Posted: Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 09:36:42 pm PST
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Boys & Girls Club

A life-changing experience

Mark was a little rough around the edges when he first showed up at the Club. Like a lot of young men he loved to get attention; he just didn't know how to get it by doing the right thing. Instead, he caused trouble at school and, as they say, talked a lot of trash. The kid was an average athlete but to hear him tell it you'd have thought he was Michael Jordan.

This all began to change for Mark, however, when the Club's staff began holding him accountable for his words and actions, something which was new to him. Mark had been raised in some pretty rough circumstances. His grandmother, who was raising him, was also raising three other grandchildren, each with a different father. Mark was the eldest at the ripe old age of 13, and helped raise them too. He always spoke of his mother with disappointment and a broken heart; she had left him to continue down a path that eventually led her to jail, and he didn't even know his father. But in the supportive and structured environment of a Boys and Girls Club, Mark matured quickly.

This was never more evident than when Mark found out that the Club was getting ready to select its "Youth of the Year." The "old" Mark would have bragged for weeks about why he should be chosen but wouldn't have done what was necessary to be considered. The "new" Mark never thought he could actually be chosen for such an award but did the hard work anyway. He wrote reports, went through a stressful interview process, and chipped in to do work around the Club.

Well, you can guess how this story ends: Mark was selected as the Youth of the Year for our local club. I remember when telling him that he would be representing the Club at the Capital in Boise with a chance to become the state "Youth of the Year," he asked, "Do I have to wear a suit? I have one, it's old, but I guess I could wear it."

I made a phone call to a local tailor and, soon after, Mark found himself at the store. The tailor graciously fitted Mark with a new black suit, threw in a shirt, tie, shoes and thus, a whole new outlook. It brought tears to my eyes as I watched this young man hold his head up and look in the mirror.

In preparation for the big day he gave his speech to the local Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs and in front of the kids at the Club. He was ready and the time had come to take part in the event. The night before was fun, go-carts, mini-golf and a night in a hotel that was the nicest place he'd ever stayed. The following morning involved a ride in a limo from the hotel to the Capital building, followed by interviews and lastly a speech. Everything went great, and as the day ended, Mark found himself with his fellow candidates standing alongside the Governor with camera crews awaiting the announcement of the winner.

Mark didn't win that day. But as he told me on the ride home that evening, he was thankful for every moment of the day. He wanted to win, but he was more focused on enjoying every step of the journey.

Mark called me the other day. He's getting ready to graduate from high school; he is a standout football player, volunteer fireman and most proudly, alumni of the Boys & Girls Club -- all worth bragging about but he wouldn't dream of it, so I did it for him.

Ryan Davis is the executive director for the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County.