The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina

Boys & Girls Club of SE NC

[00:00:00] Welcome to Topsail Insider, where you can hear all about the businesses and events in the beautiful coastal towns in the greater Topsail area of North Carolina. 

So many people know about the Boys and Girls Club from years and years ago, but the challenges that our kids face today are so different. We live in a crazy world that's always changing. 

 We're going to be talking with Dawn-Michelle Blalock, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina, and hear about how their organization is reaching kids today, helping them with social issues, academics, character development, and helping them find a vibrant future. 

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Hello, everyone. My name is Trudy Solomon, and I am today's host of Topsill Insider. We have Dawn-Michelle Blalock joining us today, and she is the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina. 

Welcome Dawn-Michelle and [00:02:00] thank you for joining us. you for allowing me to be here. Yes, this is wonderful. To kick things off, could you give us a quick overview of your organization?the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina is the product of two very historic, clubs, in the New Hanover and Onslow County communities.

the Brigade Boys and Girls Club has existed in New Hanover for, for 129 years now, and the Community Boys and Girls Club is about 80 years old, both about 10 minutes apart from each other,a lot of history there in serving children over the course of decades. the Onslow County Club actually joined in 2015, and merged in, and so in January of 2023, January 1st, 2023, we became The Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina merging all of those community sites together to form a larger regional organization so we can serve more kids.

For people who may not know what Boys and Girls Club is all about, tell me [00:03:00] that. I think most should know, could know, but let's just go with the basics. Yeah, so we are a youth development program. We are not a daycare, be real clear about that. and so what we're doing is we're trying to serve the whole child through.

academic support, we do a lot of tutoring and mentoring there, through character and leadership development, we do a lot with healthy habits and social wellness, of course sports and recreation, also STEM, creative arts, and those types of things. So we're really looking at the whole child and trying to, advocate for that child and mentor that child through some of those different areas.

Wonderful. I want to ask a few questions tell me a little bit about you. Where are you from originally and what brought you to Topsail I grew up on the western side of the state in Lenore, North Carolina and, I spent some time in South Carolina, about 20 years or so in South Carolina.

I am a nurse by trade, so I went to nursing school and got my R. N. and spent, the first 10 years of my [00:04:00] career, as a clinical nurse. Worked in the E. R. for 10 years and, that was great. But running around 90 miles an hour with my hair on fire, got a little old, and so I ended up moving into the business side of healthcare and spent the next 20 years, really helping lead organizations, spend a lot of time in operations and strategy.

I've sat in a CEO seat in a couple of organizations, that really were national footprints. So I was spending a lot of time traveling. I've spent 20 years on a plane. Wow. go out on Monday, come home on Thursday. And I've spent a good bit of time here in this area, spending my summers here.

I've raised my kids in the summer on these Topsail beaches and, now they're raising their kids on these beaches. so we have some generational, understanding of the area. And I moved out permanently, about 13 years ago now, so I've been living in Hampstead. And, a couple years ago, got an opportunity to really get off of the road, so to speak, or off the airplane.

And I was recruited by the executive recruitment arm of [00:05:00] BGCA. they called me one day and said, have you ever thought about running a boys and girls club? I said, absolutely not. I have no idea what you're talking about. But as I'd shared with you before, I have a very strong faith life.

And so something was nagging at me about this conversation. And, I just said, Let's keep talking. I'm interested to hear more about this. And particularly, I just felt convicted, I've helped a lot of people all across the country, but I've never done anything in my own backyard, so to speak.

And so this was an opportunity for me to get involved with something that I'm was very intentional about where I live and the children of this community. So I just kept walking forward and I said, God, if you don't want me to do this, then you'll tell me to stop. And I haven't heard from him since. So I guess I'm in the right place.

You're hearing from him. You're having a lot of success in this. so yeah, so this is different. You're in nursing and then, but did some CEO, but this is right here in your community. So that's exciting for you, I'm sure. It is. It is. And I'm enjoying every minute of it. And, And how long have you been doing it?

it'll be two years, May 1st. Okay. [00:06:00] Coming up on my second anniversary. Okay. And, it's a lot of fun. No day is, It's the same, and I did not think I would love these kids as much as I do, but they got me. here I am. So you're, okay, so back to the, to, so officially it's the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina.

So tell me the scope of that, and when you say these kids, you're visiting these sites and stuff, so tell us where that all goes. So we are, in five counties now. Onslow, Pender. New Hanover, Brunswick, and Duplin. We serve about 2, 200 kids across those five counties in about 20 site locations.

some of those locations, in New Hanover County, we actually own the buildings, the assets are ours, and so we have a physical bricks and mortar club site, we have three of them actually. and then everywhere else, we serve in a school site location, so we bring our programming and drop into the school environment.

So for after school, the kids are Coming down the cafeteria and checking in for club and then [00:07:00] we split out from there and move around the school for programming and outside and inside, that kind of thing, which is a much more economical model, by the way, and easier for us to do. And it also gives us a good partnership with the school systems in the communities where we serve.

