2018 Boys and Girls Club National Conference

by · June 27, 2018

National Vision attendees at the BGCA conference

Bob Stein, Kristen Reynolds and Safaa Sammander at the conference.

First day, First Conference

I arrived in not-so-sunny San Diego, Calif. on Monday, April 30, 2018. I was one of many newbies to the 112th annual Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) National Conference. Bob Stein, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Managed Care Development, and Kristen Reynolds, Philanthropy Programs Manager, were also in attendance. Despite the chilly and overcast weather, the conference started out on a high note with outstanding performances from BGCA youth who danced, sang and played the violin.

The Boys & Girls Club Experience

In order to help partners understand the experience that kids have in their clubs every day, BGCA set up The Club Experience – a model of how most Clubs operate. They take a holistic approach to youth development including physical, psychological and interest-driven activities developed to build the various skills of their members. Adults were asked to place themselves in the shoes of a Club member and experience the environment based on the activity you chose to participate in.

Being on the introverted side, I chose to participate in a digital lab for my group activity. Our task was to understand the process of computer coding through a physical team exercise requiring all of us to adopt individual functions (i.e. go left, jump, etc.) when combined would illustrate how coding works. My group didn’t interpret the exercise like other groups had and initially felt awkward but by the end we realized that there were no wrong answers, only different. I walked away having a better understanding of what Club kids experience every day.

National Vision Booth

The National Vision Booth.

The National Vision Booth

Having been through the Club experience, it was now a full day of working the National Vision exhibit booth and providing information about our Vision Screening Program that we offer through our America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses® stores. It was exciting to see the reactions from Boys & Girls Club board members, organization leaders and club staff. One club director simply asked, “Who pays for this?” We told him that it was National Vision’s way to give back. So many Clubs that are now eligible for the program were excited to sign up.

The Big Take Away

My biggest take-away from this conference was that just one person can have impact on a child’s future.

The impact that is made when an America’s Best store pairs up with a Boys & Girls Club is significant. I sincerely love what our program does for kids, so it was easy to talk about the program. Boys & Girls Club of America attendees stayed, asked questions and left wanting to bring this program to their Clubs. I can’t wait to see what the next couple of months will bring!

Safaa Sammander

Safaa Sammander

Philanthropic Programs Coordinator at National Vision
Safaa Sammander started at National Vision in January 2018 as the Philanthropic Programs Coordinator. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from Georgia State University. Safaa's 10+ years of professional experience in theater, film and marketing will be put to good use in communicating the stories of the people that help and are helped through National Vision. She is thrilled to be working for a company that includes philanthropy in its corporate objectives.
Safaa Sammander

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