New Director is Lifelong YMCA Fan

New Farmington Family YMCA Director Laura Perlowski feels right at home in her new position. In fact, she's spent much of her life involved with the organization in one way or another.

"I can remember touring the local YMCA with my mom when she wanted an indoor place to swim," said Perlowski, who previously ran the Livonia Y. She was a baton twirler, a member of the gymnastics team and got her first part-time job at a Chicago-area YMCA.

"It had a huge influence on me," she said.

An aquatics director who was one of her mentors even got her thinking about a career with the YMCA when she was in high school. "Even at that time, I knew what an impact she had on people, and I wanted to do that," Perlowski said.

Originally from Wheaton, IL, she earned her bachelor's degree in recreation and park administration from Illinois State University. She started as a YMCA aquatics director in the 1980s and gained experience in sports and gymnastics programs. But it was her child care experience as executive director of the Lakeshore YMCA in Illinois that made the Farmington job a natural choice.

Farmington's Y has an extensive child care program in partnership with Farmington elementary schools. Not everyone has that general knowledge about how those programs operate, Perlowski said, and most YMCAs don't have child care.

She was also impressed by the Y's good standing in the community.

"This Y is really supported by the community," she said. "That's always attractive."

Perlowski follows in the footsteps of Rick DuRei, another former "Y rat" who ran the local Y for 11 years. She said DuRei has been very helpful and is still leading the committee that organizes the agency's annual golf outing.

Since taking over in March, Perlowski said her biggest challenge has been "meeting all the people that you want to meet." While the Livonia Y was larger, she said she likes the Farmington layout.

"It's a great staff, a great facility. Hopefully, I can add and expand and make things better," she said.