Valley of the Sun United Way and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley have been in partnership since nearly our beginning, making them one of our partners for decades.
“We know Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley plays a critical role for our youth who need a safe, nurturing environment,” said Dawn Gerundo, Community Development and Engagement Director of Education at Valley of the Sun United Way.
“These children often don’t have a place to go. These Clubs are places where children know they belong,” Dawn added. “They can grow through the educational programs the Club provides, and they often even become Club leaders. It’s more than just an after-school program, it’s a community that feels like a second home.”
With caring staff and peers, nourishing food, and the ability to access education and one to one mentorship, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley can sometimes be the strongest sense of comfort a child has.
For Junior, he was no exception.
Junior, who began attending Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley at just four years old, never had a real sense of direction in his life. His parents, who worked tirelessly long hours just to provide, put their children in the Clubs to ensure they had a safe place to go after school, rather than being home alone.
“I mean it was literally like home to me,” Junior shared with a reminiscing look on his face. “They did everything for me. They gave me food, leadership, companionship. No one else had done that for me.”
Essentially growing up in the Club, Junior developed a strong sense of connection to his fellow club attendees, and his caregivers. The workers at the Club would spend time with him every day, ensuring he was developing literacy skills and a love for school.
Despite this, however, he never dreamed of attending college, due to his family’s financial struggles growing up.
“I always kept to myself, and I was a very closed off and shy kid,” Junior said. “I never really knew what I wanted to do in life, and I didn’t exactly have dreams. I was lost, to be honest.”
Despite already facing odds and challenges, Junior was yet to face the biggest of all. At just 15, he was diagnosed with Stage 2 Cancer.
“They had to take out giant pieces of my back,” Junior shared. “It hurt so bad, and I just remember being alone in the hospital. I was scared, to be honest. I remember thinking, ‘Am I going to make it?’”
With his world turned upside down, Junior quickly recognized the value of life.
“I decided in that moment, I was going to make the most of whatever I had left,” Junior said. “Every day got brighter. Everything got more colorful. I started appreciating everything I have, and I began taking that with me every day moving forward.”
During one of the hardest, and most isolating points of his life, the Club stepped in. His mentors, and the Club’s workers banded together to ensure Junior felt supported, seen, and validated in his resilience.
That’s what made Junior a Youth of the Year member, a leadership development program at the Clubs. The Club selects participants across the nation that serve as ambassadors for their fellow youth, and fosters their emerging leadership abilities, providing the foundation they need for postsecondary success. Through the program, Club youth learn to seek opportunities for leadership and to act as changemakers in their communities.
In Youth of the Year, Junior met his professional mentor, who helped cultivate his speaking skills, and discover his true passion in life – marketing. All while battling cancer, Junior realized he wanted to learn everything he could about business – leading him to an internship, turned marketing job, at his mentor’s company.
“Joining Youth of the Year, that’s what changed my life!” Junior exclaimed. “Before, I didn’t know how to speak to anything. I had low confidence. But the network we built at Youth of the Year, my mentor bringing me on, I mean, no one else will ever do that for me. If I didn’t have the Club, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Despite undergoing several surgeries, Junior still had a smile on his face – with his potential being unlocked. Finally, after his last surgery, Junior was cancer free.
“Now, with my newfound confidence, I know I can do anything,” Junior said. “I can go to college, I CAN grow an empire. I want to help the people around me, who helped me.”
Junior also began working at the Boys and Girls Club, so he can directly give back to the community who supported his dreams.
“Giving back is so important, and I learned that from battling cancer,” Junior shared. “I mean, that’s what you (Valley of the Sun United Way) do. You guys provide the Club with the most vital things, like food and donations. You guys are changing lives, mine included. It’s true what you guys say… Giving Never Gives Up.”
Junior is now attending college, majoring in marketing, and dreaming big. He owns his own freelance marketing and video production company – guiding his entrepreneurial spirit. His biggest goal? Owning a Boys and Girls Club of his own one day, so he can directly support the community and initiatives who transformed his future.