 I want to go back when we were talking about what the Boys Club is. I know there's a really meaningful mission statement that the Boys and Girls Club stands behind.

Can you share that with us? Sure. our mission is to enable all young people, especially those that need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. We want to see these kids come back to the communities that they live in and,the future leaders of our communities are in our clubs and so we want them to come back and be those responsible citizens in their communities.

I love that. So how are you succeeding in helping these kids be productive? So we have, we're a federated club, so we, belong under the BGCA, Boys and Girls Club of America, name. We pay membership dues into that, [00:08:00] national organization and for that we get a lot of resources and services to help us, operate our club sites.

we have a lot of regulations too around safety and things like that, how many kids we can have per person, our ratios. But really, we get 31. different evidence based programs that we can pretty much plug and play. So I don't have to think of the programming. I just have to execute and make sure that it is being provided in the manner in which the research shows that we get the most impact by providing that program.

So things around, there's Project LEARN, which is a whole suite of tutoring, and academic support and assistance. how do you get kids to, to read better? How do you get kids to understand math better? most of the kids that we serve, especially post COVID have been two to three years behind in reading and math.

we implemented something called MindPlay, which is a literacy coaching program. And in that, we've had a little less a year now, but we're finally [00:09:00] starting to see kids read at grade level. these programs, they work if they're carried out in the manner in which, they're supposed to.

And so we do a lot of training with staff to make sure that they understand how to implement the programs. we have programs for, Smart Moves is one of our programs, and it's teaching kids, how to abstain from drugs and alcohol, and, what to do with. peer pressure around sexual activity and those types of things.

we're really diving into a lot of, not just the day to day stuff that kids surface, level stuff that they deal with, but really, a lot of the things that they may be dealing with that we haven't seen in a long time. there's just different things that kids are coming into the club sites with, just very sensitive things they're dealing with that we, we haven't seen and, ever.

So we have kids that are in the foster system, we've celebrated adoptions of kids with their foster parents. we've got kids that are doing very well as well. So it's just, it's a diverse group of children that we're serving, but that the, in our mission statement about the ones that need [00:10:00] us most, that's really where our heart is to help the kids that may be a little bit behind or may be coming from family situations that are not ideal or don't look like our family situations.

and really trying to be that mentor and that support system for them. there are kids that have, that You know, graduated club and gone on to college or the work environment, and they come back and they can name every person that walked with them along this journey. I think that says a lot about, not just the programming, but just, The most important thing we probably do is just provide presence and consistent presence so they have the same face, that's walking with them and that's important because there's sometimes a lot of people that come in and out of these kids lives and they're, they say they'll be there and then they walk away and then they're gone and having That support system that's, that, that continuity is super important and that's what gives us the most impact is just having those familiar faces every day that they can trust and build relationship with and [00:11:00] can come and bring their problems and their worries and their fears and also to their successes and their celebrations.

So it's,that's really the core of how we You know, implement the programming is through those relationships. So when you talked about, you talked about the history of where y'all have come from, , and then the breadth and depth of what the Boys and Girls Club of America offers.

Obviously there's so much development that's there, the programs, it's nothing that you had to create or whatever. It's something that's been across the nation. It's tried in a lot of different areas. there's a lot of. I'm sure, research and understanding behind it. So you get to implement that, which is super, and not have to create it.

That's great. But then you've also had, you have these great stories because of the longevity of the program. You've have, you have people who are. adults, like way into adulthood who've come from those programs and have a lot to share about it, huh? And that too. Yeah, we've got, we call them club kids so when they graduate and they become adults they're recognized as alumni and club kids.

Yeah. we follow them, [00:12:00] we keep that relationship going with them, we ask them to come back and volunteer and tell their story,and continue to be a part of this movement. There's 5, 500 clubs across the country under the BGCA umbrella. Some are very small and some are a little larger like ours.

And, the purpose is to make sure that, whatever environment a child comes from, that they are given a chance at an opportunity. And We're one of the only youth development programs I know of that, there are lots of youth development programs out there that are great and provide all kinds of great things, but I think we're the only one that really takes in the concept of everything that's going on in that child's life,and trying to be a good partner to the school systems, to the parents, to the community at large.

it takes all of us to make sure that these kids, Get those opportunities. I'm glad you said that, to really point out something that makes this program different. and I like, I think that deserves a lot of emphasis, when you talked about. Involving [00:13:00] yourself in all the aspects of their life, not just a, you said quickly, it's not babysitting.

No, it's not daycare, it's not babysitting. And it's not just a, a sports or athletic thing or, you're providing academics and a lot of, social,helping them socially adapt and things like that, too. how are these kids doing in school? What are you, I think you had some, heard some numbers about graduation rates and things like that.

Yeah, so we are, very happy to have been, we've been maintaining a 98. percent graduate on time and with a plan, for several years now. that's a very important metric. it's one that we take, it's a huge responsibility and we take great pride in that. and that really happens because of the continuity that we have with these kids when we have them.

