THE LITTLE CLUB THAT COULD’ STRIVES TO BE A POSITIVE PLACE FOR KIDS
By Edward L Prichard III
The Cathedral City Boys & Girls Club’s (CCBGC) mission is simple yet impactful:
Our mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
For over thirty-five years now, the Cathedral City independent run club, with present membership of over 100 kids, has truly grown to incredible new heights upon its installation to the Coachella Valley many moons ago. Scott Robinson, CEO of CCBGC, would agree. “’Without the local support of the community, our amazing board members, the volunteers & staff and the incredible grass-roots financial outreach from The H.C. & Francis Berger Foundation along with the Glen & Opal Barnett Foundation, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today in terms of our club membership level and the quality of educational programs we currently have in place,” stated a proud Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson has currently been at the helm of the club for over ten years with previous allegiance to the Santa Monica & Malibu Boys & Girls Club chapters.
The CCBGC maintains a Strategic Planning Board of ten active members coupled with a current staff of twelve and is a privately run non-profit organization. Cathedral City currently receives no funding from other Clubs in the Coachella Valley. The CCBGC is currently amidst a $100K fundraising campaign to refurbish & remodel the clubs’ aging amenities and include a new teen center. The club recently raised over $70K at their annual ‘Wreath Auction Extravaganza.’
One of the more prominent programs of the CCBGC is The National Youth of the Year Program. It is designed to promote and recognize service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family and spiritual life. Each Club selects a’ Youth of the Year’ who receives a certificate and medallion then enters state competition. Each of the five regional winners receives a $10,000 scholarship and then on to a national competition held in Washington, DC. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $15,000 scholarship, totaling $26,000 in scholarships, and is installed by the President of the United States. The Youth of The Year Awards will be held March 20th in the CCBGC gym.
Many of the CCBGC programs have taken members from the clubhouse to the White House; from the games room to the corporate boardroom and even from local high school orchestras to Carnegie Hall. One of the most popular programs at the club is the Video Production Program, under the tutelage of one of the Valley’s most indelible philanthropists, Mr. Terry Nelson. Mr. Nelson is also the co-creator & producer for the annual ‘Boys & Girls Youth Leadership & Film Awards’ at the AMFM Festival at the Mary Pickford Theater. Four-Year fellow club member, Angel Figueroa, 14, ecstatically stated, “Receiving the award literally changed my life! It made me feel like I was ‘One of a Kind’ for that brief moment. It gave me a tremendous sense of confidence I simply never had before. I am getting good grades these days and it made me want to become a film director now!”
The CCBGC rigorously maintains a lineup of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues such as the ‘Life Skills’ Program providing the club’s youth with self-leadership and self-empowerment skills they gravely need to succeed in life. Mr. Robinson is currently fundraising to launch the Worldview Explorations Program in the Fall which is currently set to launch March, 30th within all eleven of the Silicon Valley Boys & Girls Club chapters as part of their aggressive curriculum. The CCBGC also incorporates many of the national programs that are available in the areas of education, the environment, health, the arts, careers, alcohol/drug and pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, leadership development and athletics.
Mr. Robinson went on to add, “We have often called this club ‘The Little Club That Could” based upon the collective efforts of all those connected to the club and their sheer perseverance and drive to endure while overcoming many treacherous terrain over the years since my arrival particularly within the economic downturn. We just never gave up on the kids!”
…and we, the local & loyal Boys & Girls Club fans of the CV Valley, are certainly glad you didn’t either, Mr. Robinson. The world is a better place with impactful & dedicated individuals, such as yourself, creating dreams and hopes for many of America’s youth. We salute you and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America!
For more information about the club and a list of their programs and local sponsorship angels go to www.ccbgc.org.
Mr. Prichard is a mentor for the CCHS year-long DATA program while also serving as the local Director of Community Outreach & Education Programming for Film4Change & the annual AMFM Festival. He also serves as the Program Development Director & Master Trainer for Worldview Explorations, a ground-breaking youth global leadership education program with a Spring launch in all of the Silicon Valley Boys & Girls Clubs coupled with a Fall launch pilot program in the CV Valley. facebook.com/worldviewexplorations. Edward@coachellavalleyweekly.com
