For Joe Marciszyn, being at the helm of the Mattapoisett YMCA as the new Executive Director is a welcome homecoming. As a kid, Marciszyn was a camper at the YMCA’s Camp Massasoit. Once he was 16 years old, Marciszyn became a counselor.

“It’s great to be back,” Marciszyn said. “It’s like that Bon Jovi song, ‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home.’ I found it means a lot to me because I was coming here as a kid. It’s meaningful. As a camper, I said I wanted to be a counselor. As a counselor, I said I want to come back and run the place.”

Previously, Marciszyn spent more than 10 years working for YMCAs in New Jersey.

Of the Mattapoisett YMCA, Marciszyn said, “We have generation after generation of folks coming through. Everyone has their own YMCA story. It’s pretty awesome to have that legacy. I met so many great friends that I’m still connected with.”

While it’s been a few years since Marciszyn had been to the Mattapoisett YMCA, he says not much has changed. And, that’s what is so great about it.

“It’s still meeting the needs of the community. There have been some little improvements and I’m looking forward to making some improvements myself. We’re teaching nature and science. We want to try to incorporate more reading to curb some of the summer reading loss. We want to make sure kids continue to learn,” Marciszyn said.

Last summer marked the 50th anniversary of Camp Massasoit. As for the camp, Marciszyn said he hopes kids leave with a better understanding of the three “C’s” – confidence, curiosity, and character.

“I hope they have the confidence and the curiosity to try new things like the zip line,” Marciszyn said. “They can find things they like to do and things they don’t like to do. It’s important they know the difference. With character, we want to make sure we are instilling the values that the YMCA did in its first year.”

Since he started his new position in March, Marciszyn has moved back to his hometown Fall River with his wife and 15-month-old son Ben.

As for his son’s future as a camper, Marciszyn said, “It’s a great opportunity for him being in this area. I want this place to be even better when he gets to come here. I'm humbled to be in a leadership role here.”