In our youth programs, which is our K through 5, programming. and then they graduate on to our teen center and our teen programming. that's our tweens and teens, so 6th grade through 12th grade. When you have that longevity with [00:14:00] them and have built relationships around them and have built relationships with the parents, an advocate to the parents as well.

We're trying to figure out all kinds of wraparound services for parents because, parents are going through a lot and just trying to get through their day to day and,we're trying to, have advisory councils with parents to understand what burdens they have and to see how maybe we can alleviate some of those,things that are going on at home that we may not know about that they can share with us.

And really trying to develop a true partnership with the families that we serve. Good. tell us specifically what's going on here. we've talked broad, we, let's come back to where, the listeners in this area, , what do they need to know about and see around here?

Yeah, Hampstead is my home, so I live right down the road. Took me two minutes to get here. I, when I came to the organization, we were just serving in New Hanover and Onslaught counties, and so I'm like, Pender County needs to come. Come on board. I know what we are dealing with here.

Specifically, there's 5000 new homes that have gone up in the last [00:15:00] five years and they're still building. So the growth has exploded. it's putting pressure on our schools. there's a lot of, talk and you know how we're going to be able to handle all this. So I know there are Children here that need our services.

And so we've been fortunate to be able to work with Pender County schools and getting started in this area. and so we've got some good leadership advocates over there that are helping us understand where they feel like we'll fit in best. We don't ever just come in and say, okay, we're going to fit in.

We're going to go here or there. we have to work, with the school systems. It's a very important relationship to understand where those kids need us most are. what schools, what schools are seeing the burden of most of this growth as well. Okay. we take their direction on that.

And so that's how we got started here and we started serving, in the middle schools here, at Topsail and Surf City. And we've actually pulled that back a little bit because the, starting in [00:16:00] sixth grade, initially, those kids have other activities that they're doing, that longevity's not there, starting from the youth and working up.

and most parents, it's not as much of a burden to leave those aged children at home, you can't leave a, third grader at home by themselves, but a sixth grader, that might be a different story. So we backed up. We worked with, Pinter County School Leadership and so they're helping develop that footprint with us and for us.

We, there's some great things going on here in Pinter County. the PACES program is in most of the schools in the elementary age and they're doing great things, but, they also have a waiting list. how are we going to serve those children? Maybe. that are on the waiting list and if, parents decide to move over to PACES later, then we'll be happy to escort them over to that program if that's what fits the need of the child best and that family best.

But I think there's a lot of kids that still are underserved or not served here in the community and so that's really where we're trying to focus is how do we get to that engagement. No, I like that statement. You're right. I do believe with the growth [00:17:00] here, there's obviously definitely plenty of kids who, Who are underserved or not served.

so when you've been working with the Pembroke County school system and Working ahead. What's coming up? So we have our first summer camp. Okay Summer camp I call it controlled chaos because we all chaos we have we go up about 300 percent in the amount of kids that we serve and also the payroll that we have.

So we have a lot of part time employees that come in, just for the summer to help us implement summer camp. So we're going to be hosting summer camp at South Topsail Elementary. we're going to look for the first hundred kids. We're going to try to maybe cap it at that if we can. and then we'll take it.

on a waiting list case by case basis after that, we have regulated ratios, that we have to meet. So we can't have more than 20 kids with one person at any time. And in that, we have to staff it accordingly. And so if we do it on a measure of 100, I can staff it very well to that.

And then we'll look at, okay, do we have 20 more kids [00:18:00] on the waiting list and we've got another part time person coming in. Then we'll take on more kids, at that point. But I like to keep it measured like that. So that we know that the quality of the program is there and that, so what ages are those kids For the kids?

So it'll be the K through five. Okay. yeah. the, but kids can come, it doesn't just have to be South Topsail Elementary? No, it could be anywhere. Kids, it could be any kid from anywhere in the county. as long as they can get there and they get picked up. But we normally serve, from about seven 30 in the morning to six 30 at night during the summer program.

It's nearly 12 hours a day. That's two shifts of staff, coming in, because you can't work people 12 hours a day, five days a week. That's a little much. so we try to make sure that, our staff are, not overtaxed, that we have enough staff. and, they're not just staying there on campus.

There's lots of things that will happen on campus in summer camp. Programming still continues through the summer,we have something called summer brain gain, which is a time for kids to be able to catch up or remediate during the summer for anything that they may be a little behind in so that we can get [00:19:00] them caught up before August and they go back to school.

so we try to work with the teachers before the end of the school to say, hey, where, where are they at? Sure.and see where we can, plug in some programming to help them through the summer. But, summer's meant to be fun, so it's not all, it's not all work and books and that sort of thing.

There's a lot of field trips that we do. the kids are fed, so we're doing breakfast and lunch at school and snacks in between. the kids, and they get healthy meals, so we, that's a big thing about, Our Healthy Habits programming is that kids are selecting things that are good for them and not just the junk, or the candy or the sugar,so that's how summer camp works and, we're looking forward to it.

 what's the time frames or not just the hours of the day, but the weeks? I think you, you mentioned there's two sessions. Yeah, so we have two sessions. The first one will be, June 9th through July 3rd. That's the first session. And then second session is July 6th. 7th through August 1st.

