Vickie George, creator of the Yes U Can™ Program and co-founder of the Yes U Can Corporation, serves as Chief Executive Officer and President. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Temple University, Vickie holds a Master’s Degree in Program Planning and Development from the Department of HPERD (Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance). She was also a finalist for “The Most Outstanding Senior” Award and a Graduate Assistant who co-taught several undergraduate courses.
Vickie was an exceptional athlete and played numerous sports: intercollegiate varsity softball, women’s major league fast pitch, basketball, field hockey, racquetball, bicycling, hiking and scuba diving. She was active in all aspects of life.
During her career she held a variety of positions, primarily as Program Director in human services. This role was chiefly responsible for start up programs, designing them from ideas to full implementation. These programs were designed based on the assessed needs of the community. Her professional experiences also included working with special populations.
A highlight of her career was being the Marketing Director and Community Health Outreach Coordinator for a Health Corporation in New Jersey. There she developed and administered the marketing of four healthcare sites for the purpose of assuring growth, product/service development, member awareness and communication between the community, area healthcare agencies and the Health Corporation. She developed a community health outreach educational component in order to address the healthcare needs of patients in cooperation with supporting area healthcare agencies, community organizations and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Vickie was diagnosed with Progressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in 1995. As this disease has continued to progress, Vickie has continued to adjust to the challenges that this disease has given her. She has been gradually losing her physical abilities but has found ways to keep herself both emotionally and physically fit.
As her drive continued to stay as healthy as possible, in 2004 Vickie developed, marketed and implemented a new program for the physically challenged. The program was called Yes U Can™ and available at a local YMCA. She developed the Yes U Can™ program to help serve those who were in the same position as she was—physically challenged and excluded from participating in existing exercise programs due to their disability and need for assistance. Yes U Can™ provides staff-assisted weight-training and group exercise programs to people with limited mobility and disabilities. Currently, there are no programs that exist in the community that provide these types of opportunities except for Yes U Can™ .
Ironically, partly due to her disability, the start of Yes U Can™ and her professional experience, Vickie has become a motivational/guest lecturer and keynote speaker for several organizations and learning institutions.