(A News and Sentinel Op-Ed - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

The trajectory of my life changed in an incredibly unexpected way 10 years ago. On Aug. 14, 2014 I walked into the doors of the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County on a whim. I had just returned from living abroad and needed to find a new job in my new home state of Tennessee — and they had a “now hiring” sign stuck in the grass out front. I had worked with kids in previous positions and thought that it could be a rewarding way to spend my time while I considered what I “wanted to be when I grew up.” Almost immediately, I recognized that the work of the Club was so much more than I imagined. What I had defined in my head as babysitting was, in fact, anything but.

Over the next few years, I had a front-row seat to the impactful programming offered by Clubs across the country. Programs like PowerHour, which provides homework help to Club members (just don’t ask for my help with ‘new math!); Youth for Unity which instills members with the self-awareness necessary for combating prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination; Summer Brain Gain, which gives members daily hands-on opportunities for academic enrichment and prevents summer learning loss; and so many others. I’ve gotten to learn the value of a game of Foosball on a hard day, the joy on a kid’s face when they finally shoot their ball in the basket, and the inherent competitiveness that surrounds a carpet ball table.

I’ve also had the privilege to meet incredible young people and the opportunity to see them grow into the productive, caring, responsible adults that I had always hoped for. I could tell you about Garrett who called not too long ago to tell me that he’s getting married. Or Elijah who just sent my family his high school graduation announcement. About the moments when I’ve walked into a bank or a restaurant and been enthusiastically greeted with a “Mr. Justin?!?” I’ve got sad stories too — anyone who works with those who need us the most does. I keep photos on my desk of the Club member who tragically died by suicide — and of the member who randomly and unexpectedly passed from an undiagnosed medical condition. I carry with me the memory of a grandmother who had taken in her young grandson only to unfortunately lose her life to cancer just two years after they first walked in the door of our Club.

More than anything my decade of work with Clubs has shown me one thing to be true over and over again: Clubs show up. They show up when members need a safe place to be after school. They show up when a pandemic turns the world on its head. They show up when kids are hungry, lonely, or in need of an encouraging word. They show up for families struggling with housing or food insecurity. They show up for communities interested in providing hope and opportunity to young people. And because of you, the Club in Parkersburg has been showing up for young people and families for the last 60 years. Thank you for investing in great futures.

Sixty years is a rich legacy — and I am confident that if you were to consider your immediate circle of influence, you’d find at least one or two alumni of the Club in Parkersburg. And while we celebrate and reflect on that legacy often, it is imperative that we look to the future. I can’t say with any level of confidence what the world will look like in 2084 when your Boys & Girls Club celebrates 120 years of service to Parkersburg. But what I can say is that if the last few years have taught us anything it is that the impact of Clubs is needed more now than ever before. With the advent of social media, the ongoing effects of the pandemic, and greater societal pressure on young people than any of us wish to admit — young people today need safe and positive environments. They need supportive relationships. They need a place to have fun and be a kid. They need a place to study for an upcoming test or shoot a basketball with friends after a long day. They need Boys & Girls Clubs. For that need to be fulfilled, your Club needs you.

I invite you to consider the ways in which you can be a part of investing in the next 60 years of great futures. There are opportunities to invest your time, your talent, or your treasure. Having the opportunity to do so for the last 10 years is a privilege that I do not deserve — and I am confident that you’ll feel the same way.

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Justin Clark first joined the Boys & Girls Club movement in August 2014 and joined the team in Parkersburg as Chief Operating Officer in October 2023. Prior to coming to Parkersburg, Justin served with Boys & Girls Clubs in Northeast Tennessee (Youth Development Professional, Teen Coordinator, Program Director, and Unit Director) and Charleston, West Virginia (Executive Director). Justin is a passionate advocate for the Boys & Girls Clubs Movement and is quick to affirm the status of the Movement as the greatest secular mission of our time. Justin is a fervent believer in his belief that BGCP has the capacity, potential, and responsibility to do whatever it takes to recognize generational change in the MOV.