'It's been a blessing': John Spatazzo to Retire After 18 Years as C.Y.O. Executive Director

Hamilton Spectator, July 18, 2024

[Republished with permission of the Hamilton Spectator]

Since taking the reins of the Catholic Youth Organization, John Spatazzo estimates the not-for-profit agency has impacted the lives of close to one million young people.

Starting as an athletics programmer in 1988, Spatazzo worked his way through the ranks, becoming executive director in 2007. By 2008, he was leading fundraising efforts to build a new headquarters in Mount Hope at the site of Camp Marydale.

In 2020, he guided the organization through the perils of COVID-19, when the CYO lost an estimated $900,000 in revenue that normally covers utilities, property taxes, staffing and maintenance.

As he prepares to retire after 18 years as leader and nearly 38 years with the CYO overall, Spatazzo said it’s been an honour to serve the estimated 40,000 young people the organization assists on an annual basis.

John Spatazzo is retiring as executive director of the Catholic Youth Organization after 18 years as leader and 38 years with the organization overall.

CYO photo

“We’re all about recreation, whether it’s outdoor education — which we offer for 10 months of the year — sports and athletics or summer camps,” Spatazzo said. “It’s been a blessing and it’s time for a newer level of leadership.”

Like his predecessors, Spatazzo has given much of his life to the CYO. He’s just the fourth executive director in the agency’s 66-year history after Rev. Kyran Kennedy (1958 to 1966), Tom Gallagher (1966 to 1995) and Peter Rosser (1995 to 2007).

While he has no specific reason for retiring, Spatazzo said the timing just felt right.

He will remain in the role until Jan. 1, 2025. Incoming executive director Brett Martin will transition into the leadership role beginning Nov. 1.

“There’s no question the COVID years were our toughest time,” Spatazzo recalled.

As a standalone, fee-for-service organization, the CYO works closely with the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) and the Diocese of Hamilton but isn’t governed or funded by either organization.

“We pay our own bills,” Spatazzo noted.

In 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions forced program cancellations, the CYO was left with virtually no income.

The organization was also forced to lay off 70 per cent of its staff.

When restrictions lifted and staff were recalled, all but one worker had moved on to other pursuits.

Spatazzo said the CYO endured the hardships of COVID thanks to donations from families and support from the HWCDSB and the Diocese of Hamilton.

The CYO also adjusted its programming, launching “Just Move,” a mobile trailer that travelled between schools to deliver programming compliant with public health guidelines. Spatazzo said the program saw heavy demand through 2020 into the winter of 2021.

More than a decade prior to COVID, Spatazzo led his first fundraising campaign for a new head office at Mount Hope’s Marydale Park.

The facility was originally budgeted at $3.5 million, but with additions and overruns, the final cost was nearly $6 million, he recalled.

“Having that in my first two to three years as the executive director for this agency was overwhelming and daunting,” Spatazzo recalled.

All told, Spatazzo estimates the CYO added more than $8 million worth of facility upgrades during his tenure.

The organization also built a newer and stronger database of supporters, which served it well at the height of the pandemic.

“When COVID came, we rolled back around to supporters who knew what we did, and it was a very different appeal. It was kind of like ‘Save the CYO,’ as opposed to we’re going to build a new facility,” Spatazzo recalled.

Overall, Spatazzo said he’s proud to be part of the CYO’s ongoing legacy.

“The support that we’ve received over the years really speaks to the passion and excellence. We wouldn’t be serving 40,000 people annually if we were fly by night.”

HWCDSB chair Pat Daly credited Spatazzo’s “laserlike focus” in helping to better the lives of thousands of young people during his tenure.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure and a joy to serve with John,” said Daly. “I have admired and respected very much his faithful leadership and vision.”

Daly credited Spatazzo for helping students stay active during the pandemic through a mix of virtual and in-person activities.

“As they phased out of the pandemic, their ability to provide services safely, in person, was appreciated very much by our board and our schools and made a real impact on young people,” Daly noted.

While he’s technically an outside hire, incoming executive director Brett Martin has more than 20 years of experience with the CYO as a student, volunteer and youth program staffer.

He has also mentored and facilitated multiple leadership development programs.

Martin, 29, will begin his transition into the leadership role on Nov. 1.

“It’s super exciting and a great honour to be entrusted with this position,” Martin said in an interview.

Starting as a CYO volleyball referee at Hamilton’s St. John the Baptist Parish — his first job — Martin has seen the organization develop the next generation of young leaders.

“It’s building resume skills and building leadership qualities in young people, including myself,” he noted.

Youth who serve as CYO referees, for example, learn how to mediate conflicts and become better leaders, Martin noted.

“It builds confidence and empowers youth to develop their own skills and go forward in whatever future career they might choose.”

Like his predecessors, Martin plans to remain in the executive director role for the long term, leading a period of sustained growth.

“Just to give as many young people the same opportunities that I have had with this organization is a long-term goal,” he said.

By Mike Pearson

Mike Pearson is a reporter with Metroland, primarily covering Haldimand County and Glanbrook. Reach him at mipearson@torstar.ca