Okay. the cost is 2. 50 per session, so if a child goes all summer, it's 500. Wow. I think that's very economical based on [00:20:00] what the market studies show here in Pender. Sure. because there is such a need for summer programming here with all the kids that, are in the school systems here.

sometimes people are charging that per week, Sure. I know. I've seen it. Again, we're trying to make this affordable and economical to reduce burden on parents. our kids are sometimes the ones that can afford to go to those camps and or afford those after school programs that are more expensive.

And we don't turn kids away, we, we don't have a structured scholarship program up here yet. We're working toward that. But we find resources if we have to, but, I, we can't, we're not at a point to where we can provide free programming yet, I'd like to get to that point at some point or another.

But we're, we're a non profit, so it's all about funding. All right, cool. I love, hearing about your summer camp here in Pendray County, but you have other summer camps because, again, this is, I love that you're, this is such a broad, area. Southeastern North Carolina has other summer camps. Where are they? Onslow, we usually have four [00:21:00] sites for summer.

one is usually a middle school. We do have a couple of middle school programs up there that are very successful, and the other three are elementary schools, and they're in different locations, around the county to serve. Onslow County is a really big county, and we have four. nine sites up there normally just during after school.

So we cut that in half, and then we're serving, 100 kids per site usually at those sites. Duplin County, will have one site at Wallace. We're serving three schools out there for after school and so they'll all come together, at Wallace Elementary for the summer program there. New Hanover, we have The community, campus, the brigade campus and the teen center all have summer camp going at the same time.

and then in Brunswick County, we're going to be at Lincoln Elementary this year for the first time in Leland. we're very excited about that partnership. We've got a great relationship with Brunswick County Schools. And We started there last year and so this will be our first, our first summer camp there and it'll be very similar to what we have here in Pender.

Yeah, so it's similar dates [00:22:00] and similar costs. yeah. And all that's just cookie cutter. And all that's on the website. Which is so good that, like I said, you really do have a cookie cutter thing. You just have to find a place and start supplying the families. Yeah, it's,it's, it's somewhat boilerplate as far as, like, how we start and implement.

All that is very structured and is very tenured. but every community has its own dynamic. I would say it's not necessarily cookie cutter, but it's specific to that community. the bones of the program and the operations of the program work very similarly no matter where we are. But, Pender County is not Brunswick County and New Hanover is not non slope. They all have different needs. That's a good point. They all have different needs, in the community and thus the children and the families have different needs. So we try to make sure that, when we hire part time staff for the summer, they're from that community because they understand that community.

I don't understand Brunswick community as well as I do, Pender County. But, but I have people embedded there that are from that community that do understand and can help me make great decisions. We have advisory councils, boards in every [00:23:00] community, that we serve for that very reason is to make sure that I'm meeting the needs of the community even if I don't live there.

Wonderful.

 So this organization reaches out in so many directions. You connecting with the schools, we've talked about that. You've got your advisory boards in your county, you're trying to stay in touch with different leaders in the community, I can see. And then you're also talked about parents and you're even trying to meet their needs and figure out some of their challenges and because times are always changing.

So who else are you working with? What other? Because it just sounds like you're in your position. And you're. You're just trying to cover everything and you're trying to get a lot of resources to work towards a common cause. We, we have a lot of partnerships with other non profits, for example.

different feeding programs, in different communities that support us. we have a new relationship with another foundation called Give Something Back, which we are implementing right now in New Hanover and Onslow, but we hope to scale that. that organization is another mentoring program that is embedded [00:24:00] with us, to work with specific children on their needs, leading them up to and through college.

they can come in as early as 8th grade to the Give Back program. but really consistently from 10th to 12th grade, as long as they are meeting. The requirements of the program, which is two virtual check ins a month with their coach and one in person check in with all of the kids together in an activity, if they're doing that consistently month over month from 10th to 12th grade, then they have an opportunity for a free four year scholarship to the college of their choice.

Wow. I'll say that again, free four year scholarship to the college of their choice. I do not know of another program out there specifically,and we're targeting children at risk. we want them to have opportunities. That's a huge burden off of a parent that really may be actively looking for resources to send their kids to higher education.

and what a, you can't make that [00:25:00] leap. Incredible goal for a child to, to jump through those hoops and get there.a very active workforce development program with our teens, so giving them opportunities to learn, professional and life skills now, before they enter into the workforce. Not all of our kids will go to higher education, some of them may go directly to the workforce, so we want them to be prepared.

we have partnerships and relationships with lots of industry partners out there that just give us opportunities to get the kids engaged, let them see what's out there. Internships and apprenticeships and those types of things for our older teens. we're working on developing a, a CNA pipeline, hopefully with NAVANT, so that we can get kids, into the CNA program.

