“Great Futures Start Here” is a motto that the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley practices every day when about 900 children and teenagers walk through the blue doors.
The SCV Boys & Girls Club hosted its eighth annual “Great Futures” breakfast at the James T. Ventress Clubhouse in Newhall on Wednesday morning, with about 200 community members supporting the cause.
Jenny Ketchepaw, board president of the SCV Boys & Girls Club, kicked the morning off with some opening remarks about the club, the people in the community who helped put on the event, and said it is wonderful how many children come to the club every day.
Ketchepaw then introduced one club member, Mallory Repreza, 11, to sing a song on stage for attendees.
Matt Nelson, CEO of the SCV Boys & Girls Club, took the stage and began describing a scenario of a child who needed some extra guidance and how one principal came to their aid.
“One time, there was a principal who walked into a sixth-grade social studies class with a baseball bat. He walks in and looks at this boy in the back of the class and points at him. ‘Come with me’ (and) all the other kids look over (and said) ‘Oooh!’ and his eyes got huge,” Nelson said.
He added that the boy was in baseball and was having a bad season and that the principal asked to see the boy’s swing and then decided to show the boy how to do it properly — and to practice it.
“So, the boy does, and it works … I went off to get more runs that season,” Nelson said with a smile, and the crowd laughed.
Nelson said the principal seeing something in him made a huge difference in his life, just like the Boys & Girls Club does for children in the valley.
“Our mission is clear: To inspire and enable all youth to reach their full potential, by providing academic support, building leaders and providing a second home,” Nelson said.
Nelson added that seeing the support in the audience is motivating and inspires him to keep doing what he does.
“It’s inspiring and motivating and it’s just a more affirmation that we’re doing that good work, and we have community support to continue to do it,” Nelson said. “People come out and support in so many different ways, their presence means so much to us, to the club kids and teens and, you know, just validates our mission and what we’re doing each day, and we love it.”
Once Nelson finished, a short video of three different testimonials about other club members’ hardships played to the audience, with people cheering and clapping for how far each child has come due to the club’s resources, encouragement and guidance.
The event included a panel of long-time club members, moderated by Stephanie English, senior field deputy for Supervisor Kathryn Barger, to discuss what the club means to them and how it has impacted their life.
Adriana Hernandez and Robert Tejeda, both 17, have been going to the club since they were 7 years old.
Tejeda began coming to the club due to his mother working a lot and needing somewhere for him to stay until their commute home to Palmdale.
Hernandez’s story began with her being bullied in school due to her skin color and she needed somewhere safe to go.
But after years of being members at the club, Hernandez and Tejeda are now seniors at Hart High School, both in sports and are active members within the club’s community.
Once the morning settled, Ketchepaw felt gratitude about the event.
“It feels really impactful. Being up on stage and being able to see all the people in the room. A lot of people have a lot going on in the mornings and the fact that they take time out of their day, when parking is tight, and it’s tough to really come. And there’s not a draw, right?” Ketchepaw said. “They’re just there to hear our story. So, it really, really touches my heart that we fill that room with so many people that are coming there, quite honestly, to donate and support us.”