By By LYDIA GRIMES – Features writer
Chris Beasley is one of the newest employees at the Greater Brewton Area YMCA and he is happy to be close to home doing something he loves. He had his first job at the Y in 2002 when he worked there as a summer camp counselor. That was the summer when he first realized he might have found the perfect job.
He liked working at the Brewton YMCA in 2002, so he continued to work at the Tuscaloosa facility when he returned to college. At the end of the school year he was promoted to Assistant Day Count Director and by the end of the summer he was the After School Coordinator with a staff of 37 people. His department was in charge of five off-site programs and three programs with the housing authority.
As the new sports and Aquatic director, Beasley takes on a big responsibility. It is his job to get more participants involved with the sports program. He schedules sports games and lines up referees and umpires for those games. He has a training program for others and works with the different coaches to make sure they are happy.
He coordinates the lifeguards for their work and the pool and gives lifeguard training.
Coming to Brewton was like coming home for Beasley. He, and his identical twin, Daniel, were born in Brewton and grew up in Excel with their older brother, Nicholas.
He was interested in sports when he was younger but a knee problem kept him from playing organized sports.
Beasley graduated from Excel High School in 2000 and enrolled in Alabama Southern Community College in Monroeville.
About that time, his great grandmother died and his grandparents, Bob and Ann Bryant of Brewton, moved into her home while they were building a home north of Brewton. When they moved into the new home, Beasley's parents moved from Excel and took over the old homestead and he got his first job at the Brewton Y. At the end of the summer he transferred to the University of Alabama and applied to the Y up there. They wanted to hire him but even before he got a chance to go to work and school in Tuscaloosa, he came down with mononucleosis and had to come home. For the next few months, he took it easy. In January of 2003 he was declared fit to return to school. At that time he changed his major to arts and humanities and accepted the job at the Y. He continued to work at the Y until he left in need of a job that paid more money. That is when he got the call from the Greater Brewton Area YMCA.
In the meantime, Beasley is doing a job that he loves. He loves music, movies, fishing, visiting with friends and traveling when he gets the chance. His hobby is making bead jewelry. He says he has never tried to market it, but he keeps his brothers and himself supplied with all they need.
Beasley is a young man who seems to know what he wants and how to go about getting it. Youngsters at the Y can depend on him to keep them busy while they are having fun.