They can be licensed as a, certified nursing assistant at 16 now. Oh my goodness. coming from healthcare, I understand the importance of getting into healthcare. You'll always have a job. Just really helping parents understand, what's out there, how we can help, how we can get the kids engaged.

we have a transfer VR system, which is one of those [00:26:00] virtual reality things that you walk around with on your face. And, it is for career exploration. And so they're looking at Over 2, 000 different career type programs in there that they can investigate and orient to and you see them walk around the club and they're doing all these things with their hands because they're doing some on hands training.

They're engaged in that, yeah. But it's virtual. and then we're starting a relationship with Spark NC, which is, a program that,implement SPARC labs, which are, high tech labs for high school students. And there is one at CTECH, down in New Hanover County, which is a technical high school there.

And we're working on implementing our own SPARC lab, at our teen center in New Hanover. But, once we get that off the ground, I'd like to look at scaling that in other locations where we can. Wow. so that our teens have access to, those high tech jobs, so things like data analytics or AI or game development, not just playing the game, but creating it.

there's very [00:27:00] lucrative jobs out there for kids that are entering into those fields and a lot of times our kids don't necessarily know the resources or how to access that. getting parents that kind of information is important so that they know. Here are some things that we can help provide for them, as well, to get their kids going in the right direction.

All of that is so exciting, Dawn Michelle, and then with the, just the relationships that you're working on with different corporations, non profits, I can see how it is all feeding into this one gigantic cause, which is just providing so many opportunities for these children and their families, taking a lot of burdens off and things like that.

and then when you go back, want to think back what you offer, what you were offering for the camps with a 250 price tag on a four week session and you can go for the whole summer for 500 and how economical that is for so many people. and certainly that's, a big decision factor when they're looking for a place to put their children or, and to have a solid knowledge that their kids are being cared for, that they're gaining something from their time, their summertime, and all that too.

[00:28:00] So that. is not an easy thing to pull off with your staff and all that you provide, the food, the everything. financially, I'm sure you're always working on different relationships and resources and things. , I'm constantly inspired by there's a way for everyone in our community.

To be involved in somehow, like even if it, and we'll get to that a little bit, but just talk to me a little bit about how are you able to do this summer camp for such a low cost and you're working with people who are giving scholarships and all these fantastic things that mean a lot to people's finances.

Yeah, so we, We have a, we've doubled our budget in the last year, just with all the growth that we've seen. everything is 100 percent funded by the generosity of others. Wow. whether that's individual donors or corporate sponsors or events, different things that we have. some grants, lots of grants.

Oh, lots of grants. And those are usually restricted to specific things, that we have to provide for those grants. which is great, but it's,80 percent of every dollar that we bring in goes straight to programming and to the kids. So we are a very [00:29:00] lean organization.

We spend a little bit of money on fundraising and trying to find the funds, and then our admin costs are very low. And we like it that way. I want everything to go to the kids as much as possible. But that takes a lot of relationships, out in the communities. And, it's not just about donations and donating.

Although we're never going to stop you from writing a check.or Venmoing now or whatever it is that we do now. But, the kids keep telling me. Ms. Dean, we don't write checks. we Venmo. We Venmo. it's volunteering. We have a lot of people that come and volunteer, and we have a lot of teachers in the summertime that maybe want to come work part time, during their summer off.

And, which helps them and helps us. we have a lot of people that volunteer. We have a whole grandparent volunteer program that, that our most senior, individuals with all that history and things that they can share come in and they provide a kind of a grandparent. presents to spend time with the kids and volunteer with our staff.

So it's extra support for us. And it really, I think the best history [00:30:00] lesson ever is at the feet of somebody who's much older than you. and we want them to have, that too. And we have people that just come in, they want to volunteer to be an extra set of eyes and ears on our field trips.

And so they may just. Just be on the bus going to the field trip for the day. So that, because we usually have more kids. And of course then we need more staff and volunteers. And then advocacy. we deal with a lot of sometimes stress and tensions on Government and state funding. this past year we lost about 300, 000, in the state budget.

All the Boys and Girls Clubs were just zeroed out in the budget this year. and we had enjoyed about 300, 000. 20 years or so of always receiving and counting on that a little bit. Yeah, so it's I think everybody was just used to You know that funding coming in and so it got comfortable.

No, it's yeah We had to scramble a lot at the end of the year. We ended up doing very well financially at the end of the year Thanks to some incredible advocates in the community that came alongside us and said let us help so [00:31:00] You know when you budget that and you're expecting it and then you don't have it then That somehow will trickle down to the kids and our ability to provide programming, and I don't ever want to see that happen, so we reach out, I'm not shy.

I will call you and ask you, but, but having those advocates in the community, our legislators, our local legislators, our state representatives, and senators, and then certainly federally. We just had, Advocacy Day last week up in D. C. and, And we'll have our Advocacy Day, in Raleigh coming up here in a couple of weeks, so we're very active in making sure we're in front of the right people and telling our story, because those relationships are important, even if they're not dollars, there could be a bill coming out that affects,education in certain areas, and that, that affects us as well, so we, we need those relationships as well.

