2016 Annual Report

Ron McHenry
Exectutive Director
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Dear Friends,
Your very personal commitment to our mission; to
enable all young people, especially those who need
us most, to reach their full potential as productive,
caring, responsible citizens, is something that we celebrate
within the pages of our Annual Report to you.
You invest, you engage, you advocate, you share your
skills with us; each contributes to our Boys & Girls Club
movement, and ability to serve our youth, ages 6-18, in
Skagit County.
The work on this publication begins in early fall, with
creation of a theme and setting for information to be
communicated to our extended Club family. Recognizing
that so many of our staff have been in the Boys &
Girls Club movement for years, and having several that
grew up within the Clubs themselves, that theme was
manifest quickly.
Our professional staff and volunteers, especially those
on the front line of youth development, often reminisce
about years gone by, and enjoy talking about
how they’ve seen our precious kids grow over time,
and for those with a history of Club participation, a
very personal perspective.
Throughout our 2016 Annual Report to our community
you will find updates on current initiatives, where we
are at in providing impact to kids in Skagit County, but
perhaps what I am most proud of are the staff and
volunteer reflections. Just as you share your time, talent,
and treasure with us in a personal way, we are
honored to match that connection in the best way we
know how: giving you a deeper insight into what your
commitment means to us in providing our ability to
reach youth who need us most.
The Boys & Girls Club movement began in 1856, in Hartford,
CT. It may have taken one hundred forty years for
a Club to be established in Skagit County, but we are
proud to be taking a position as a leader amongst Clubs
nationwide. In the last three years, we have piloted several
cutting-edge initiatives and programs, gained notoriety
as an organization with a staunch belief of being
data-informed so that we can better serve our youth,
and as Boys & Girls Clubs of America begins instituting a
youth program quality initiative, YPQA, the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Skagit County is being called upon by peers
from Clubs all over the country.
We are in our third year of implementing YPQA, having
been an early adopter after recognizing the importance
of remaining relevant and dutiful in our commitment to
achieving the highest level of outcome-based results.
As a component of GreatFutures 2025, a national strategic
plan, we are positioned well to provide support
and influence that can impact youth well beyond our
local communities.
Our focus is certainly on our local kids and the communities
we serve, but in being connected to a true movement
of more than 50,000 professionals worldwide,
we are uniquely positioned to affect circumstances in
the very world that our Club kids will grow into. Not
all will remain in Skagit County when they transition
into adulthood and take their place in society, and so
balancing a role of leadership in support of youth near
and far ultimately benefits everyone.
On behalf of what I consider to be the best dynamic
group of professionals in youth development, ready to
answer their call to affect great change, I thank you for
being a member of our extended family, and demonstrating
why Skagit County is such a very special place.
Yours in service,
Ron McHenry, CEO