STORIES OF IMPACT BY STAFF MEMBERS

- When 3 year old “Jimmy” was removed from his home by child protective services after years of abuse, his mother – restrained by authorities – lashed out one more time.  In one final defiant gesture, she kicked her son in the face, knocking out his teeth.  When Jimmy first came to the Club, he was an angry young boy, lost in a world that had showed him no kindness; he never felt he deserved any.   Jimmy did not play well with others at first.  An active game in the gym quickly turned into bursts of rage.  Attempts to help him with homework left him feeling frustrated; incompetent.  Our staff has never given up hope and has encouraged Jimmy to participate in our programs, including Passport to Manhood.  In this program, Jimmy faced his inner demons and learned skills to cope with conflict, relationships and self-esteem.  The road has been bumpy, but now in his teens, Jimmy can play a game in control of his emotions and feels good about who he is.

- The other day little Bird came off of the bus just sobbing. He had tears streaming down his face. His art project that he had worked so hard on making got ripped. He was devastated. I talked with him and asked him to trust me. I thought we could fix it. I took the project, disappeared to fix it, and as I was walking down the hall to give the project back to him, I saw the tears instantly dry up and a smile grow across his face. It was fixed. He could give it to that special person. He was so happy. I know this is a small story but the concept behind it is huge! It is all about the supportive relationships. Being that person a kid can trust no matter what the situation may be!!!

- One night, an 8 year old female member asked me if she could use the phone. She told me that she wanted to call her mom because she was in town but hadn’t said if she would come see the child. Because she lives in Denver, I let the child call her. Her mother did not answer, so she left a detailed message saying that she missed her and that she loved her “so much that you can’t even imagine.” I was touched by this alone but she turned to me and told me that she didn’t think she would be able to see her. She hugged me and with an emotional quiver in her voice said “I’m really glad that you’re here to hug me instead Miss Amanda."

- One of our young female members is often the last one left at the club. Her mother called one night at 7 and told me to have her walk around the back of the club and wait for her to come pick the child up. I didn’t want her to wait in the dark by herself so I planned to leave for the evening after her mother arrived. While we were waiting, we heard a loud slam, possibly a door blowing closed. She jumped and grabbed my hand. She looked up with me, her eyes wide, and told me that she was glad I was there. She then asked me if we were family. I told her that for most people, families are related to each other because they all have the same blood. I also told her that some people pick their family from people who are nice to them and love them. She squeezed my hand and said that she was pretty sure we were family. It was very nice to be thought of so highly by one of our members.

-The other day, I was eating Lunch at Fiesta. Gabby (little Juan's mom) stopped by my table to not only tell me how much she appreciates us and how fantastic our club is, but she also wanted us to know what a special place we have created! She said it is hard to keep Juan at home. Even on the weekends he wants to come hang out with us. How great to know that we just can't keep the kids away! They want to be with us!

-I love to watch the older kids helping the younger guys with their homework or playing games in the park. A couple of weeks ago I was helping Lisa in the homework room and was able to see Carlos, a high energy fourth grader, help first grader Eddie with his homework. Carlos decided, of his own accord, to step in and help the younger guy out. When he saw me smiling from across the room he gave me a bashful look and went right back to helping Eddie. It was plain to see how important Carlos felt to help someone else. That’s why I work here, to see several kids a day realizes how important they are and if they forget I am here to help them remember.

-I have been brought to tears on a few occasions these past few weeks. I have had the pleasure of hearing from several families how much we mean to them and their kids. One morning a single Dad had brought in his 2 kids and told us that we really mean the world to his family. Words could not express what we do and how much of an impact we have in our community. His kids are safe and loved here at the Club and are always happy to come. It makes his day better knowing his kids are with us. He wanted us to know we are amazing! Another parent came up to me at dinner and told me that if it was not for the Club he couldn’t make it. He is a single Dad working 2 jobs and trying to make ends meet. He at least has us and feels better knowing we are here. It is one area in his life he doesn’t have to worry about. His son is loved and taken care of. His son loves coming to the Club and always has positive words to say about his time with us. He held back the tears as told me he loved us and is so very grateful for us!