So it's really very, It's very broad. It's not just one thing that helps us provide programming. It's five different things coming together. I see that. To do that. I see that.yeah, I definitely see that. [00:32:00] The scope you've definitely covered. And I think about people listening. I've been inspired. I think about I love the way you mentioned there's a grandparents.

We have a lot of retired people and maybe not especially if you're not living your children Maybe you'd like to go get involved and if you were a retired school teacher and you miss that Connection with kids and but you don't want to come up with your what is it Your plan every day, your lesson plan, but, and then I think about, you, you're hiring part time and full time and things like that.

of course the kids that the obvious is signing your child up for one of the programs and the character building you're doing there, the academic help, making sure these kids are learning. I love the healthy habits, all the stuff, and helping those parents. We do have a lot of different type of families out there who are,their kids are their world, but sometimes parents are limited in time and resources.

So I love that there's other adults here. I know our community is such a loving, caring community. So I think about people that are listening, in that respect, from a family perspective and where they, their place is and that, but I think about the [00:33:00] corporations. I think about people who you were talking about partnering with Novant, there's all those opportunities for that.

I think about just. Just making a donation. And maybe you were part of a Boys and Girls Club when you were younger and you want to give back. yeah. We have a lot of volunteers that come back and even part time staff. In our youth center down in New Hanover, probably 75 percent of our staff down there were club kids.

Wow. that's a huge testament to. To the commitment that they're making to come back and serve in a capacity by which they were served. And I think that says a lot about our programming. I'm sure on your website, I'm guessing, your website is, there's everything on there. you can sign up for the camps.

You could sign up for, you could look at the after school programs. employment. Donations. Yep. Don't forget that one. yes. It's all there. It's all there. Okay. Yeah, our website is, BGC. bgcsenc. org. and that stands for Boys and Girls Club of, so you're not doing the of course, but Southeastern North Carolina, bgcsenc.

org. Yep. And so everything [00:34:00] is embedded in our website. So there's, and it's location specific. So if you're looking for, a club site, for your kid or to get involved, then you can do the drop down to the location. you can do that for donations as well. So if you Live in Pender County and you want to make a donation to just Pender County to serve Pender County kids Then you can designate that on there and just put a note in there and it restricts it to Pender County so we do that for all of our locations because we want people to Feel good about what they're donating and that if it's coming back to the communities that they care about What you talked about in the beginning of our chat here, you're talking about the kids really won you over and things like that.

Do you have a good story you want to share? Oh my gosh. I got lots of stories. I know you do. I know. I'll put you on the spot. no. It's fine. So last summer, I think I told you this one before, last summer I was, It's over at the community campus, the kids were playing basketball in the gym and and when I come in it's hug central.

They all want to come up and hug you, and [00:35:00] one of the, fifth graders who, I joke around with a lot. We pick on each other a lot and I had this kind of blousy blue dress. I had been At a donor function earlier and so I was dressed up and and I had heels on even that day And I walked in of course, he made a beeline to me and we're talking for a minute and he says Miss DM Are you having a baby?

I said, excuse me, he goes, you look like, my dress was blousy and whatever. And I said, no, I'm just fat. I just, I'm just on a diet. That ship has sailed, but I get a kick out of it because they don't have a filter some days, and so it was a good. Just in time teaching moment with him to make sure that, it's not polite to Oh, correct.

Ask a woman their age, of course. and it's never a good idea, even if, if that a woman is pregnant, you don't ask her if she's pregnant. so that's just, put that fi file that away somewhere because that will do you a lot [00:36:00] of good in the future. . So it's stuff like that. Yeah, it's just, they're cute.

They're capable, they're curious, they're full of just energy and life and and I love that about them. I think it's, it's hilarious, but it's, and my ego was definitely hurt that day. But, they, It's all about that relationship building. he'll remember that lesson and I'll remember that story.

You're still hanging on to that one. Still hurts. Okay. I love all the, growth. We talked a lot about growth and the growth in our area and, with everything changing and continuing to change, what are you working towards in the next few years? what's next steps? you've already got a summer camp coming into Pender County.

You've got Brunswick County, but what's, what's. What's beyond that? we're focused on a couple of different areas that I've seen, just in my short tenure here. one is that Southeastern North Carolina has the fastest growing Hispanic and Latino population in the whole state.

we're seeing that at our club site locations with children that are coming in where English is their second [00:37:00] language. And that's providing some new opportunities for us, My Spanish is muy poquito,we're learning and training and developing. We're actually looking for, a Hispanic outreach coordinator that will help me, partner with those communities to build trust in those communities.

With everything that's going on politically right now, there's some real tensions there in that community, and so we want to be able to serve those kids and serve them well and help those families in any way that we can. And then the second thing that we're really looking toward, For kind of organic growth.

We want to grow in the areas where we already are. We grew very fast last year. we opened up eight new site locations in less than a year. Wow. In three different counties. And, that's a lot. That is a lot. But you came on board and you were ready. the board said that they wanted to serve more children.

So I took that. So you said okay. I took that literally. So we're going to, we're going to slow it down just a little bit to focus on making sure our programs are quality programs and that they're solid and we've got good fundamentals in there and, cause there's nothing worse than taking something away after, you've offered it, but really, focusing on [00:38:00] organic growth this year where we're at.

