by Lauren Soulam, Grants Director
of Truckee Meadows: Much more than just a safe place for kids
B
oys & Girls Club members come from all different walks of life. Some come to the Club because they need a safe and fun place to be during school breaks. Others become members to participate in the Club’s quality sports leagues, summer camps and other specialized programs. Some members come from low-income families or at-risk home lives while others come from middle-class and even more affluent home situations.
Regardless of their circumstances or reasons for becoming a Club member, one thing is consistent: the Boys & Girls Club is there to meet the needs of every child who walks through their doors, be they many or few. For Jevin Daugherty, the Boys & Girls Club helped him find his voice as he grew from a shy and cautious child into a confident young man. Jevin spent the first eight years of his life in Vallejo, Calif., living with his mom and some extended family. “My mom used to tell me that we couldn’t trust our family,” Jevin recalled. “That’s a hard thing to hear as a kid. If I couldn’t trust my family, who could I trust?” When Jevin started showing early signs of following those around him down a path of trouble, his mom knew it was time for a change. She sent Jevin to Reno to live with his dad, stepmom and two older stepbrothers. 10 kn&r
DECEMBER 19, 2013
It was a difficult transition for Jevin. Life in Vallejo was all he knew, and he had become very untrusting of those around him. He distanced himself as much as he could from those around him, even his own family. “That was about the time my dad and stepmom signed me up for the Boys & Girls Club,” Jevin said. “My brothers went to the Club on Neil Road, and my dad knew the Club would be good for me too. I wasn’t so sure.” “The first week or so that I was there I felt like I was being forced to go. And I was. But it wasn’t long before I started participating in some of the activities and even making friends. The kids at the Boys & Girls Club didn’t pick on me or make me feel like an outsider. Instead, they cared about me and wanted to play with me. That’s when I started to realize that there were more people in this world that I could trust.” With the support of his family, Jevin began attending the Club regularly. As he became a teenager, Jevin joined Leaders in Training (LIT), a Club program where teens learn job skills, volunteer their time at the Club and have the opportunity to earn a paid position at the Club during the summer. “As an LIT, I realized that I really enjoyed working with kids,” Jevin said. “I especially like working with those kids who are a little quieter and cautious. They remind me of myself when I was younger. I hope that I can be that positive role model in their lives that I had at the Club.” Today, Jevin is a high school senior with plans to attend college to study veterinary science. His hard work, positive attitude and dedication to the Club earned him the Boys & Girls Club’s 2013 Male Youth of the Year Award. “I’m not the shy, quiet kid in the
corner anymore. I’m a leader and a mentor,” Jevin said. “I’m not completely sure what my future will hold, but I know it will be bright.”
Eva Hernandez For Eva Hernandez, the Club’s 2013 Female Youth of the Year, the story is a bit different. Not only was the Boys & Girls Club there to change her life, but it also transformed the lives of her entire family. Eva was born in Reno, the youngest and only girl with four older brothers. Her parents legally emigrated from Mexico before she was born, and they worked hard to provide a good life for their family. Still, the family struggled. They lived in a difficult part of town where gang violence was common.
“ Our lives were completely changed when a Boys & Girls Club opened across the street from our apartment.” Eva Hernandez
As a Hispanic female living in a low-income neighborhood, Eva seemed to be at a disadvantage from the start. But according to Eva, “Our lives were completely changed when a Boys & Girls Club
