YMCA/APYC Camp Kekoka

Meet Your Camp Executive 

Joe Hickey

• What inspired you to become part of the YMCA community? The Y has been my family's community for about 18 years now. Starting as a volunteer as my children started with soccer and basketball at young ages, and my daughter in the preschool program was just the start. Before working for the Y, I also served three years as a volunteer on the Middlesex executive board. Since moving to Virginia from New York, the Y has always been my community and place.
• What are some of your most significant accomplishments at the YMCA? My old Center Executive reminded me of everything I have done at the Y.  He recalled I was a program director, child care director, property director, coach, referee, plumber, parent whisperer, sailing instructor, bus driver, and licensing guru. I feel my best accomplishment had to be navigating COVID.  As one of the first centers to open for child care, we served one child for nearly six months and then reached a capacity of 28, serving three counties. Keeping them six feet apart was the easy part. Keeping a mask on a five-year-old was rough.
• What are your hobbies/interests outside of work? Currently, my outside-of-the-Y life focuses on keeping up with and enjoying my children. My son Shawn is a senior at JMU, and my daughter Shannon is a junior at Middlesex High School. I love being out in nature, hiking and camping, and spending a little time in a kayak. It's not unusual to find me out in the woods just listening to the sounds of the wild or looking up at the stars late at night.