Toni Reece: Hi there. I’m Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today my guest is Dr. Yamil Sanchez Rivera. Welcome.
Dr. Yamil Sanchez Rivera: Thank you so much.
Toni: So, take a moment and tell us about yourself.
Yamil: Sure. I am the Senior Vice President of Community Impact with United Way of Berks County. I have the pleasure of working with lots of volunteers to oversee investments — close to $7 million worth of investments that are made on a yearly basis to over 35 partner agencies throughout Berks County. That’s what I do. But who I am? I was born in Puerto Rico. I’ve lived in Reading since 1981, so Reading is my home, even though Puerto Rico is in my heart.
Toni: Got it. Well, thank you so much for showing up for the Project. So, let’s get into it. What does inspiration mean to you?
Yamil: So, I struggle with defining inspiration as I confuse it with determination or drive, which I have lots of. Since I was a little kid, I remember wanting to be a doctor since I was the age of 5. But I see that more as internal drive. Inspiration I define as what others put out there to enlist and also provide energy and effort and strength and motivation for others to do. Through my job, I get to see a lot of that.
There are incredible, wonderful, giving people in Berks County, and it’s just not financially, but I get the pleasure of working with people who give their time. Hundreds of people who give their time to be able to help others be able to meet their basic needs. That to me is inspirational. When I finish my days — and my days are often very long days; 10, 11, 12 hour days, and often 6-7 days a week — I’m physically tired, but emotionally I’m on a high because of the inspiration that I receive from the people that do that without expecting a compensation; without doing it for a check. The long hours and the extra days of the week that I need to figure out how to put it in to be able to get the work done is done happily, because I am filled with the energy that people provide by inspiring others to do, in order to be able to help each other have better lives here in Berks County.
Toni: So it’s really people who are leading by example; those examples inspire you to keep going to support their inspired actions, correct?
Yamil: Correct. Those examples at times aren’t recognized as lessons or examples that those individuals are giving to others. I recognize them with an expectation of being recognized for being an example, which is just a very genuine way of living. You’re doing the right thing for the right reason, not because you’re expecting compensation, a pat on the back, or a congratulations. You’re doing it because you see your neighbors, your families, people in your community in need, and you figure you’re just going to just roll up your sleeves and help out.
Toni: All right. So, taking that definition of inspiration and how you are inspired, how do you take that inspiration and put it into practice here in Berks County?
Yamil: Lots of ways. We talked specifically with the role that I play. I work alongside of a volunteer coordinator. Coming up in a few weeks, we are going to have what’s called Day of Caring. Many United Ways across the country do a Day of Caring. Locally, what that means is we’re going to have close to 600 people working for either half a day or a full day throughout Berks County helping nonprofit organizations with projects like painting, mulching, construction, repairs, putting information packets together, organizing their materials. The impact that those individuals have on that day is amazing. It’s not just a one-day activity, but what they do is they provide resources to these agencies that allow them to continue their work throughout the year. That’s one way to be able to put that into action.
Through my job, I also oversee some of our investments into our nonprofits, and the staff don’t make that decision. They’re volunteers that give hundreds of hours reviewing applications and having face-to-face meetings; having conversations with the organizations on how they can improve the work that they’re doing, and they all do that with passion and love, without any kind of monetary compensation for their work. That’s how we put it into action.
Toni: Do you specifically have that hands-on?
Yamil: Absolutely. I was raised in this community, so I know Reading and Berks County like the back of my hand. In addition to doing a review of any kind of materials that come in, I am out in the community and often take my work, instead of it being in the offices at United Way on the sixth floor, out into the field. I, as often as I can, go and see every possible agency. We this summer funded 12 different organizations for summer learning, through summer learning grants — close to $50,000. I personally went and saw every single one of those. Last year when we were doing work around our shared outcomes, we were trying to tell the story a lot better than we have in the past. I met individually with every one of the 35 partner agencies at a location that was convenient to them.
By example, I try to put into practice the concepts of being a servant leader. I have the responsibility of overseeing a lot of investments in this community, but it’s not individuals coming to me — it’s me going to them and figuring out how do I help them be successful, because their success becomes ultimately my success, and my success is really ultimately the community is successful. Children are helped in schools. Individuals who are dealing with hunger are provided the nutrients that they need. Individuals that are homeless, we figure out how we get them housed or at the very least brought to a safe place for them to stay the night. Individuals who are working to improve their education, their job so that they can do better for their families are supported. Those amazing stories that all of our funded agencies are able to say, I play a small part, and my part is to make sure that they get the right resources, needs, so that the families and individuals get the help that they deserve.
Toni: Who in Berks County inspires you?
Yamil: First and foremost, my mother is my main source of inspiration. It may be a cliché answer, but my mother only has an eighth-grade education. She worked three or four jobs her entire life until I said, “You no longer have to work,” and then that was a battle, because work was ingrained into her DNA. For me to encourage her to retire was years in the making, and she stepped down from three jobs to two jobs, two jobs to one job, and one job, and I needed to get her company to help me [make her] retire. The work ethic from an individual that has an eighth-grade education; English is her second language; doesn’t have a license, but nonetheless was successful, and successfully raised five children on her own. That’s my main source of inspiration.
Now, as an adult, there’s very specific individuals, and two of them are two women who have led United Way. Tammy White, the CEO that’s President of the United Way now, is an example of being a servant leader. Quick story. Two years ago, we went door to door in Oakbrook, which is public housing here in Berks County, because we wanted to learn from residents what they believe their needs are. I like to put into practice you do with; you don’t do to with all the work I’ve done in my career. In doing with, that means let’s ask individuals that you’re trying to help what they believe their needs are and challenges are.
We coordinated a door-to-door survey. Knocked on 521 doors in the Oakbrook housing, spoke to 201 residents, and Tammy White was along my side the entire time. This is the President of United Way. At one point, literally sitting on the grass in Oakbrook, and I had to remind her where we’re at and get up. She’s an incredible source of inspiration.
You introduced me as Dr. Yamil Sanchez Rivera. That was almost not what my title would be if it wasn’t for this other individual who also ran United Way, and I worked for her over 13 years ago. That’s Karen Rightmire. I was nearing the end of my doctorate work, and at one point I said, “I can't do it.” She pulled me into her office and gave me a talk that filled me again with the energy I needed to be able to do this work. She too, is an example of what a servant leader is. She got me to the point of being able to finish my doctorate. I would say those three women are top of mind of local people in Berks County who serve as a source of inspiration for me.
Toni: What great examples you’ve given. What would you like your legacy to be?
Yamil: That I served. Whether it’s children, seniors. I’m a teacher at heart. Even though I have a doctorate, my doctorate is in education. I taught chemistry, biology, and physics. I was a teacher at Reading High School and William Allen High School in Allentown. What I did in the classroom was great, but I knew that I needed to do more, so I left the classroom to be able to work with organizations like United Way. My heart is filled when I see that other people’s needs are met. My legacy is that I helped, and I served.
Toni: And you are.
Yamil: Thank you.
Toni: So you’re living your legacy.
Yamil: Thank you.
Toni: Not a bad way to go about life, is it?
Yamil: Not at all.
Toni: Thank you so much for showing for the Get Inspired! Project.
Yamil: Thank you.
