Stories from Staff: Changing Futures through Opportunity

The Power of One Helmet: Why I Show Up Every Day 

By Greg Lewis, AVP of Operations, YMCA of Greater Seattle

My name is Greg Lewis, and I’m the AVP of Operations at the YMCA of Greater Seattle. I want to share my story — and why I come to work every day asking staff, volunteers, and donors to lean into the work we do together.

I’m living proof of the transformation an organization like ours can make in someone’s life.

My story starts in 1974. My mom had just gotten divorced and was raising two kids on her own in the Deep South. My dad, impacted by his time in Vietnam, wasn’t able to be part of our lives. On top of that, racism, Jim Crow, and segregation were still very real where we lived. So, my mom made the brave decision to move us to Seattle.

I was five years old — new city, no friends, deep Southern accent, old clothes. I was angry. I missed my dad. I missed everything that was familiar. And I acted out. Fighting, bullying, doing whatever I had to do to protect myself. 

I was headed down a bad path. People around me probably thought I’d end up behind bars one day. That was my reality. But in 1977, two things happened that changed everything.

First, my gym teacher at elementary school, Bud Turner, started a gymnastics team called Scats. If you could pull off a round-off back handspring and stay out of trouble, you could join. I was already known around school for having bad behavior, so when I showed up to try out, Mr. Turner gave me a challenge: two weeks of good behavior, and I’d get a chance.

I gave it everything I had.

I nailed that round-off back handspring, made the team, and for the first time, I had something I was good at—something that made me feel like I belonged. I started to gain confidence. I started to change.

Then, we moved into a new neighborhood, right across the street from Rainier Playfield. One day, I saw a bunch of kids trying out for football, and I immediately knew I wanted to play. My mom took me down and signed me up, but after a few days of practice, they told her we had to buy my equipment — a helmet and shoulder pads — things we simply couldn’t afford.

So that year, I didn’t play. I went to every game anyway, holding the chains, shagging balls—just to be close to something I loved. My mom saw how much I wanted it and promised that if I stayed on the right path, we’d find a way next year.

I did everything I could to earn that chance.

And the next year, someone — someone I never even met — donated a used football helmet and shoulder pads so I could play. That helmet didn’t even have pads inside, and the shoulder pads were held together by shoestrings. But it didn’t matter. It was my chance. And that one act changed my life.

Because of that opportunity, I eventually earned a college scholarship and even played in the NFL for several years. That changed my family’s life. I was able to help send my sister to college. And when parents go to college, their kids have a better shot at going too. The ripple effects just kept going.

Later, I paid it forward. I started a football camp in my hometown, Port St. Joe, Florida, where, by the way, I was the first person to ever make it to the NFL. I brought teammates with me, and we gave back to that small community. Two kids from that camp even made it to the NFL themselves.

All of that — from a helmet with no pads.

That’s why I do this work. That’s why I show up. Because people like Mr. Turner, Michael Thompson at Rainier Playfield, Rudy Wells at the Boys and Girls Club, and Coach Manuel Washington gave me a chance. And someone out there—who probably never thought twice about donating some old gear—ended up changing not just my life, but the lives of my entire family and others in my hometown.

So when I ask you to lean into this work—to volunteer, to give, to show up—it’s because you never know what your impact might be.

Even if it’s just an old helmet.

Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep giving kids a chance to change their story—just like I got to change mine.

Note: The Stories from Staff series is shared in the unedited voice of YMCA of Greater Seattle staff. They reflect personal experiences and perspectives, and do not necessarily represent the views or official positions of the YMCA of Greater Seattle.