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Taña Montaño-Lee has found a calling in bringing people together — especially when doing so can connect someone with resources that may change their life.
As community impact support coordinator for the Summit Family YMCA in Newnan, Montaño-Lee organizes three major community events each year: the Veterans Expo, the Vibrant Living Expo for active older adults and their families and caregivers, and the Thrive Resource Fair, which connects Coweta County residents with disabilities to services and support.
For Montaño-Lee, the impact became especially clear after her first Veterans Expo.
“We had about 800 people in the building,” she said. “I was able to put people together that really needed some service.”
Afterward, she learned that at least three veterans who attended had not been receiving their full benefits. By connecting directly with the VA at the event, they were able to get paperwork corrected and benefits in place.
“They now have life-changing money,” Montaño-Lee said. “I’m talking like $4,500 a month makes a huge difference in some people’s lives. And I realized that we really were doing some good here.”
The YMCA also established a Move Program with the Newnan VA, allowing about a dozen veterans to receive free YMCA memberships as part of their health journey.
“Anything I can do for veterans, of course, is first and foremost in my heart,” she said.
Her work with the Vibrant Living Expo has shown her another kind of community need. What began largely as a safety-focused event has expanded into an opportunity for older adults to meet one another, share a meal, learn about services, and simply spend time together.
“They need something to create community,” Montaño-Lee said.
At 56, she counts herself among the active older adults the event serves. Many of those same participants have also become some of her most dependable volunteers.
“The Y has always been not just a gym, but kind of a second home, a place to hang out,” she said. “That is the case with our active older adults.”
Montaño-Lee’s route to community work began far from Georgia. She was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico — a fact she delivers with a joke.
“So yes, I do glow in the dark,” she said.
She later moved to Washington, D.C., where she met her husband while they were both working for the government. The couple will celebrate 32 years of marriage this year and have two daughters, Savannah and Betty.
Montaño-Lee worked in information systems security policy development before the family relocated to Georgia when their oldest daughter was about six. They were looking for a slower pace of life.
After leaving government work, she became what she calls a “serial volunteer,” serving as PTO president and getting involved with a range of community organizations. She eventually became president of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce for about three years and helped organize health and wellness events.
Even after that organization faded away, Montaño-Lee and several local businesses kept Community Wellness Day going. This year marks its ninth year.
“Anything that I could do at this point in my life to kind of give back,” she said.
Becoming an empty nester gave her another push.
“I needed to get out of the house,” she said. “And so it just so happened that this event position at the YMCA just happened at exactly the right time.”
The Thrive Resource Fair has introduced Montaño-Lee to still more organizations serving Coweta residents. She said one of the persistent challenges is not necessarily a lack of help, but making sure people know how to find it.
“There are lots of resources out there, but the trick has been and continues to be getting the right resources to the right people,” she said.
One of her favorite moments from last year’s fair came from Dancing Without Limits, a Southern Arc dance program open to people with disabilities.
“I saw these fantastic people doing just the most fun dance and loving every minute of it,” Montaño-Lee said. “The whole room was quiet. Everybody just supported and loved on these kids and adults, and it just did something to my heart.”
That kind of connection is what keeps drawing her toward volunteerism, event planning, and community service.
Much of that motivation, she said, comes from her family.
“It’s my kids, really,” Montaño-Lee said. “Everything that I’ve done has always been about my children and making sure that they were well-rounded human beings.”
For her, giving back is also a response to what Coweta County has given her family during roughly two decades here.
“It’s important for us to give back to our community because the community that we have adopted has given us so much,” she said.
Now, through the Summit Family YMCA, Taña Montaño-Lee is helping make sure some of that generosity finds its way to the people who need it most.
Want to attend the Vibrant Living Expo? The free event for adults 55 and older, their families, and caregivers will be held Thursday, August 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Summit Family YMCA, 1765 Highway 34 East in Newnan. More than 50 exhibitors are expected, along with health and wellness screenings, safety workshops, fitness demonstrations, brunch, bingo, and other activities. The first 200 attendees will receive a free goodie bag and T-shirt. Registration is encouraged at ymcaatlanta.org/
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