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	December 1, 2008

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Nina Rogers
February 8, 2001

When I think about what the Boys & Girls Club means to me, I don't think about all the things I've gotten to do because of it, but rather, all the things I would have missed if I hadn't been a member.

I wouldn't have learned how to play basketball, which would have been disappointing because I played from 6th grade up until the end of my freshman year. Without that foundation, I might have never learned how to play in the first place. No chess club would have been started without my help if I wouldn't have gone. Without the club, I wouldn't have been a CIT last summer, which single-handedly convinced me that I wanted to become a child counselor. The Boys & Girls Club has been imprinting a message to me for all the years that I have been here, and now that I understand it, I want to be a part of it.

Realizing now how many fantastic experiences I would have missed out on if I didn't become a member made me think about what the club means to me. It's not just a place to go and have fun, but also a learning environment where kids learn to be good people while still being children.

I've also had the honor of coaching a 1st grade coed basketball team, which was a reward in itself. Being able to interact with the kids was gratifying for myself as well as for them. I was able to be a good and supportive friend to everyone who walks through that door. The Boys & Girls Club is a warm and safe haven, an exciting journey that I feel grateful to be a part of.

And don't get me wrong, I've had lots of fun there, but it's not the only thing I have taken from the club. I have learned strength and leadership through coaching and interacting with little kids. Compassion and sacrifice from the CIT program this summer. The counselors have taught me courage and honesty and most importantly freedom. They told me if I try hard enough, I could do virtually anything.

The Boys & Girls Club has taught me that there are many different people with many different dreams. If there is a place where all these different people can find a common ground and come together, whether for an afternoon or weeks at a time – it's an exceptional and beautiful thing. That's why I love going there.

I believe the Boys & Girls Clubs of America resembles one big garden. The members who go there are the seeds. Each little seed has its own instructions, and it is up to us to discover them. After time, adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that, the seeds will eventually grow into beautiful, well-rounded people. All thanks to the counselors who care enough about kids to work at these Boys & Girls Clubs. This is what I believe I am in the process of, and I can't wait to see the final result.

Send your own stories about how the Boys & Girls Club changed your life or that of someone you know.


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