Spencer advocates for community

Jun. 2—Walker County Boys and Girls Club (WCBGC) is led by an energetic, courageous leader whose ever evolving, five and ten year vision will continue to keep this non-profit organization financially sound and viable, while responding to the needs of the community.

This year marks a 20 year celebration for the club. Michelle Spencer is celebrating 17 years as the Executive Director.

"We went from borrowed space to new space that we have outgrown and making plans to expand," said Spencer. "The mission of the club is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens."

WCBGC is part of a national organization that oversees thousands of clubs around the world and on military bases. The national organization 2022 Outcomes Initiatives outlines how they define success.

A high quality Club experience offers a safe environment, supportive relationships and enriching experiences — exploration and learning are bound to happen.

"COVID provided the opportunity for us to service a different demographics, which aligned with our strategic goals. We are making plans to eliminate the balance of our current capital campaign and putting together plans for expansion," said Spencer. "Safety is our number one consideration moving forward for our kids and staff."

Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with four women in Hartford, Connecticut — Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, Elizabeth Hammersley and Louisa Bushnell. They believed that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative and they organized the first Club. Character development was the cornerstone of the experience. The Club focused on capturing boys interests, improving their behavior and increasing their personal expectations and goals.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is supported by foundation, corporate, and government grants, as well as by gifts from individuals. BGCA supports there is no silver bullet to success. It takes an army of people, a safe environment, high-quality programs and unique experiences to level the playing field for all kids. Boys & Girls Clubs don't just do one thing, we do whatever it takes to build great futures for America's young people.

"The Board's current and long range plans are to continue to be fiscally sound," said Spencer. "We work to pay our staff a fair competitive salary to ensure we get the best of the best and they have an incentive to stay. My Director of Operations Diane Balderas has been with the organization 12 years and has done an incredible job directing youth programs."

The Walker County Boys & Girls Club was the recipient of the 2023 Reader's Choice Best Kids Activities.

"The ability to connect with community partners has been a key to our success. We've received numerous grants to support programs but that money does not pay for staff. Therefore, my Executive Board is constantly working to raise money," said Spencer.

"As our organization grows, we work to stay connected internally and externally. Our workforce is diversified (young, seasoned), which provides the perfect balance of leadership and supervision for our kids. We work to maintain a culture that values every individual in the organization, while supporting our mission for the kids to just have fun, while learning."

"My original plan in 2005 was to stay n Huntsville three years and move to the national level. However, Huntsville has a way of drawing you into this community and it has welcomed me as a leader, while advocating for children and the community. I love impacting the lives of children and their families. And the Lord keeps showing me new growth avenues for the club."

The national organization supports all the established clubs. Their recently honored alumni were presented at the 117th Annual Conference. "Every year, we are honored to welcome top industry leaders and professionals into our Alumni Hall of Fame during this special induction ceremony," said Jim Clark, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America." "On the heels of celebrating our 5,000th Boys & Girls Club milestone, we are reminded of the power of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's mission and the opportunity we have to shape the future with great leaders."

Boys & Girls Clubs Alumni Hall of Fame welcomed, John Quiñones, ABC News Correspondent, Michael S. Regan, US Administrator-Environmental Protection Agency, Rick Carlisle, NBA Head Coach (Indiana Pacers), Vera Jones, former ESPN Analyst and Author, Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah (aka Kofi Kingston), WWE Superstar, Austin Watson (aka Xavier Woods), WWE Superstar, Marvin L. McIntyre, Founder & CEO, Marvelous Enterprises

Tony Alva, Professional Skateboarder, Shayla Cowan, Emmy-nominated film and TV producer, Chief of Staff, Will Packer Productions (part of the first all-Black team to produce the Oscars).

The Club recently developed a partnership with KABOOM, a national non-profit that works to unite with communities to build kid-designed playspaces that can spark joy and foster a sense of belonging for the kids who are often denied opportunities to thrive.

During the pandemic KABOOM donated 1000 Stem Activities Boxes to the Boys and Girls Club for the children of Huntsville. "I reached out to all the area children organization and we successfully distributed the boxes in a couple of week," said Spencer. "This demonstrated to KABOOM that the Huntsville community was connected and capable of working together.

"Effective community partners have been one of our success," said Spencer. "The Powell Foundation donated approximately $1.7 million to build a playscape at our facility and to replace old playground equipment at three city playgrounds and four school grounds. This project was facilitate by the KABOOM organization, who recruited community stakeholders to design and help build the playscapes for the children of Huntsville.

Spencer was recently featured in SHSU Spring 2023 magazine that focused on 'Community Collaborations-The Bearkat Impact.' The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) promotes research and other scholarly activities produced in collaboration with community partners for the explicit goal of contributing to the public good. Spencer is also a board member for CCE.

"We allow the SHSU students to come to the club as interns or volunteers to put their new knowledge to work. We have forged relationships with at least 15 different SHSU departments and student organizations. These students bring fresh knowledge and energy to the club, which we embrace. This collaboration benefits our staff and kids and becomes a win win."

Spencer is excited about the future for the club and Huntsville. She plans to continue her life's mission as she pursues new opportunities to do more outreach and collaborations to ensure the Huntsville community is thriving and connected, not just for the children but everyone.

The Walker County Boys and Girls Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 8600 Huntsville, TX 77340. For more information www.walkercountykids.org, If you would like to volunteer or have your business/organization partner with WCBGC 936-291-6054.