FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLUB’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD MEMBER RECEIVE AWARDS FROM BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County Board Member Richard Peterson was presented with the Jeremiah Milbank Gold Medallion for Volunteer Service from Boys & Girls Clubs of America at the 2011 Midwest Leadership Conference.    The Club’s Executive Director Bruce Daggy was also presented with the prestigious Horizon Award that is presented to a Club professional who has dedicated service to the Boys & Girls Club movement.  Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County Board of Directors President Garry Kleer and First Vice President Mike Nottingham helped to present the awards.

Peterson has always been an advocate for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County since joining the Board of Directors in 2001.  He became a Club officer when a former board member had to leave town because of an employment change.

Peterson was a dedicated and engaged President of the Board of Directors and participated in almost every committee meeting.   Additionally, while president, he continued to chair the public relations and marketing committee, a position he held for 7 years.  Peterson also played an instrumental role with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Outdoor Advertising Association of America in pursuing a national marketing effort using billboards to promote our programs.  Additionally, he has donated billboard space in our community to promote the Club and special events.

Richard has also continued to demonstrate his leadership at the local, state, regional, and national level of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.  He has attended the Indiana Legislative Day, the Indiana Board Leadership Area Council, the Midwest Region Board Leadership Conference, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Conference on multiple occasions.  Peterson was recently nominated and voted in as the President of the Indiana Board Leadership Area Council.   He has served in the

Bruce is continually looking for ways to better the community, the youth of Wayne County and Clubs across the state of Indiana.  He serves as a liaison for various other non-profit organizations and brings a countless number of financial opportunities to the community through federal grants.  Daggy spearheaded the Positive Alternatives Program, an out of school suspension program, now in its third year.   Through the community service component of the program and working with the Wayne County Juvenile Probation Department, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County also oversees all juvenile probation assigned in Wayne County.

In recent years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County have become the fiscal agent for the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs AmeriCorps programs.  This program brings AmeriCorps members into Indiana Clubs to support educational services.    In 2009, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County became the fiscal agent for the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

Bruce has helped further the Movement’s Strategic Plan, and is the idea person at our club–the person who maintains and shares the vision of our organization.  Several years ago, when he was made aware the movement needed the ability to demonstrate the impact clubs have on the lives of young kids, he knew that he could demonstrate this effectively by creating different metrics using our own data.  Although it took a year to collect additional data, the final result was widely accepted.  Our 2006 Impact Assessment has been shared and praised throughout the entire movement.  We are also updating the report and have recently started utilizing new assessment software in conjunction with program outlines and outcomes.  When the Impact 2012 Strategic Plan was revealed, Daggy lead our Long Range Planning committee to revise our long range plan to encompass the movements four goals.

Bruce’s vision is also evident in his ability to seek out funding sources, not only for short term use but also for long term use as well.  With his guidance, our club has been a leader in establishing and furthering the movement’s emphasis on planned giving.  Not only through the Heritage Club but also with the new gift annuity program.

Staff retention under Bruce’s tutelage has been demonstrated by the quality of the people that he has surrounded himself with.  Bruce has a very unique management style.  When staff realizes Bruce genuinely cares about them, not only in their abilities, but them as an individual, an amazing transformation of self-motivation happens.  With the exception of few employees, Bruce has retained his entire full time professional staff for his entire tenure.  While he has grown the club several new key staffing positions have been added.

In 2010, Daggy was selected as Professional of the Year by the Indiana Board Leadership Area Council of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.  The annual award recognizes a Club professional in Indiana for outstanding leadership within their own Club as well as across the state.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County was also recognized by Boys & Girls Clubs of America with the prestigious Merit Award for Program Excellence in the Overall Program category for Clubs over $500,000.

Not only does Bruce serve the community but personally he has “adopted” many former Club members.  He serves as a mentor and a guiding force to help shape the lives of these young men and women.  His belief in our Mission,  “To inspire and enable, all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens”  is seen on a daily basis through his hard work and dedication.  On any given day, youth stop by Bruce’s office to say hello and to give updates on their lives.  They discuss likes and dislikes of the Club but also family and school life.  Report card time is a busy time for Bruce because so many youth feel Bruce really does care and they are proud to show off their grades to him.

Bruce’s commitment to youth can also be seen in his community affiliations.  He was a driving force behind the Community Wide Partnership for Youth that was established in our community to better serve youth with the entire community’s help.  He truly is an inspiration for youth and a leader in Wayne County.    His countless years of dedication to bettering the lives of children can be seen in his lifelong commitment and career to youth services.  He continues to strive toward making us the Positive Place for Kids through his many affiliations including Boys & Girls Clubs of America