And then, also too, we have a fairly new, it's called SEWS, S-E-W-S, it stands for Social and Emotional Wellness Services. And last year, just based on some of the things that the kids are bringing in and that they're going through and that they're verbalizing to us that they're dealing with, we implemented social workers to our staff.

Oh, okay. to give them, another layer of resources for some of the tough stuff that they're dealing with in life. And there's some really tough stuff out there. it's just, Some days I'm appalled at what some of these kids have to deal with. and so we really want them to have that specific support, that maybe, our staff aren't necessarily trained clinically to understand or to do.

When we see behaviors come out, that's a side effect. it's a side effect of something, and so really trying to dig down and spend time with those kids, instead of suspending them from camp, we do things called restorative circles where we bring the families in and we sit down and we go through basically an assessment and some programming [00:39:00] specific to get to the root of what is going on and To then help layer in some things to help them be successful in dealing with all of these emotions that they have, and what's been happening to them.

So I'd really like to scale that across all of our site locations and to at least have a social worker in the community that can. Maybe rotate through some of those programs and sites. We're not there yet. That'll need a lot more funding, but we're looking for those funding opportunities to scale that program.

and then we do have some other counties that are in our strategic plan coming up for 26 and beyond. we'll be looking at Columbus County. Bladen County, Robeson County, and maybe as far west as Cumberland County. most of those don't have programs already. a lot of them are rural.

And so we'll probably look at school site locations and work with the school systems to get started in those communities. But now that Everybody understands the way my brain works and how I look at startups,and look at new opportunities. It's not really a startup, it's an expansion, but, and [00:40:00] bringing what we know works to a community where we don't have a footprint yet.

Yeah. Those are big goals, but I can see, I see all these good things that are happening. 

Back to the thing when you said you have such a high graduation rate and you said not just a graduation rate, but a graduate Not just a graduation, a degree, but with a plan too. yep. So that's where workforce development comes in really heavily there. we send kids to the military. I had one of our Marines come back after Parasilom boot camp.

Didn't recognize him. Oh, wow. totally different. Yeah. just, and, my daughter serves, my oldest daughter serves in the Air Force. So I understand that, how they break them down and build them back up again kind of thing. And you do get this new. This new individual, fantastic young man, he's going to go very far in the military, and he was from the Hispanic community,double win there, we have, we've got a new partnership with,another entity called the Ford Fund, Forward Fund, which is providing, [00:41:00] continuing education like at Cape Fear for, for different, programs.

One is the lineman program and the other one is the CDL program. So for truck and bus drivers, that's a zero interest loan to where they can, an adult can receive, The funding to pay for the course and they also provide a living stipend during the time that they're taking the course so that they can actually quit their minimum wage job to go to do it.

there's some salary requirements in there on how they can enter into that. But,we're trying to offer that even for our parents. Oh, yeah. To say, hey, I'm always looking for bus drivers. That's true. So if I'm providing services for your kid, maybe I can provide a service for you too.

And I look forward to the day to where we graduate a kid and they go off to whatever their plan is. At the same time, we have a parent that gets a better opportunityin a higher paying job, that will help them ease the burdens of life just for themselves. those are things that we look for, but getting the [00:42:00] kids into the right path.

I remember being in school, and you either went the English and Humanities, or you went the Math and Sciences path. Those were the two tracks at the time. That was a long time ago, but those were the two tracks that were offered, and if you didn't really fit in either one of them, you were like, okay, which direction do I go in?

And you just got into that track, whether it was the right thing for you or not. We're trying to be very intentional and specific about what kids want to do.

because if we can get them into a path that's something that they love to do, then they'll have a career, not just a job. 

, thank you for sharing all that. And I love, we all want to live in a better community. We all want good for our kids. We want to be in a place that's robust and that's safe. And I just see how your organization is working towards a lot of the same things.

The kid who's part of the program and you're providing for their safety and their social development, their emotional well being, teaching them about health and good eating and, just stability.

You've really tackled all of those [00:43:00] topics and more and I think as just a person in this community. It gives me hope for Seeing these really good things going on around us. . And so I love what you're doing personally. I hope there are other people out there who get involved , I just wanted to point out again on the, you've got the kids programs, you have volunteer opportunities, you have employment opportunities, donations are certainly, welcome and 

Even involving corporations and legislators and things to, to work to understand what you're trying to accomplish and what we're doing for the future of our communities and our kids and families.

I love that. there are, is there another entity you want to talk about with the Boys and Girls Club? I know that, Service on our boards is super important. like I said, we have advisory boards or advisory councils, as we call them, in every individual community that we serve. they get a one board seat to the corporate board, to the organizational board so that every community has a voice, at the organizational level on what we're doing.

