essay

Reaching foR the

By Lauren SouLam, GrantS Director

interview with mike wurm, executive Director & cPo

The rapid growth in Washoe County during the 1970s brought with it an increase in juvenile problems. It became clear to a handful of local businessmen that the solution wasn’t a bigger juvenile justice system, but rather programs that would curb issues before they began. It was this line of thinking that led to the founding of the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows in 1976. Then called the Boys Club, the first Club members occupied a facility just south of the intersection of Terminal Way and East Plumb Lane in Reno.

The early days of the Club were challenging with limited funding to keep the organization afloat. Longtime board members recall days when a hat would be passed around at board meetings just to make that month’s payroll. It was a hard-fought battle, but the Club’s founders—led by Boys & Girls Club patriarch Jack Reviglio—were dedicated to the cause and the kids.

Over time, support for the Club grew. A major fundraising campaign was instituted to provide a better location for the Club, and in late 1981 the Club was moved to a new location on East Ninth Street, today known as the Donald W. Reynolds Facility. In 1983, girls were invited to participate as full-time Club members, and two years later, the name was officially changed to the Boys & Girls Club.

Nearly forty years after opening, the Boys & Girls Club is running strong, operating 20 sites throughout northern Nevada. In that time, they’ve expanded membership to include teenagers, launched four sites in Fernley and opened the new William N. Pennington Facility on Foster Drive. And while there is much to celebrate over the history of the organization, each new success only seems to open the door to the next need.

“It seems like each time we reach a new peak, there’s another, higher peak on the horizon,” said Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Executive Director Mike Wurm. “You can see that over our history. We have been very fortunate to have so many opportunities for expansion over the years, but with every win, another need, another opportunity is there.”

The Club is committed to a pursuit of those opportunities, always seeking ways to grow to serve more children with the highest quality programs and services. “Growth seems to be a perpetual state at the Boys & Girls Club. Always responsible, sustainable growth, but growth nonetheless,” Wurm said.

This past year was certainly a year of growth at the Boys & Girls Club as the organization completed a 12-month construction project to build the new William N. Pennington Facility on Foster Drive. Located across the street from Reno High School, the property has a long history of serving local young people, and the Club was proud to continue that tradition.

The facility opened this past June, and initial estimates were to serve 250-300 children each day. Those estimates fell short. Attendance at the Pennington Facility reached 350 after just the first week and only grew from there, peaking at times to 600 youth. Children and families from all different backgrounds, it seems, were excited to have a Boys & Girls Club in their neighborhood.

The demand for the facility was greater than the Club could have predicted, and now, only six months after opening the facility, the Club is already looking for ways to enhance services at the Pennington Facility to meet the needs and interests of members.

“The Pennington Facility is a great example of how expansion has turned into another opportunity for growth,” said Wurm. “There’s still more we can and will do in that community, and it’s not the only one. There are other opportunities coming up over the next year at different schools and the Project Solution Complex that could mean reaching more youth in more neighborhoods.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows will serve more than 13,000 youth this year and is expected to serve even more in 2015. An impressive number, perhaps, but this represents just 20 percent of the school-aged population in Washoe County. Some children may not need the Club’s services, but there is still much work to be done.

“We’re not there yet, we haven’t reached the summit,” said Wurm. “So the mission of the Boys & Girls Club, and the vision of our founders, will keep pushing forward.” Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body Opening January 3rd, 2015 Wilbur D. May Museum

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