2016 Mid-Year Report

For the past 3 years, Renee has dedicated one afternoon each
week, during the school year to run the SMART Girls program
for girls in 4th, 5th and 6th grades—a tremendous commitment!
Renee first
started volunteering
at the
Sedro-Woolley Club
when Best Buy did a Club improvement
project, while she was a Best Buy employee. After
finishing her teaching certification at WWU, she applied
for a summer job with the Club and was hired on as a
Youth Development Professional, specializing in sports,
fitness, and recreation. She was an immediate shoe-in to
SMART Girls is all about healthy attitudes & positive choices.
The SMART Girls program provides girls ages 9-16 a
safe forum to discuss their unique needs. SMART, or Skills
Mastery and Resistance Training, is the method of focusing
learning in a group environment to instill the skills and competencies
related to making healthy choices, abstaining
from drug use, and creating lasting relationships. Boys &
Girls Clubs of America provides curriculum for SMART programs,
helping to provoke reflection & discussion on various
topics related
to life choices.
Each lesson has a badge
to be earned that goes in their
SMART Girls Journal, motivating the
participants and providing them with a chronicle of what
they’ve learned over the course of the year.
RENEE BUCHANAN & HER SMART GIRLS
run the SMART Girls program as a staff, and continued to
run it as a volunteer after she left the Club to work as a
teacher at Jefferson Elementary, in Mount Vernon. This
will be her fifth year running the SMART Girls program.
For the past 3 years, Renee has dedicated one afternoon
each week, during the school year to run the SMART Girls
program for girls in 4th, 5th and 6th grades—a tremendous
commitment! Because of Renee’s steady presence,
the girls feel very comfortable around her. This is a critical
component of the program’s success. ”Renee offers a
pleasant environment to be in, a place where I can talk
about my feelings and not be judged,” says Club member,
Ameliah, age 12.
Renee demonstrates a thorough understanding of the
SMART Girls mission, and Club members look to her
for instruction and leadership. Because of her strong
involvement in the community, she is able to bring in
speakers to enhance the program. Renee also uses her
kitchen talents for creative projects and treats. Renee
has taken real ownership of this program and the results
speak for themselves. •••
VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT
LEARN LIVE LEAD
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