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Samantha Helton grew up in and around the Y, attending summer camp at the Lee ballfields through the Y, and in and around YMCA group fitness classes as a high schooler.
Her passion has always been dance, which eventually led her to Valdosta State University where she received her BFA in dance in 2005. While in her senior year of high school, and her first year of college Samantha attended fitness classes with her mom, taught by the wonderful Donnette. Donnette pushed her to work for the Y as a fitness instructor, which grew into a passion of hers, rather than just a summer job. After graduation, Samantha taught both fitness and dance full-time and became the Membership Director in 2018, then added the responsibilities of Marketing Director in 2020.
Samantha finds her purpose daily in the interactions with members, particularly with the seniors at the Y, many of whom she had taught before taking the Director position. Additionally, Samantha finds her fun seasonally as a t-ball/soccer mom, toting her kids to games and cheering the teams on, win or lose.
