By: Jennifer Deroin
The Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley in Ontario, OR represents hope and opportunity for a lot of youth in the community. That’s why The Nichols Accounting Group selected their organization for their Community Giving Day. The staff helped to sort books by reading level and then coded them using a colored sticker system accordingly for their library. Afterwards, popsicles seemed fitting for a hot summer day and the kids agreed.
Afterwards, we spoke with Matt Sorensen, Executive Director of the Ontario Boys and Girls Club to learn more about their needs, and how the community can help. Matt was born and raised in Caldwell and after graduating from the University of Idaho, he began in the organization working his way into leadership. He and his wife seized the opportunity for him to lead a club, and their family made the commitment to move to Payette where they now raise their two year old son, with another on the way. He say’s “I feel grateful for the opportunity to help so many deserving kids”.
The Ontario club started in December of 2009 at a different, smaller location than its current home. Thanks to a partnership with the Ontario School District, they now have a facility on the middle school campus which has allowed them to expand services. Their youth service floor is for kids in grades 1st through 6th, and they have a teen center in the basement, providing those kids the exclusivity they crave. A unique aspect of this club; they provide a full supper program – a hot meal every day to ensure the kids won’t go home hungry. They’re serving 140 kids a day with a wide variety of programs to help them with academic success, character building, and healthy lifestyle choices. Their facility boasts a recreation room, education center, art room, games room, technology center, and outdoor recreational space.
When asked what makes the differences in these kids’ lives, Matt responds with a one word answer, “mentorship”. He says that caring adults mentoring the kids, helps them make positive choices and helps them see the possibility of reaching their full potential.
I asked him for a moment that stood out in terms of outcome success and he shared the story of one of their teens. She had struggled with grades in school and didn’t have great influences in her life. She had learned about the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year award, and the rumor that she might be considered. She decided right then to make the changes she needed to so she could rise to the top in their selection process. She changed her peer group and her study habits, and turned around her grades. Matt believes the value of that motivation was in her understanding that “just because you’ve had a rough go, and things aren’t working out, it doesn’t mean you can’t make the decisions to change that”. She was willing to put in the work. The selection process involves standing in front of a panel of judges and answering questions – intimidating for anyone – and especially if you haven’t had the confidence or belief in your ability, to do something like that before. They talk about what the club means to them, and how it’s impacted their lives. She went on to win the title of Youth of the Year.
If you’re involved with any not for profit organization, you know there is always need for time, talent and treasure. In the case of the Boys and Girls Club, they need more mentors – caring adults that give time consistently in a child’s life. Matt and others involved in mentoring, understand the significant return on investment this time yields for the child, and also for the community through improved graduation and go-on rates, and decreased public assistance needs.
If people cannot give their time, they have other needs to, such as; walkie talkie radios, gently used sports equipment such as soccer balls, hula hoops, basket balls, and board games. They need more bookcases, and more books.
That small portion of time we shared with them that day, felt like a small accomplishment in their endeavor to bring about hope and opportunity. Matt, we’re ready for our next assignment.
