“No other place has offered me the benefits and support of the Club.  It has helped me aim for higher education, reach my goals and plan for the future.”

                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                  - Ebony

Growing up in San Francisco’s Alemany Housing Projects, Ebony was surrounded by negative influences, but at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco’s Excelsior Clubhouse she found a place to be constructive and has flourished in the process. “If it wasn’t for the Boys & Girls Clubs, I don’t know where I’d be now,” Ebony says. “They’ve made me a better person.”

 

Ebony began working at the Club through a partnership with the Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program.  She has since worked in almost every department of the Clubhouse, gaining valuable experience and skills.  What’s more, thanks to the Club, she has found her life’s passion: youth development. “I love working with kids, and I’ll do anything to pursue my goal,” she says.

 

Indeed Ebony is already on path to making a difference in the lives of young people.  With her mom working the night shift, she regularly cares for her younger brother.  She also works part time at a day care center.  And her co-workers at the Clubhouse praise the positive influence she has had on younger members, including a 12-year-old girl who she has taken under wings.  “At first, this young lady had a reputation for getting into fights and being disrespectful to others,” says Excelsior Clubhouse Education Director Andrea Canchola. “But eventually she became involved in the From Your Heart & Soul program that Ebony was running – and their relationship has made a dramatic difference in her behavior.”

 

Ebony’s future plans include graduating from college with a degree in social work and spending a lifetime working children.  She says feels ready for the road ahead:  “No other place has offered me the benefits and support of the Club.  It has helped me aim for higher education, reach my goals and plan for the future.”  And, with Ebony’s dedication and drive, she’s undoubtedly poised to make a similar difference in the lives of others. 

 

• Meet the rest of the 2008 Youth of the Year finalists