The YMCA of Lincoln thrives because of its remarkable people. We are immensely grateful for our dedicated staff, who make the Y an exceptional place to serve our community each and every day. Continue reading to meet one of our incredible team members:
Makenzie Waller
Fallbrook YMCA Youth, Teen & Family Director
How long have you been with the YMCA of Lincoln, and what other roles/position have you held?
I have been working full-time for the Y for 5 years now! I started my full-time journey as the Youth, Teen and Family Assistant Program Director. After working in that role for about 1.5 years, I got promoted to be the head Youth, Teen and Family Program Director at the Fallbrook YMCA.
How did your journey with the Y get started, and what initially drew you to the organization?
I worked at the Copple Family YMCA in a part-time role for about 2 years, prior to being the Assistant Program Director at Fallbrook. I was the Site Supervisor for the Before/After School Program at Wysong Elementary and for Copple’s Summer Day Camp Program. I loved being able to connect and build relationships with the students and families that we served on a daily basis!
What makes the YMCA of Lincoln different than other places you’ve worked?
The YMCA of Lincoln has so many programs for everyone. There is stuff for kids, families, adults and seniors. We really try our hardest every day to be intentional about how we can reach every person in the community. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in, we’ve got something for everyone and that’s what makes us so different than other organizations or businesses!
What's the best thing about your job?
The best part about my job is that I get the opportunity to step into programming whenever I’m able to. My job is primarily all of the “behind the scenes” operations of our child care programs. But being able to take 20 minutes to step into our Preschool Classes during learning centers or going over to our After School Program at Kooser Elementary to be able to play a game or do an activity with the kids is so special. It allows me to take a step back in my job and remind me of my “why”. These kids and families are why I want to create the best childcare programs possible!
What is one of your favorite memories working at the Y?
One of my favorite memories working at the Y was our “$5K the Hard Way” event that we held on Giving Tuesday in 2024. On that day, the Fallbrook YMCA branch had the goal to raise at least $5,000 for our Annual Fundraising Campaign. I was put as the lead person to organize the day as far as member and staff participation, decorations, social media posts, etc. Everyone at the Fallbrook Y rallied together that day and we were able to raise over $10,000. It was amazing to see that so many members, staff, family and friends wanted to give back to the Fallbrook Y because of the positive impact and experiences they have had here!
What’s the best advice you've ever received?
Love others loudly and proudly. All of the people in my life, and the ones I encounter every day, are so important to me. I want everyone to know how special they are! Everyone deserves to feel special and seen.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I am a movie fanatic. I was the kid that loved going to Blockbuster on Friday nights to check out movies for the weekend. As I got older, my friends and I would go to Walmart to buy $5 DVD’s that they were selling to watch different movies we had never seen before. Before I knew it, my DVD collection grew to…a large amount. Still to this day, I own those DVD’s and still love to watch movies when I am able to!
Thank you, Makenzie, for an incredible 5 years at the YMCA of Lincoln! We look forward to seeing the wonderful things you will achieve in the future.