And that's another avenue where, individuals can become a part of [00:44:00] this movement that we have. And, in serving on our boards and giving us good advice and counsel on all the things in their own individual communities that are going on, that affect our children and affect the families that live there.

that's another way, people can serve, advocate. There's so many options, I know. There are, and just helping us get the story out, That's true too, which is why I love that we're talking today and I hope a lot of people listen to this, get the story out. Yeah, we're going to be having some intentional events here.

we, we did our first breakfast at the kids table. back in the fall, and so there'll be another one in the spring. It's a good fundraiser for us for Pender County. So we get together early. The kids usually come by and help serve breakfast. And we talk about all the good things that we're doing.

And just really to, more for,getting the word out. Making sure that we've got visibility in the communities that we're serving and that we're just getting people involved to and really just to understand who we are and what we do and how we impact the community through the kids. that's going to lead to a lot of growth.

It's going to lead to identifying those kids who need to be there who may not know about you. [00:45:00] It's going to lead to giving some fulfillment to the people out there who want to make a difference in the community like you had a hard to do one day and you needed to get out of the off the airplanes. Best thing I ever did.

That's perfect. That's perfect. I want to highlight again,we were talking about your website, so bgcsenc. org has a lot of good information, and you're, you have social media accounts under Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina. You can actually put B G C S E N C in there. So for Facebook, Instagram, as I mentioned, we're on Tik Tok now.

So what do you have on your Tik Tok as a kid? The kids are helping us with it. It's so funny cause they're doing things like podcasting. Oh yeah. They're starting to, through some of the tech programming that we have, They're starting to create digital music, so they're making their own music.

most of it's music I wouldn't listen to personally, but it's music that they love. And so yeah, so they have a TikTok account that we [00:46:00] administer, so we make sure. What's going out there before it goes out. But, to give them a voice in their own community, they, the podcast that they're doing, are starting to do now is going to talk about issues that the teens are going through and giving them a voice in that as well.

but in that conversation, they all want to do a TikTok. And so we have a creative art specialist who focuses on like dance and cheer and our step team. And now we have a fashion club. which is the sassiest thing you'll ever see. They make their own clothes and then they put on a fashion show and it's just, it's just full of sass.

but in that, it came up about the TikToks and we use it as an incentive. we don't let them just get on it, because they'd stay on it. They, if I could do one thing to change. What our kids are influenced with and by, it would be to get rid of the phones. We didn't have that growing up. Sure.

we were able to go out and run around until the lights came on at night. And we can't do that anymore because our communities just aren't safe enough anymore to do that. so they look at other avenues. By which to interact and engage [00:47:00] and get out there. And so tick tocks important to them It's important to our staff You know some of our staff are coming from the communities that we serve and they use it as a tool and so I'm having to understand the Importance of using it as I think all tools can have good uses they can you can and in moderation and With the right intention.

But, so yeah, so we finally broke down and got a ticket. I do not intend on doing any dances. I was gonna ask. No, I don't know. The girls are trying to teach me how to step, which is, can be very complicated. Yeah. It's very choreographed and all this stuff and I'm just That's not everybody has a talent.

I don't think that one's mine. yeah, but you may see me out there. I will reserve the right to be on the tick tock at the appropriate time at the appropriate time with the appropriate message. All right. Is there anything else? You want our listeners to know today. No, I just, I appreciate the opportunity to get the word out.

I think,we're a growing organization, and as we continue to grow in the communities, [00:48:00] in southeastern North Carolina, specifically here in Pender County, which is near and dear to my heart. my youngest daughter attended Pender County schools. when I moved here, she was going into the fifth grade, so we did North Topsail and Topsail Middle and Topsail High during Florence and COVID, so we've been through all that.

talk about isolation, the kids being behind screens and not having that interaction has really put them, I think, behind in how they communicate with each other. I s I saw that firsthand, with my own daughter. And so I want to see these kids here. Thrive. We're having a place to walk in the door, having some people who love on them, give them ideas about what's out there, because they don't know.

Yeah, they don't, and they think they know it all. Every kid, if you ask them in our program, what do you want to do when you grow up? Most of them are going to say, I want to play professional sports. I want to be in the NBA. I'm going to be in the NFL. And I'm like, that's great. And when you get there, I want front seat court side tickets.

In the event that you get hurt [00:49:00] or life changes. Yeah. Or something else happens, let's work on a plan B, just in case, and,I talked to them about, we do money matters with them and helping them understand how to deal with money, Another good point. So if you do go to the MBA, great.

We're going to teach you how to make sure that you do with all that money, blow it, the first year. but I think just giving us an opportunity to be visible here and, to get the word out and to have people understand more about who we are as an organization and what we do. It's just been great.

And I appreciate the time and the consideration today.we're going to have all of the links, your website and links to your socials on our show notes. that'll be available today. And we just really appreciate the listeners for being here and joining us today. And thank you, Dawn-Michelle, for coming on the show, telling us all about the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina.

It was great chatting with you today, getting to know you a little bit better and learning. There's probably still plenty more we could discuss about the, this organization, but I [00:50:00] think we've learned a great deal today and I hope people will go out and share it. Thank you so much, Trudy. I appreciate all you're doing to help support the club and our organization.

Of course. 

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