Boys & Girls Club empowers kids to reach full potential

Sarah Heimer

Tell us about your organization:

■ Mission: The Boys & Girls Club of Benton County enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

■ Services provided: After-school youth development, summer camp, sports camps, athletic leagues for surrounding communities ■ Service area: Benton

County

■ Average number of people served annually: 4,500

How is your organization’s mission unique? The Boys & Girls Clubs has one of the most critical missions in our country today, to empower young people. We have an opportunity every day to create a fun, engaging, relevant space for kids ages 6 to 18. When kids become club members, they have “ownership” and opportunity that comes with this club. They get a team of youth development coordinators who visit with them every day and create personal connections. They have a warm meal, snack and a safe place to belong. Every member has the opportunity to engage in additional clubs and activities. The uniqueness of the Boys & Girls Clubs comes through membership — our kids belong, it is exclusive and only for them!

Why do you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? My passion is seeing youth reach their full potential, and this happens by me being able to be an advocate and provide strong programs and safe places for them and their families. My goal is to help meet the needs of my local community, and this happens every day through the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs. We get to serve kids and families, create safe, fun places where each unique youth can find their place to belong.

What part of your job fills the most of your time? Creating culture. Our organizational values run deep, and it is my goal that every staff member knows and lives out these values in the work we do every day. Belonging, fun, Stewardship, safety, teamwork and respect are the framework that every staff member uses when creating a place for our communities’ youth. I spend a lot of my time communicating these values, so ultimately our mission is fulfilled. Overall, I have the privilege of setting the pace and strategy for community impact, but it is our staff that helps bleed the culture down to our members — which, in turn, impacts our community. I feel like I have the best job in the world. It is an amazing thing to use my skills to create teams, impact kids and create future leaders who are seeking to impact lives in the social service sector.

What have you learned on the job that you didn’t expect? How organized chaos really is a thing. Every single day, it is loud. Filled with music, laughter, bouncing balls, sticky doorknobs, all signs of life being lived! But there is a method to the chaos of 700-plus kids descending on one of our five locations every single day.

What challenges face your organization? As the region continues to grow, so does the mission and demand of the Boys and Girls Clubs services. We always run a wait-list; all of our facilities are at capacity. As our demand for service continues to grow, our hope is to respond and be able to meet the need through more locations or collaborative services.

Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? We have opportunities ranging from cleaning and helping to maintain facilities, coaching, mentoring children, planning fun activities for the kids and so much more!

Heimer