“When I retired … Now what do I do? Ya know?” So she joined the Hilltop Family YMCA for exercise. “That’s all I thought it was, you go and exercise and whatnot,” she said. “I soon discovered there’s a whole world up there with the Y.” Aside from being generally amazing, she’s become known for her fundraising efforts at the Y and has been deemed “Queen Quan” by her peers. “People hate to ask for money, but I’m so used to doing that in the school district that I’m not too proud to ask. And it’s always for a good cause!” Her first fundraising goal was $300, which she thought at the time to be an impossible task. It wasn’t. “So now I’ve been fundraising 15 years or so and it’s easy to raise $6,000 in a month!” All hail the queen. What she loves most about the Y is their inclusivity. Once everyone is in gym clothes, “You don’t know if people are worth 6 bucks or 6 million,” she said. “You come into the Y and it’s an equalizer. One and all is welcome. If you don’t have the money to pay the fee we will supplement it through our fundraising, and nobody knows that you’re being supplemented.” It’s just that good. “To me, it gives people the feeling that everybody counts. That is so important. We don’t turn anybody away.” Quan has made a difference everywhere she’s been. From coordinating field trips to Marine World for the students to organizing the Christmas Party at the Y for 60+ guests, she’s always been up for the challenge. “To me it’s fun,” she said. “Other people say ‘Oh no that’s too much work’—No. It’s fun. It’s just a matter of your attitude, how you look at it,” she explained. “People gain from it. It enhances their life—and mine too.” Now at 81, she’s enhancing more lives than ever. She continues her efforts at the Y, helps the California Retired Teachers Association fundraise for scholarships, and is always on the lookout for her next adventure. With such a youthful, positive spirit, Quan’s mother knew it from the start when she said to her, “You are never growing up. You are Peter Pan.”
Contra Costa Marketplace - Aug 2015
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