Nonprofit helps kids build character, leadership skills
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus addresses children’s daily needs, but always with an eye to the future.
The clubs focus on helping kids become strong students while developing into leaders with good character who are concerned about their health, said Executive Director Rebecca Asmo. The organization also offers service programs designed to help members understand that they are part of a community and have the opportunity to advocate for others, she said.
“The great thing about all of our programming is that it equips kids with skill sets and values that can have an immediate effect on their lives but will only become more valuable as they age,” she said.
Q: Why should Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus be on the radar of local business leaders?
A: Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus works to make our communities strong by giving our club members the opportunity to grow into smart, healthy, dedicated citizens who care about the future of their city and the people in it. Local businesses care that we have a strong community for generations to come, and we work to provide productive society members. If they want to invest in that future today, then investing in Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus is a great way to do that. After all, the majority of our club kids stay local as adults. They’re going to live and work here, for local businesses, and they’re going to be great employees.
Q: How does the agency remain relevant as social circumstances and needs of its clients change? Can you share some of the ways services have changed while still working toward the same mission?
A: It’s tempting to think that the world today is radically different from a generation or two ago, but there’s a lot of consistency in the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus. In 1948, kids needed a safe space after school, and in 2017, kids still need that safe space with dependable adults. While we adapt to the current needs of our kids by bringing in new programming around STEM and other important areas, fundamentally we’re still making sure that they’re learning and growing in their education. We’re establishing new partnerships with schools, opening new clubs and pursuing new avenues, but we’re still working to help kids grow into healthy, intelligent people of good character. The specific challenges of our club members change with the times, but our principles remain steadfast because the underlying needs of our kids have remained consistent: kids need and want a place to come where they are safe, loved and cared for.
Q: Why is it critical that clubs serve children in elementary school through high school? How does that continuity impact the work you do?
A: There are obvious reasons, like the importance of education and the value our academic support programs can provide, but as I mentioned, we have service programs that help club members give back to their community. For the youngest kids, we have Mini Flares, and as they get a little bit older, Torch Club. Once kids age out of these programs, they’re natural fits for the Keystone Club, which empowers teenagers to take charge on service initiatives and make leadership decisions. It’s through that continuity — starting as a 6-year-old, gaining experience while helping others, and sticking to a commitment to improving the world around you — that the kids become such invested young adults in Keystone Club.
Q: What are your biggest challenges, and how do you address them?
A: Funding and staff development are both challenges. For our members, their $5 annual membership doesn’t begin to cover the services that they get even for one
day. Therefore, we rely on community support to keep the clubs open and staffed. Those staff, by the way, are critical to our success — they have the relationships with the kids, day in and day out. As such, we’re working to give them the opportunities they need to grow in their careers with our organization so that our clubs and our club members will have strong relationships that reflect our steadfast commitment to the community.
Q: Club members often say that membership saved their lives; what do they mean by that?
A: Ask a dozen kids this question, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. Some of our members need a place that recognizes their potential and helps them see it in themselves. Some of our members need role models who show them a different future than they might imagine at school or in their neighborhood. Some of our kids need a place where they’re safe and valued and have the chance to grow into the kinds of adults we know they’re capable of being. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus, we offer all these things to our kids.