One of Our Own: YMCA Program Member Welcomes 2 Million Guests
Bryant Graeber has worked as a greeter for more than two decades!
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For more than two decades, one voice has welcomed members through the doors of the Harris YMCA along Quail Hollow Road in Charlotte. And that voice belongs to Bryant Graeber.
Graeber, a 2003 graduate of Myers Park High School, has worked as a greeter at the facility since he graduated. Now, more than 20 years later, the Harris YMCA estimates he has greeted more than 2 million people. That’s double the figure that made headlines a decade ago, when the organization estimated he had reached 1 million.
“I feel very lucky to have a job out of high school,” Graeber said.
Graeber lives with MPS I, a rare genetic disease that affects the lysosomes in the body. He said the diagnosis has never defined his approach to work.
“I try to think of people like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and all of those guys,” Graeber said. “They were blind; look how successful they were. I didn’t want them to think just because I have a disease that it would stop me from doing what I wanted to do in life.”
Co-worker Judy Barnes, who has worked alongside Graeber for years, said his commitment to the job is unwavering.
“He does it every day with a smile, even when he doesn’t feel really happy,” Barnes said. “He is always happy to be here.”
Barnes said Graeber has a particular talent for connecting with younger members, often greeting children with stickers.
“He brings joy to the children,” she said. “When they come in the door, they holler, ‘Hey, Mr. Bryant.’ They love to come and see him.”
YMCA member Tim Joyce said Graeber’s impact goes beyond the numbers.
“Not only how many people he knows, but all the people that know him by name,” Joyce said. “After a while, you just learn that’s Bryant.”
Graeber said recognition is not what drives him. He simply wants every person who walks through the door to feel welcome and seen.
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