The Boys & Girls Club Story

President Obama Welcomes Youth of the Year Winners

The five regional Youth of the Year finalists are joined by BGCA Chairman Ron Gidwitz (left) and BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark (back row, second from right) during a special White House visit to meet President Obama. Trei Dudley, our National Youth of the Year, (second from left) is hosting a webcast today to discuss issues concerning teens.

Continuing a decades-long tradition, President Barack Obama yesterday welcomed National Youth of the Year Trei Dudley and Regional Youth of the Year winners Crystile Carter, Denzell Perry, Mai Tong Yang and Tyler Merriweather to the Oval Office.

President Obama was engaging and gracious throughout the private meeting. He congratulated each of the exceptional teens on their accomplishments and answered all their questions. Tyler, for one, asked permission to sit at the President’s desk, who readily agreed. Tyler promptly took his seat with a smile from ear to ear, high-fiving the President in appreciation.

We also talked about issues facing kids today, including findings from our new national teen survey showing joblessness and violence to be among their top concerns. The complete survey findings will be presented later today on our “State of the Youth” webcast  at 4 p.m. (Eastern Time). 

The President also took time to thank Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. He recognized the importance of our Movement’s work and expressed his personal support for what Clubs do, every day, to make a difference in kids’ lives.

What a momentous day for our Youth of the Year winners. To have the President of the United States set aside time to meet you says you’re special, an important person. And all five of these young people truly are. With the support of their Club, each has overcome personal adversity to lay the foundation for their great future. And today was just the beginning.

Tune in Tomorrow, Sign Our Petition Supporting Youth

On tomorrow’s live “State of the Youth” webcast, our National Youth of the Year Trei Dudley will issue a call to action on behalf of America’s teens. Because they’re worried what the future holds for them.

Trei will unveil the findings of a new national survey into what our teens’ greatest concerns are. Fear of joblessness and violence, including shootings and bullying, top the list. The survey of more than 1,000 young people, ages 13 to 17, reveal that many feel overlooked by society. Only 10 percent said they are confident our nation’s leaders will address the issues that are most important to them.

These are disturbing findings. Supporting our teens and enabling them to become productive citizens is vital to our nation’s future.

 Tomorrow’s webcast can be seen beginning at 4 p.m. EDT at BGCA.org/StateOfTheYouth. You can also sign an online petition asking the White House to form a National Teen Advisory Committee to ensure our leaders stay engaged and offer solutions to the most pressing issues facing youth. Our thanks to Tupperware Brands, sponsor of the Youth of the Year program, as well as the Rick and Susan Goings Foundation, for their generous support.  

How We Celebrated MLK Day

On Saturday, President Obama and his family observed the National Day of Service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering at an elementary school renovation in Washington, D.C. Across the country, millions followed the President’s lead.  

On Friday, January 18, staff members from Boys & Girls Clubs of America prepare and serve a filling lunch to those less fortunate. Numerous staff joined in to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and the many ways he served our country.

Here in Atlanta, Boys & Girls Clubs of America staff spent Friday morning helping prepare and serve meals for more than 400 homeless men, women and children. On Monday, my family volunteered with many other community members to feed hundreds of homeless people in downtown Atlanta. Samantha, my wife, and I want our boys Chase, 10, and Grayson, 8, to experience why helping others is important … and how it makes you feel good inside. 

During yesterday’s inaugural address, President Obama spoke of how a “great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.” That’s what Clubs do – but not just once a year. 

Every day, Clubs answer Dr. King’s call to serve by making a difference in kids’ lives. It’s a safe, fun place to spend their out-of-school hours; a place where fundamental values like citizenship and service get instilled, ideals that, in due course, strengthen our communities.  

What project did you take part in last weekend? I’d love to know more about it. Feel free to leave me a note below.

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.”

Next Monday, Jan. 21, our nation will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. For some of us, MLK Day of Service means a welcome day off from school or work. As the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service, MLK Day also offers ample opportunities to support our communities.   

My family will volunteer in our community on Monday to help in a small way, but also to reflect on the spirit of why Dr. King was so impassioned to make our towns, cities and nation better for all. We’ll spend time with our sons to make sure they understand the significance of what the day is all about and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. I encourage you to engage in some way on Monday as well. 

This day is also an important one for Club members. Studies show kids who are involved in civic engagement programs have higher school attendance rates and are more likely to graduate from high school than their peers who don’t participate. That’s why we make sure community service is a vital part of every young person’s Club Experience. Last year, for instance, Club youth throughout the nation performed more than 1.3 million hours of service to help strengthen their towns and cities.  

On Monday, Club kids around the country will follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and set inspiring examples of character and citizenship. They will clean up neighborhoods, spend time with senior citizens and give back to their communities in many other ways to make the world a better place.

Dr. King once said, “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.” Those simple, influential words ring just as true today. So reach out to your local Club or community service group and join Club youth to make a difference on Jan. 21. Let’s all commit to honoring Dr. King’s legacy and make next Monday a day on, not just a day off.

To Be Healthy or Not to Be Healthy, That Is the Question

I received my blood results from my annual physical just before the holiday break.  To my surprise, my cholesterol is high. (With a growing appetite for rich foods like cheesecake, should it have really been a surprise?)  The doctor suggested I might go on medication to reduce the cholesterol.  I politely refused. However, the news has brought my health into focus like never before.

Like many people, I resolved I would get healthier this year.  While 45 percent of Americans set New Year's resolutions, only eight percent are successful at achieving them, according to a survey by the Opinion Corporation.  Why is that?

And then an epiphany occurred during the holiday break.  With some downtime, I realized I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get fit and healthy. I’ve been in pursuit of fitness as if it were some ephemeral thing.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that there’s nowhere to get to.  I simply decided to be healthy.   Like Hamlet, to be or not to be is the question.

Assume the Role
First, I created an ideal picture of health and fitness.  I then imagined myself already being the ideal picture of health.  I’ve transformed myself by thinking from the ideal instead of thinking of the ideal.  This is a slight but profound perspective.  Every state is only a mere possibility as long as we think of them.  Every state becomes real when we think from them.

I’ve realized my entire thought system must be transformed.  The first step was creating and fueling the desire to change.  Then I decided to make the future dream a present fact.   I’ve created an ideal of the person I want to be and assumed that I’m already that person. 

The feeling of health, vitality and fitness has become so vivid.  You will know you’ve attained the feeling when you are possessed by it and the concentrated focus fills the mind and crowds out all other ideas.  It causes self-defeating thoughts to disappear and reduces distractions.  You must be conscious of being healthy if you are to realize what health is.  Health is not created.  It is displayed. 

Be. Think. Act.
Healthy decisions have followed suit. I’ve altered my diet; I’m drinking more fluids; and I’m taking cholesterol-reducing supplements. I’m also physically active six days a week. I registered for a half-marathon in March.  After a night of planned consumption on New Year’s Eve, I woke up at 7 a.m. to get in my 4 mile run.  I didn’t feel much like running after a night of socializing and watching the Possum Drop (a local, folksy New Year’s festivity).  However, the great thing about being is that it allows me to “have” my feelings and not be ruled by them.

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

Some may dismiss this approach as fantasy.  However, we know all progress has come from those who didn’t accept the predominant view of the world as it is.  Today there are no tips today on what to do, only a recommendation on how to be. 

Working with my doctor, I will continue to think like an active and fit person. I’ll report back soon on how cholesterol reduction is going!

Have a happy and fit 2013!