every mother and mother figure in our community, thank you. Raising my daughters and watching them grow have only deepened my commitment to  the Y’s work and impact for families. The Y has always been part of our family’s journey, and we hope the Y has been part of yours too.  

For 150 years, this the Y has been built on the care, the sacrifice, and the unrelenting love and support of our dedicated Y family and people like you. From our hearts, thank you for all that you do to allow us to continue showing up for all youth, families, and communities, for the next 150 years and beyond. 

From our Y family to yours, Happy Mother’s Day. 

                

In gratitude and community,                 
Loria Yeadon, President & CEO                 
YMCA of Greater Seattle

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