The Y in Parkville

Check out our Monthly Mission Update here: https://buff.ly/yna9bnC

Talking to Y associate Donald Young is like slowly peeling back the layers of an onion. Growing up in West Baltimore, Donald often felt like he didn’t fit in. He couldn’t wait to finish high school and experience the real world.

“After school, I went right into the Navy where I learned that there was more out there than Park Heights. I also realized the pain was the same. So in those travels I learned that I wanted to help people, but then I came home and became a drug addict.”

When asked how it all unravelled, Donald reflects:

“I felt different and this insecurity led me to want to fit in so I fell into what everyone around me were doing. With he**in, it is a physical addiction. And it was so available in my community. It was right there. Just like Tylenol.”

Donald got clean in 2009 but relapsed on the day of his mother’s funeral in 2016. He lost her to a fentanyl overdose. His mother was undeniably very special to him.

“She instilled in me a thirst for knowledge. With two master’s degrees from Morgan State University in psychology and sociology, our home was filled with books. She loved Salman Rushdie. We read Catcher in the Rye together. She loved the theatre. She could sing. I have a CD with her voice on it. I listen to that a lot.”

In 2017, Donald faced a near-fatal overdose that marked a pivotal shift in his life.

“At that moment, I felt my mother and grandparents with me. It was as if a higher power called my name. I went downstairs to my partner and told him I needed treatment. From that day on, I never used again.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Donald now supervises a team of Community Health workers at the Y in Druid Hill, where he connects neighbors to vital resources and opportunities that enhance their quality of life. His own journey allows him to empathize deeply with those he serves.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul 👀 ✨

FIRST DAY OF CAMP ALERT

Wishing everyone a meaningful and mindful Juneteenth! Check out a Y near you to find out how you can get involved!

“The Y Has Brought Me Joy And Purpose”
Dee Neilson, Y Associate, the Y in Parkville

Click to link here to read about Dee's full story at the Y: https://ymaryland.org/memberstories