Ron Lelakes didn’t go searching for the YMCA. It found him.
And along the way, he learned about the YMCA’s programs, facilities and the various locations in San Diego County, including Escondido. Now, almost 30 years later, he is the executive director of the new Escondido YMCA – A Campus for Community Well-Being.
“It’s been a place where I can go and talk with people within the membership or the program participants and really form strong bonds that really kind of make you feel like you belong to something,” Lelakes said about why he has made the YMCA a career.
He started working at the YMCA in 1996, after moving from Florida to San Diego, when a friend suggested visiting a branch near Leucadia because Lelakes was looking for some guidance.
“I knew one person in (San Diego) and, through that, interaction I built a family at the Y,” he said. “My best friends are from the Y. My groomsmen who were in my wedding were from the Y. The Y has always been a safe space for me.”
One of the duties Lelakes has held at the YMCA is overseeing facilities across San Diego County for maintenance and capital improvement projects.
“It was something vastly different than what I was doing because I was always a (program developer) and a leader,” he added. “But I got the ability to learn about a variety of communities around the county, including Escondido. I really loved the fact that the (Escondido) community had its own identity.”
Lelakes explained he learned about Escondido’s diverse community by talking to everyday people, school districts, government officials and nonprofit leaders about what they wanted from their local YMCA.
Since January, he has been in charge of reopening the Escondido YMCA campus with a focus on community well-being and partnering with organizations to accomplish the goals of more higher education programs, healthcare services and activities for the youth.
The campus will open in phases, Lelakes said. The first will be a new community pool where students from the Escondido Union School District will get free swimming lessons, starting in September, according to Lelakes.
He also said that Neighborhood Healthcare will be partnering with the Escondido YMCA to provide neighborhood healthcare programs and services such as dentistry, pediatric care and mental health care for low-income families.
“I look at my skillset, (and I feel) it’s my job to bring the community together and give them what they need,” Lelake said.
Here are his favorite places to support and visit in Escondido.
To discover more local favorites and hidden gems in Escondido, visit https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/05/5-places-to-eat-drink-and-explore-in-escondido-from-ymca-executive/.