Our Stories

In 2014, my art was nationally recognized by the Boys & Girls Club of America for the artist of the month program. Every year, I have participated in our Fine Arts Exhibit and last year I won the top award, receiving $500 towards the school of my choice.

This past summer, the Boys & Girls Cub gave me the opportunity to become a Junior Staff member, teaching in the art room. Working at the Berard Center is my first job and one of the best choices I have made. The Club has given me so many interesting opportunities to discover my love of art, teaching, and learning new things. When I first walked into the Teen Center, I never would have guessed I would be working here.

Last year, Nicole, our Boys & Girls Club Truancy Abatement Program Director, worked with a young lady who was consistently truant from school. Her extensive history of trauma lead her to misbehave often at home, school and in the community. She was residing in kinship care while her mother struggled to get custody of her due to her own past struggles and behaviors. When Nicole first met her, she was either out-of-school or in-school suspended, failing all of her classes and at-risk of having to repeat the entire grade, and exhibiting many challenging behaviors. As Nicole got to know her and worked closely with the family, much of the trauma from her past was brought to light and the strategy shifted from increasing her school attendance to supporting her and her family through this very difficult time. As research tells us, truancy is often merely a symptom of a bigger issue, so our staff try to focus on assisting the students and families with their challenges at home as well. In this student's’ case, Nicole was able to refer this student to a counselor that was very successful with her. She was even able to take (and pass) summer school classes allowing her to graduate into the next grade. Throughout the first quarter of this school year, she has not been truant even once. She was also able to get out of kinship care and was reunited with her mother.

Recently, Nicole saw this student and her mother in the grocery store and they both approached her to share how well things were going for them. They were thankful for how much Nicole and the Boys & Girls Club Truancy Program had saved their lives. Without assistance, their family may not have been reunited. This is a shining example of why we do what we do each and every day. At the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring community members.

This summer I moved from working at the Teen Center to working at the Boys and Girls Club site in Almond-Bancroft. The transition from working with Teens to working with Elementary aged students was different but it only took me a few days to start to really enjoy it. On my second day of working in Almond this summer we were playing a game of dodgeball outside when I noticed a new girl, sitting on the side of the dodgeball court, looking rather scared and apprehensive about playing. I decided to go to the side and ask her if she wanted to play. She replied, “No, I’m not very good at Dodgeball”. I told her that didn’t matter, that dodgeball was just about having fun, and that I would help her learn the rules as we played. She smiled and joined the game, and although she really didn’t know the rules, she had tons of fun running around with her classmates, the fear in her eyes turned into a smile on her face and she went home happy that day.

 The next day, the first thing she did when she got to the club was run up to me and give me a high-five. Later that day her father came to pick her up at the end of the day, we engaged in some small talk and I asked him how his daughter was enjoying the club. He said she used to always ask, “Dad where can I play with some kids”, but now because of the Boys and Girls Club, she knows that she will be able to play with kids every day. It is safe to say that the Boys and Girls Club in Almond is having an impact on kids in the area by giving them a place to be kids together, in an area where that might otherwise not be possible.

Thank you for taking time for orientation today. I’m really glad Brooklynn made the decision to go to BGC. It’s only been a couple weeks, but I've already seen a difference in her. Taking the time to go over homework and reading with her has been a benefit to her, and us as well. Please thank you and your staff for all that you guys do not only for our daughter, but all the kids. I wanted to tell you again how much Brooklynn wanted to be there, and how much BGC means to her.

We have responsibilities at our home, and we have chores they can do to earn money. No chores pays more than $.50. Brooklynn has worked for, and saved, all of her money. Each of the kids have money envelopes where 10% goes to church, and the balance is divided in thirds and broken out into Need, for items the need. Want, to be spent however they choose. Save, that goes in the bank and remains untouched. Brooklynn had $10 in each of her envelopes. She took all she had from her Want envelope to pay for her BGC costs knowing it will take her awhile to save up that much for her Want spending again. And just tonight she offered to take on more chores to earn money for the upcoming BGC fees in January.

I’m very proud that she chose how to spend her hard earned spending money. Thank you for providing a program that has driven a desire for something positive in our daughter. In a world going crazy, we are grateful for something so stable and positive for our kids to look forward to.

Allison started her Boys & Girls Club experience at our Homework Center where she was referred by her teachers. Over the next few weeks, Allison would only say a few words to me during Homework Center and was really struggling to complete all of her homework and missing assignments. Allison comes from a single family home and she doesn’t feel extremely comfortable in social situations and struggled with completing her homework assignments. I was concerned for Allison, not only academically, but socially as well. 

Over the next two months, I continued to greet Allison every day and work with her on her homework. In early January 2015, Allison came running into Homework Center with a huge smile on her face, Allison told me that she had decided to join FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America). FCCLA is an amazing club that provides numerous social, academic, and community opportunities to its members. This is an incredibly huge success for Allison, who just a few short months earlier was not comfortable talking to other people she didn’t know. Allison has kept her grades up, carefully manages her homework assignments, and willing participates socially and academically at Homework Center every day.