-The Boys & Girls Club Community Service Club in Buena Vista learned about the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene on the East Coast. Members read newspaper articles and viewed pictures of the Boys & Girls Club in Brattleboro, Vermont, which was completely destroyed by flood water. Feeling the need to take action, our members wrote beautiful letters, giving words

- As a mom was waiting for her son to grab all of his stuff to go home, she hugged me. And with tears in her eyes, she was practically gushing about how wonderful our Club is and how much we do for the kids. She stopped for a moment to compose herself. With a choked up voice she continued and said, “I don't know what I would do without all of you guys. You are so wonderful with the kids. And (name withheld) loves to come to the Club. You are a great help to my family."

- I have built a very strong rapport over a short period of time with one of our newer members. When he first started homework help, he had the tendency to whine and cry out “I need help!” instead of attempting his work. After providing frequent positive reinforcement and personal attention as well as setting clear expectations, he has made a turn for the better. He is engaged in his assignments and focused on completing tasks and problems. His “I need help” has turned into questions about content.

- It is easy to forget how far reaching and profound our organization can be.  The mother of a former Club member recently contacted the Branch Director of Salida. It was extremely important to her that he attend the Boys & Girls Club. She stated she was recently divorced and that her son was not handling it well. On top of all the turmoil in his life,  he was getting all "F's" in his classes at school. She said that she just did not know what to do and she just needed some help for him. She had remembered that The Club had homework help and that when her son was a member, he received better grades. Desperate for a solution for her son, she wondered if he could start coming again. She explained that she did not have any money to spare to pay the membership fee. After reviewing her paperwork, we granted her son a full scholarship. Her son shows up every day and now heads right to our learning center. His mother checked back in with us a couple of days ago and was happy to report that her son had pulled his grades up to not only passing but C's and B's, and she repeatedly thanked our staff for "saving my son."


- An arrangement had been worked out for me to have a 3rd grader read to me for 20 minutes a day because he had fallen behind in his class. The first day he was reading Frog and Toad. We spent about 5 minutes reading, with the rest of the time spent trying to calm his anger and frustration at being forced to read and struggling so much with it. This was typical for our sessions together. After a week and a half he chose to start reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, a book that is above his reading level. While he struggled through many of the words, his attitude improved drastically, and with it, his reading ability notably improved. One day after finishing his 20 minute requirement, he walked out of the room. He returned almost immediately and asked to keep reading because “he had nothing better to do.” He has since updated me a number of times on how the story was progressing. He wants to read the entire book series!  An example of how ONE person can make a difference!

- One of our former members now is middle school has been a junior staff member with us all year.  She’s really done a great job with the younger members in my group during Power Hour and enjoys spending time with them.  She told me that she likes having some responsibilities at The Club.  This demonstrates how we've accomplished one of the goals of The Club to help youth learn to give back and become responsible.

- One third grader attended The Club almost daily over the summer. She hasn’t come often since school started because her parents get off work around the time that school ends.  Thus she usually goes home right after school. Recently, she returned and we had the following conversation:

      I asked her how her school year was going so far. She replied that it was going great, and I asked her to share with me some of her highlights. She immediately responded by saying that her third grade class had just started learning multiplication and that she was ahead of her class because of work we had done with multiplication during The Club’s Summer’SCOOL. This little girl was so excited to have gotten a “jump start” at The Club, and I was excited that our educational summer program had obviously had such positive effect on her.

- I had a mother, who has 4 sons who come to the BGCCC nearly daily, tell me that she used to have a babysitter stay with her boys in the afternoon and they never had anything to do. Now they all love coming to BGCCC because there is so much programming for them.  We provide a safe, positive place for kids where they learn and have fun!

- Recently the kids have been a little “crazier” than usual.  The same four kids came into my room for Power Hour and were always super hyped.  One day they came in bounding around, turned on our radio and started dancing.  Since it seemed to calm them down enough to do their homework, I told them that if they would like it, they could have a little “dance off” everyday before Power Hour started.  They stared at me in amazement and said, “Really?  You’ll let us do that?”  Since then, they have made a disco ball in the art room, and we are working on a disco carpet for the middle of the room.  They happily come into my room after school, cut loose a little, and after releasing some energy they are able to focus on their homework.  They feel a lot of pride knowing that they can now engage in a special activity that some places wouldn’t be allowed.  This is an example of kids feeling empowered and supported and expressing their creativity!

Read a recent article by a former Youth of the Year . View some of our STATE and NATIONAL  successes (this is why BGCCC is so important - it's worth waiting for the applause) successes thanks to Boys & Girls Clubs.  Find out about more BGCA ALUMNI!

Read an inspiring speech by one of our former Youths of the Year and see what she's accomplished locally and statewide! (Enlarging it to 75-100% makes it easier to read.)