This article originally appeared in YC’s Winter 2020 Challenger Newsletter. On International Women’s Day, we’re publishing this wonderful piece again to celebrate a wonderful woman!
Upon Retirement, Beloved YC Founder Mary Sue Tanis Reflects on the Little Nonprofit That Could
Written by YC Trustee Vince O’Keefe
The life-changing nature of Youth Challenge is hard to explain. In our recent interview, YC founder Mary Sue Tanis, who is retiring after 44 years leading the nonprofit organization, reflected on the unlikely alchemy that led to its creation and still fuels it today.
In the early 1970s, Mary Sue majored in recreational therapy at the University of Colorado. She also loved swimming and often shared a pool lane with Greg, a Vietnam veteran who had arms but no legs. When one of Mary Sue’s professors asked her if she would like to assist people like Greg, she said yes in part because her brother had also recently served in Vietnam: “I just pictured that Greg could have been my big brother.”
Upon returning to Cleveland, Mary Sue noticed a Fairview Women’s Club swim program that included children with disabilities. She called the woman in charge to join and quickly learned “it was nothing but fun.” So in 1976, through a combination of her tenacity, resourcefulness, and vision, Mary Sue spearheaded her own program through the Fairview Park Recreation Department.
Remarkably, Mary Sue went door-to-door on foot and on bike in her parents’ community to find participants and volunteers! Soon the recruits started meeting twice a week in the local park. Mary Sue noted: “I used to train teen volunteers in my parents’ basement in the beginning . . . we were very much like the little engine that could.” She laughed when recalling that some neighbors questioned the project (and her can-do attitude).
By 1983, Mary Sue’s little-nonprofit-that-could incorporated. It had no vehicles and not much of a headquarters, but that didn’t stop the number of participants, volunteers, supporters, and activities from growing. As she stated, the “kids” kept coming, trying new things, making new friends, and gaining self-confidence. But make no mistake—the work was invigorating but also exhausting. Mary Sue admits that during the first decade, “I had a hard time separating where my life began and Youth Challenge ended.” Gradually, she realized she needed to find capable people who “would own Youth Challenge with me.”
An important side note about the early years of YC involves its absence of a physical building. Apart from avoiding overhead, Mary Sue always wanted to “project” the participants and volunteers into public spaces like parks to raise awareness of disability and access issues. In the process, participants gained social interaction beyond their families and teen volunteers “bridged the gap” with the public by explaining to curious onlookers what they were doing. Mary Sue noted: “We were sowing the seeds of inclusion and we didn’t even know it.”
Over the past few decades, Mary Sue’s desire to find people who “would own Youth Challenge with me” has been fulfilled with abundance. “There’s a saying,” she explained, that “‘we measure success by the ones who come back.’” Today, Youth Challenge is a large family with a beautiful facility and many staff and Board members who were involved at YC in their own youth. Mary Sue beamed with pride when she said “they passed it on and it has multiplied . . . we’re into two to three generations with some families.” For that reason, “the future of Youth Challenge is nothing but bright” and the goal remains the same: “Create that big smile and vibrant atmosphere that makes them want to come back . . . there’s no reason these kids can’t touch the stars.”
Last fall, I had the privilege of facilitating a Team Building Leadership Retreat with the Alumni Community Team Executive Committee. Guided by the principles of the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots Toolkit, our team explored ways to strengthen the YC Alumni Community by becoming compassionate leaders. Throughout the retreat we developed skills and traits such as being hopeful and optimistic, collaborating and communicating openly, thinking critically and being introspective, acting with a purpose, inspiring peers, and being empathetic, adaptable, resilient, and team players. The Alumni Executive Committee committed to being leaders of the YC Alumni Community, guided by compassionate, educated thought to make good decisions for our community.
We look forward to connecting with even more alumni in the Winter/Spring session. Information about programs for YC Alumni can be found on our YC website and alumni Facebook page. Please consider joining us for a session! All virtual alumni programs can be accessed with this link: 
YELP, Youth Empowerment and Leadership Program and Peer Support is one of Youth Challenge’s most attended programs. This program is a type of peer support for both volunteers and participants aged 16 to 25. Every Wednesday night, participants and volunteers gather virtually or in-person to talk about different topics. Through our discussion and reflection, YELP fosters an environment where anyone – participant, volunteer, or staff member can come to and leave feeling empowered and supported.
Jane Rapp, an alumna of Youth Challenge, was and continues to be a bright spot in what was an eventful year for Youth Challenge. Jane, or as some people call her Janie, is a 24-year-old young woman living with Cerebral Palsy. A Cleveland Heights native, Janie attended Beaumont School and went on to study Psychology at Edinboro University, finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Toledo. Jane is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Psychology at Mercy College.
I heard the Blink 182 song “All the Small Things” on the radio a few days ago. Generally, a song like that makes my car go faster, but not this time. I, Chris Garr, started to slow down. I actually paid attention to the lyrics and it made me think about all of the small things… that make a big difference.
Chris Garr
When COVID-19 caused YC to put a pause on in-person programming, it was disappointing for a lot of participants and volunteers. But for someone like Mariam Tadross, switching to virtual activities presented the perfect opportunity to re-connect with the YC Gang!
When YC went virtual a couple months ago, Mariam re-engaged with her second family through our social media posts and then signed up for our virtual programs taking place this summer.
“Virtual programming has been the best thing that’s happened to me in the quarantine,” Mariam says. “These times are very worrisome and lonely, but even for just an hour a day, we are reminded by this community of people who we love and care about that we are all still together even if we are miles apart. I am very grateful for the efforts that the YC staff has put into keeping programs running while putting the safety of participants and volunteers first and how it has allowed me to be active at YC again.”
You might remember YC taking part if ADA Days at Wade Oval for the past few years. In 2020, in addition to the fun-filled gathering at Wade Oval, ADA Cleveland was planning a March for Access at Public Square where people could come together to demand further access and rights beyond the mandates in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced ADA Cleveland to change course and put on a 30-day virtual event – the Call for Access!
Some of the wonderful ways YC took part in the 2020 Call for Access:
We are all incredibly saddened by the news that Bruce Giberson, a YC driver and so much more, passed away on July 25, 2020. Bruce was a driver for 8 years, but has been a part of our family for over 3 decades, volunteering countless hours at YC when his daughter, Grace, was a young participant in the 1990s / 2000s.