Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Who I am and what I have accomplished are due in large part to people like Jeff Amy, Linda Schoepp, Mike Jennings, Elaine Remmers, Rose Chandler and many, many others, the “giants” of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club. 

The Club was my home away from home, a place that opened doors to future opportunities. The Club ignited a passion in me for education and as a result, I went on to graduate from college as an educator and have since earned a masters degree in leadership, a specialist degree in educational administration, and a doctorate in leadership. And who would have thought 30 years ago, when I first started to attend the Club, that I would end up as the principal at the Watertown Middle School and a community leader in my hometown. 

Because of the discipline, integrity, and passion I learned at the Club, I was equipped with the character and leadership skills that have made me a productive, responsible, and caring citizen. I offer my story as an example and thanks because “if I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” 

But the Club is about more than one person—it’s about the boys and girls selected each year and each month to embody the mission, vision, and values of the Club…it’s about the boys and girls who come each day in need of a “safe place to learn and grow” through “ongoing relationships with caring, professional adults” …it’s a place where boys and girls can “learn through life enhancing programs and character development experiences”…it’s an open door where boys and girls are given “hope and opportunity.”