Meet Kevin Whelley!

The Greater Scranton YMCA is so excited to introduce you to Kevin Whelley, Program Director for the Greater Scranton YMCA’s new Wellbeing Initiative, which is launching in January, 2023.

Kevin, who has been with the Greater Scranton YMCA since December, 2022, has joined the Greater Scranton YMCA team as a result of Community Project grant funding the Y received in 2022 through Congressman Cartwright’s office. The funding will support the Y’s new Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programming, or Wellbeing Initiative, which includes a menu of services available to community members beginning this year. Programs will be offered at the Greater Scranton YMCA, Greater Carbondale YMCA, Wayne County YMCA, Greater Pittston YMCA, Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA and Freeland YMCA.

Previous to the Greater Scranton YMCA, Kevin served in various roles at Clearbrook Treatment Center, Pyramid Healthcare, Just Believe Recovery Center and Gosnold of Cape Cod.

Here at the Y, Kevin is responsible for the implementation and continued growth of the Wellbeing Initiative at the six participating YMCAs. As Program Director, one of Kevin’s roles will be supervising the Project Coordinators that will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Wellbeing Initiative at each participating YMCA.

“Mental health and wellness are an integral component of the overall health and wellness of an individual,” said Kevin. “Therefore, the goal of the Wellbeing Initiative is to provide awareness, education, programming and support regarding the importance of mental health and wellness, as well as co-occurring substance use disorders through the participating YMCAs and surrounding communities. Through the Wellbeing Initiative, we will strive to eliminate the barriers to, and stigma surrounding, addressing and/or improving one’s mental health and wellness.”

For Kevin, the strength and resiliency within others, as well as one’s ability to overcome adversity and continue to grow and thrive in spite of their circumstances, are his motivation. “We often struggle to identify these qualities/characteristics within ourselves, and I feel called to help people identify, develop and strengthen their individual capabilities,” he said.

While not originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania, Kevin enjoys all our region has to offer, including its landscape, history, proximity to cities and landmarks and most importantly, its people and communities. He enjoys various forms photography and photo editing, as well as spending time on Cape Cod and searching for sea glass.

Please join us in welcoming Kevin to the Greater Scranton YMCA family!