I was fairly new to the Paradise area when I joined the club. In 6th grade my parents had split up, I moved to Magalia, and I was living with my Dad and splitting time with my Mom every other weekend in Sacramento. The summer before joining the club I had major chest surgery to correct an issue with my sternum. I struggled with recovery throughout my Sophomore year and it was very difficult to adjust socially. I was dealing with pain management while my classmates were playing sports and hanging out. I joined the Club because I was very interested in volunteering with friends that I had made in middle school in Magalia. They gave me the motivation to go out and get involved and that’s how my journey began with the Club
I couldn’t describe all my experiences at the Club even if I had a full length movie. After my volunteering and Teen Center experience I joined the Club as a young staff and stuck around through the college years. When I went off to college I was approached by Hoppie to apply at the Club. Hoppie Campos is the 2nd most motivational and inspirational male figure of my teen years, second only to my Dad. I had grown so much through the Club, not only personally but I became a staple at the site I worked at. I have seen so many youth experience the Club and I am so honored to share that experience. I have seen families grow and thrive with and through the Club, and I can never express how grateful I am for the time I worked there. Some people say they love their jobs, but as a college student, I hit the jackpot. Not only did I stay fully employed throughout college, but I got to go home every night knowing that I made a difference in my community.
I am now working at a Tech company in San Francisco. I graduated college and chose to follow a path in business. I am currently working on developing a new department at my company and I’ve worked here for less than a year. I cannot speak enough about how the Club has groomed me for this position and all other positions I will hold in the future. To take a quiet, unmotivated high schooler and cultivate the notion that he can do anything is what I owe the Club. I knew that I always had this gift inside myself, but I needed the guidance of the amazing staff (whom I can’t name all even if I had written a novel) to show me that I could succeed. I’ve been fortunate enough to have an amazing family to support me, but The Boys & Girls Club is my family too, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Joe D.
