As we prepare to join the nation in celebrating Veterans Day on November 11, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA is proud to honor those who have served our country by sharing their stories. Today we shine the spotlight on YMCA volunteer and army veteran Nick Macris. Nick became a YMCA board member in 2012 and served as board chair between 2020-2021. You can learn more about him in the Q&A below:
Q: Why did you join the armed forces and can you describe your service experience?
It was really the influence of having military experience in my family that motivated me. My father retired from the U.S. Navy and my brother served in the navy. I ended up becoming an Army ROTC cadet at Joliet West and continued as an ROTC cadet for four years at the University of Illinois. I began my four years of active service duty in 1975 and then when I moved back to Joliet in 1979 to work for ComEd I joined the reserves. I completed 16 years in the reserves and ended up retiring from the United States Army in 1995 as a Lieutenant Colonel with the corps of engineers.
Q: What life lessons did you learn from your time in the service?
What I took away from the experiences I had over the 20 years of service were things I learned about sound leadership. I think I may have started out thinking that a good leader was the kind of person that rode around on a proverbial white horse. It’s more about learning the needs and the qualities of the people that you lead to inform your leadership. I have always tried to do the best with all of that to become the kind of leader that people want to follow.
Q: Did those life lessons influence your commitment to volunteerism?
Yes. After I retired from ComEd in 2002 that’s when I decided that the most productive use of my time would be to support non-profits and agencies in the community that were near and dear to my heart. This included things like Project Acclaim, Kiwanis Club, and the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church. I also happened upon the YMCA which was one of the biggest blessings I could receive. My experiences in the years I’ve spent with the Y have been among the most enriching years of my life. The Y is such an amazing organization. There is great staff leadership. There is great volunteer participation. And I truly commend the Y for wanting to go the extra step to commemorate Veteran’s Day.
Q: What does Veteran’s Day mean to you and how can members of the Y community help support veterans?
It’s the sacrifices of veterans that have made such a huge contribution to the success of this country. There’s no way we could ever show them appreciation enough, and we need to do what we can to support them. The key issues that many of our veterans are facing today are things like mental health, suicide prevention, homelessness, and service related injuries. Organizations like Military Outreach USA, Tunnel to Towers, and Wound Warriors help with these issues, as do our local veteran’s affairs facilities in Joliet. Showing your support for those causes can make an impact.
On behalf of the YMCA, we would like to thank Nick for his service to our country and contributions to the YMCA community.
Join the Y between November 10-12 during our Thankful for You Membership Sale and pay a $0 Joiner’s Fee – a savings of up to $120!
Ho, Ho, Ho! This holiday season, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has a series of festive activities planned for you and your family. Come ready to spread joy and cheer together as a community!
YMCA workshops are free and open to the community, providing area students with important resources they can use to prepare for life after high school. Next month the workshop topic will be:
