What We Do Matters

Last week, we held our annual meeting with staff and board members. We celebrated accomplishments, thanked outgoing board members, welcomed incoming board members, witnessed the swearing in of our corporate board officers and were inspired by mission moments shared by a few of our Club Directors. During the swearing in ceremony, Ken Thomas raised his right hand to, once again, accept the role of Corporate Board Chair in 2018.

We recalled when Ken shared his experience after attending Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National conference in the spring. In the 2017 summer edition of our newsletter he wrote:

In May, I had the wonderful experience of attending the 2017 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Conference in Dallas, along with my wife, Sharon. It was overwhelming to see so many BGCA volunteers, professionals and kids from all over the country. We were all there to learn, celebrate achievements and, yes, have some fun. If you ever get a chance to attend one of the national or regional conferences, be prepared to be inspired!

One of the highlights was the induction of alumni into the BGCA Alumni Hall of Fame. It was inspiring to hear how the Clubs transformed the lives of scientists, doctors, professional athletes and actors. They all had amazing stories of overcoming adversity to achieve amazing things in their professional and personal lives. Triple H, a professional wrestler, even theorized that because of the transformation through involvement in the Clubs, BGCA alumni will one day, not just solve problems with education or poverty, but will actually save the world from impending doom from meteors that are targeting Earth!

I learned how other local Boys & Girls Clubs’ boards operate, what are considered to be best practices and where to get resources for board members. I also learned about the power of a story and heard many moving stories. The Regional and National Youth of the Year representatives were impressive and motivating as they shared their stories. Overall, it reinforced that what we do matters and lives can be transformed in the process.
It was an amazing experience!

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