Frank Lenardi, an experienced YMCA staff leader integral to the North Suburban Y's renewal and continued resurgence as a communal service provider, has been tapped to add Camp Directing to his impressive list of credentials and responsibilities. Lenardi has been serving as the Y's Senior Director of Aquatics and Facilities since summer of 2012, and in December was named to the position of Senior Director of Aquatics, Camp, and Facilities at the NSYMCA. This position encompasses management of the Y’s extensive summer day camps, as well as the Y’s comprehensive aquatics programs and facility operations.

Lenardi has been a fixture at the Y in Northbrook since 2000, including over a decade as the NSYMCA’s Aquatics Director. His YMCA roots go back even farther: his first job while in high school was as a day camp counselor at his hometown Y in Elmhurst.

“I’ve always been proud to be associated with Y camp programs because I see the importance of building relationships with campers and their families over the years,” he reflects. “The camp staff becomes a huge part of kids’ lives every summer, which is a responsibility we take very seriously. I enjoy seeing kids grow year to year, especially when some of them return to become counselors.”

In his new role as camp director, Lenardi will supervise a collection of more than 20 diverse camps for children in preschool through junior high. Approximately 300 children per week for 11 weeks participated in NSYMCA camps in 2012, including specialized programs in sports, gymnastics, dance and art as well as traditional general interest camps.

“One of our goals is to make all the Y’s excellent programs available to our campers,” noted Lenardi. “We are always looking for new ways to integrate our strengths in swimming, sports and the arts to make our camps interesting and enriching.”

Additionally, Lenardi sees the Y’s flexible support of family needs as a unique asset to its programming. “We offer a variety of scheduling, payment, and transportation options to our families,” he noted. “We’re not here to say “No.” We want to make Y camps accessible to everyone in the community.”

“Frank is a perfect choice to run our outstanding camp programs,” commented Howard Schultz, NSYMCA CEO/Executive Director.  “He knows that the community depends on the Y to provide engaging, flexible, and affordable camp choices, and he is committed to exceeding expectations. We’re looking forward to another fantastic summer under Frank’s leadership.”

Registration for NSYMCA summer camp is now open. For program information, visit www.nsymca.org.