The Boys & Girls Club Story

Living Proof

Talking about Boys & Girls Club kids is one of my favorite things. Recently, it’s been a real treat to attend the Regional Youth of the Year dinners. The stories these amazing teens shared were so special. They’re living proof of the depth of impact that Clubs make. 

All told, I heard about 60 candidates speak at the five events. Their accounts of how their Club helped them overcome personal difficulties and lay the groundwork for great futures were inspiring and moving. Their stories demonstrated exactly why we do the vital work we do. 

I didn’t envy the judges, who did a great job making tough decisions. Our five Regional Youth of the Year representatives couldn’t be better choices: 

Top to bottom: Crystile Carter, Tyler Merriweather, Mai Tong Yang, Trei Dudley, and Denzell Perry.

• Crystile Carter, Northeast – Despite growing up in foster care, Crystile knew the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in New York always had her back. The high school grad plans to study criminal justice in college and to one day join the NYPD. 
• Tyler Merriweather, Southeast – At the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Alabama, Tyler developed into a driven, compassionate young man. A committed caregiver to his ill sister, the high school honor student will enter the University of Alabama this fall.
• Mai Tong Yang, Midwest – After Mai and her family moved from Thailand, they settled in St. Paul, Minn. At the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, Mai received help with homework, as well as adapting to a new culture. Over the years, she’s mentored younger members, served as Keystone Club president and worked as a Junior Staff member. Mai plans to study international relations at the College of St. Benedict.
• Trei Dudley, Southwest – Hailing from Kansas and the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, this top student plans to attend the University of Arkansas. An active member of her community, Trei volunteers at a local soup kitchen and several other organizations.
•  Denzell Perry, Pacific – The support of the Watts/Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles enabled Denzell to overcome a speech impediment and the absence of a positive male role model at home. As a result, he graduated as president of his high school class and plans to attend the University of California, Berkeley.  

The fab five will meet this September in Washington, D.C., where they’ll contend for the title of 2012-13 National Youth of the Year. I’ll be thrilled to be there – and even happier that I’m not a judge. 

Legendary Olympians Inspire and Motivate

The world is getting ready for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Are you?  It’s tough not to be thrilled by the exhilaration and pageantry of the Games.  However, my excitement got amped up with a recent visit by four Olympic legends to support Boys & Girls Club members.

On Saturday, July 14, Evander Holyfield, Dominique Dawes, Gail Devers and Jackie Joyner-Kersee helped more than 200 young people learn how to jab, tumble, sprint and hurdle during our recent Triple Play Summer Games sponsored by The Coca Cola Company and the WellPoint Foundation. What a legendary roster of Olympians! During the course of the day, I thought about what it took for each to reach the pinnacle of their sport. Near the end of the event, I wondered who among the young people attending that day might be inspired to become the next Olympian.

The Olympic Games are a perfect opportunity to get young people excited and motivated about their interest in sports and recreation. It’s a golden opportunity since the Games only happen once every four years. Encourage your young people to dream big and work hard by sharing stories of inspirational Olympians. I was motivated by merely the sight of our visitors.

The Champ, Evander Holyfield, teaches boxing techniques and life lessons to Boys & Girls Club members on Saturday, July 14.

Just prior to the event, the Champ walked through the door looking like a Greek God. I was expecting a behemoth of a man. Instead, the Real Deal appeared clad in a tank top, muscles glistening with a sleek appearance and I thought “He’s not that much bigger than I am … except his muscles are bigger … he doesn’t have any body fat … and he has a 31 inch waist.”   I immediately thought I should do some sit ups and push ups.

The four-time heavyweight champion shared how a Boys & Girls Club staff member told him at age 8 he could one day be boxing champion of the world.  I was amused as this warrior recalled how he went home to ask his mother if it was “okay” for him to be the heavyweight champion when he grew up.  She said yes but told Holyfield he would have to pay a price to accomplish his dream.  Momma Holyfield knew you have to “put feet to your prayers.”

Devers was faced with serious medical challenges.  She shared how doctor after doctor misdiagnosed her Graves disease - a thyroid disorder.  She experienced weight loss, migraines and vision programs. The five-time medalist’s health was so threatened that doctors considered amputating her feet, but after treatment she returned to compete and won gold medals in 1992 and 1996. 

Wayne B. Moss is BGCA's senior director of Sports, Fitness and Recreation.

Each Olympic athlete has a story. It’s a story of setting larger than life goals, having someone to believe in you, overcoming obstacles and never giving up.  Use the time before and during the Olympic Games to inspire young people to greatness.  Before the Games begin, go to the United States Olympic Web site at http://www.teamusa.org and have young people read about the athletes competing. 

Parents can take your children into the backyard and practice cartwheels, sprinting or any number of games.  If you have programs with lots of children, hold your own mini Olympics equipped with medals. You never know who might be the next Holyfield, Dawes, Devers or Joyner-Kersee!

While School’s Out, Clubs Are In

For many kids, summertime is a chance to kick back and relax after a long school year. But does the extended break come at a price?

The academic cost is summer learning loss – knowledge acquired at school, then lost over summer vacation. Some call it summer brain drain. Studies spanning more than 100 years show that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer than at the start. Most lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in math.

The loss is even greater for lower-income youth, who can lose more than two months in reading achievement. In contrast, their middle-class peers make slight gains. By the time they complete grammar school, lower-income students can fall more than three grades behind.

The good news is that Clubs are there to help our kids all year long. Like the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County in Arkansas. Their Summer Reading Camp, now in its fourth year, has helped economically-disadvantaged youth not just sustain reading levels, but to realize a small overall gain in performance.

By delivering fun, creative programming, Clubs instill a lifelong love of learning in kids and teens. For more than a century, the Boys & Girls Club approach to learning – make it enjoyable so kids want to learn – has benefitted generations of young people by promoting academic success … just for the fun of it.

Thanks to Boys & Girls Clubs, more students will return to their classrooms this upcoming school year better prepared to build on their existing knowledge-base and tackle new concepts. You might call it summer brain gain.