One man’s success started with Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley

It all started 48 years ago, when Tony Reagins, a wide-eyed 7-year-old boy from an impoverished background, entered hand in hand with his mother the front doors of the then Boys Club of America in Indio.

It would mark the beginning of a devotion to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley that continues today.

Reagins, whose career includes working as the general manager for the Los Angeles Angels from 2007 to 2011 and currently serving as senior vice president of youth programs for the Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner, vividly remembers that life changing moment.

“I remember the smells, the sounds, the laughter and the colors,” said Reagins, who has served as a member on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley board of directors, as well as the host of the annual Tony Reagins Alumni Association College Scholarship Golf Tournament. “I was welcomed with open arms.”

This is when longtime mentor and friend Dave Ison came into Reagins' life. Ison started his relationship with Boys & Girls when it opened in Indio in 1967 and served as its executive director from 1973 to 1984.

“During my years with the Indio Club,” Ison said, “I was fortunate to work with many outstanding young men. Tony was one of those who stood out for a variety of reasons. He was humble, intelligent, had a great sense of humor, (was) driven to be the best that he could be, heavily involved in the Keystone Club and was always willing to be of help to others in the community. I can honestly say that he is the same person today as he was as a club kid. I am blessed to call him my friend.”

Reagins credits Ison as being a father figure in his life for four decades. “My time under Dave’s supervision and the Boys Club of Indio during those early years left me with good memories,” Reagins said. “I learned a lot. I learned the importance of reading. We experienced camping and hiking. I went to my first baseball game. Who knew that this experience would morph into what I do for a living? Without the guidance of Dave and the opportunities offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, there is no way I would be doing what I am doing today.”

Ison, along with many Reagins supporters, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley’s President and CEO Quinton Egson, were on hand in in Chicago in May to celebrate Reagins' induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.

This prestigious annual event honors club alumni whose club experience has had a meaningful impact on their lives and others. These are individuals who continue to live the values instilled during their Boys & Girls Clubs attendances. They are leaders in their industries and, most importantly, they are those who continue to give back. Past honorees have included Denzel Washington, Misty Copeland, Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O’Neal and many others.

Back in 2007, Egson invited Reagins to join the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley’s board of directors and develop an alumni association bearing his name. Reagins accepted and from there created the Tony Reagins golf tournament, now in its eighth year.

The local fundraiser has brought in thousands of dollars that provide scholarships for eligible club kids. To date, the alumni association has raised more than $230,000 and awarded 43 college scholarships. In May it raised $71,000. The group has also made a $20,000 contribution to help remodel the Indio clubhouse.

“We want to make sure that our kids have the opportunity to go to schools of higher education that they choose,” Reagins said. “We give out scholarships to kids as long as their grades are maintained so we can support them financially.”

Egson, along with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley board, its supporters, and club kids can’t say enough good things about Reagins. He is a hero to many.

“Tony is a shining light and a major force for doing good,” Egson said. “He has a giving heart and a willingness to serve others. In thinking about where we come from, the most underserved communities of Indio, one could say it is impossible to comprehend the accomplishments he has made. I, for one, am not surprised. There are a lot of kids from the club that are destined to do remarkable things. Tony has substantiated that given a chance, children from all levels of society can accomplish their dreams. He is a humble prime example of the product the Boys & Girls Club produces.”

For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley, visit bgcofcv.org or call (760) 836-1160.

DeAnn Lubell, writer, novelist and publicist, has represented nonprofits and businesses in the areas of marketing, event planning and fundraising productions in the Coachella Valley since 1991. She has served as a publicist for the McCallum Theatre since 2016 and is a PR and marketing representative for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley and Read With Me Volunteer Programs as well as her own newly founded nonprofit Amy's Purpose, an educational pet safety and predator awareness and counseling service.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: One man’s success started with Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley