Local Boys and Girls Club CEO wins prestigious award
SILOAM SPRINGS — Chris Shimer, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County, was recently honored with the “Jim Wetherington Southwesterner Award” at the recent Boys and Girls Club of America Southwest Region Leadership Conference in Austin, Texas.
This award is presented in memory of Jim Wetherington, a caring and committed leader who grew up in the Boys and Girls Club and devoted 37 years to the organization, shaping thousands of young lives.
To be eligible for the award, an individual must by thought, word and deed be exemplary of the highest type of Boys and Girls Club professional. This individual must have given 100 percent plus of himself or herself in service to the development of Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Southwest Region and must have demonstrated initiative, imagination and creativeness, along with the development of and sharing of program ideas, resource development programs and personnel programs.
Chris Shimer has been the chief executive officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Siloam Springs since 1999 and has a total of 30 years in the Boys and Girls Club movement. He is a graduate of Indiana State University located in Evansville, Ind., with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and journalism.
His working experience includes Walmart and running and operating several local businesses in Northwest Arkansas. He has been married to his wife Decinda for 30 years and has three children, Haley (29), Hannah (26) and Hayden (11).
The Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County serves children, ages 5 to 18, and provides guidance-oriented programs that focus on academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles.
Led by a volunteer board of directors and a team of highly-trained Club professionals, the Club serves approximately 2,000 children in annual membership and another 1,200 through community outreach.
With four sites (Siloam Springs, Gentry, Decatur and Gravette), the Boys and Girls Club provides high-quality programs that empower children to become strong adults, responsible citizens and community leaders.