Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park earned recognition with the 2019 Gold Standard Attendance and Programmatic Excellence Award from the Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA). The award was presented to Club CEO Todd Trout by BGCA President Jim Clark.
Selected from over 1,000 clubs in the Pacific West region, the Buena Park Club was also awarded $12,000 from Bridgestone Tires to further its growth and program needs.
According to Trout, the Club plans to use $2,500 of the award for multiple “Safe Friday Nights,” a program centered on providing mentorship and developing leadership for teenagers. Additional funds will be designated to fund expansion to accommodate the club’s rapid growth.
Trout credited the organization’s growth to its distinct recreational and technological services.
“Technology is super important, but we want a good balance, so we have rock climbing and woodshops which really separates us from other clubs,” clarified Trout.
In addition, he attributed the award to the team work of the Club’s staff and their experience together. The executive staff has over 25 years of involvement at the Club, allowing for more complex projects, and more specialized and diverse programming.
Community partnerships also played a role in the exceptional success of the club. Royal Business Bank helped provide financial literacy classes, where students learned multiple aspects of finance including information on credit cards and bank accounts.
Together, the varied services, leadership and partnerships helped lead to a 43% membership growth from 2018-2019.
“The club provides opportunities for children to grow. There is a tutoring program, gardening, science education. It helps prepare them for the workforce and makes the community a better place,” said Lanae O’Shields, Board of Directors, Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park.
