A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Kym Groceman

kym-grocemanFor as long as she can remember, Kym Groceman sports have been her passion in life. After traveling the country, Groceman has found a home in Chesterton, Indiana, where she and her husband of thirteen years moved eleven years ago.

Before moving to Chesterton, Groceman started working at the YMCA in Louisville, KY as a soccer ref just as an extra job. Soon after, she was offered the position of Sports Coordinator, and was still in school getting her degree in Sports Management. When it came time to move to Chesterton, Groceman found a position at the Elmherst YMCA, commuting for a year before a position in childcare opened up at the Duneland YMCA, where Groceman has worked for the past ten years.

Currently, she serves as the Executive Director and has many responsibilities in her position. Miles is in charge of Human Resources, serves as a counselor, is the certified pool operator, directs all coordinators, and oversees the annual campaign which gives out scholarship money for people who need it.

“I went from Sports Management to Childcare,” Miles laughed. “Not the most common career leap, but I absolutely love my job. I work with wonderful people and help great kids. It’s like one big family here, and that makes my job so that much easier and enjoyable.”

When she’s not at work, Groceman volunteers her time with many different organizations, including Tri Kappa, Liberty Bible Church, the Exchange Club, and Rebuilding Together Duneland, which is working with her branch of the YMCA. This year, Groceman is also serving as the District President of the area’s Exchange Club, but has been a volunteer for longer than she can remember. Groceman also offers her time as a counselor two days a week for Christian Professional Counselling, where she helps her clients in any and every way that she possibly can. Everything she does, she devotes herself to one percent, trying to do the best for the members of her community.

“If I had more hours in the day, I would use them to volunteer,” Groceman said. “I’ve always been involved in something, not matter where I lived. I always find time to help my community.” At one point, while living in Mississippi, Groceman was volunteering forty hours a week with a soccer league that included over 2500 kids."

In any free time she might have, Groceman loves spending time either participating in land sports or water sports. In the summer, she is involved with a ladies soccer league, and in the winter she devotes her energy to playing volleyball.

“We don’t sit well in this house,” Groceman laughed. “We’re always going, always doing something, always active. I love being involved in lots of different things. That’s how I’ve always been, and I can’t imagine it being any other way.”

Any remaining free time she has, she loves to go kayaking and boating with her husband and children.