This September, we proudly celebrate Glenn Sanford, who has dedicated 16 incredible years to the Boys and Girls Club of Boone County. Glenn has been an integral part of our team, impacting countless lives and contributing to the growth and success of our Club as the Zionsville Unit Director.
When asked to reflect on his years at the Club and his most memorable experience, Glenn recalls his journey with fond memories and a deep sense of fulfillment:
“It’s really more about the incredible people I’ve got to meet (kids and adults alike) than the actual moments. I got teary eyed hearing how much the Boys and Girls Club impacted a former Club member’s life that she wanted to not only work here too, but make a career out of working with kids. Giving a young boy confidence to go out on stage to show off his dance moves and seeing him light up the whole room. Taking an inner city child on a field trip to Turkey Run State Park and seeing their view of the world change before my eyes because they had never experienced anything like that in nature before. Providing guidance to an angry child and seeing him take my advice on guiding his younger brothers and becoming a positive role model for them and for others. Introducing a new child to a group of friendly kids and watching them all become best friends. Giving a tour to a newly adopted child and her senior citizen guardians and watching them get so excited about finding a support system for her and a place she loved to attend. Using the Heimlich maneuver to save a young girl from choking on a sucker. Providing a scholarship for a child to attend the Club and play sports while his parents are out of work, to have the father attend a Boys and Girls Club fundraiser the next year when he was back on his feet and thank you for ensuring that his child was taken care of while they were struggling.”
Glenn joined the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County in 2008 with a passion for making a difference in the lives of young people. Over the years, he has witnessed the Club’s evolution and has played a key role in adapting to the changes:
“When I started, the Zionsville Unit was the only Boys and Girls Club in the area with 3 staff members and 40 kids attending daily from Eagle, PVE, Union, Stonegate, ZMS, ZWMS, and ZCHS. The Elementary members got out of school at 3:30 pm, instead of 2:30pm now and were bused to us from every school by ZCS. We put on middle school dances that maybe 100 kids attended following the high school football games. Since then, we’ve added 2 more Unit locations to our organization. We now have 176 kids attending daily with a staff of 15 at the Zionsville Unit. We had to purchase buses and I trained to get my CDL to drive the bus and get the kids here. I transformed areas of the Boys and Girls Club to offer more program diversity and accommodate the different age groups, including the addition of a game lounge and teen center. We changed our program scheduling to separate the age groups enjoying the Club and share the program areas in a way that still gives them options and opportunities to do their favorite things while staying safe. We’ve instituted new safety policies to keep our members safer as well. We sell out our middle school dances for 600 kids in a matter of hours. We offer specialty camps that take kids all over the state doing incredible service projects. Our youth basketball league went from having less than 20 teams to having close to 70.”
Known for his dedication and unwavering commitment, Glenn has been a mentor, a friend, and a source of inspiration to both staff and members. When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his job, he said:
“Seeing the long term positive impact the Boys and Girls Club makes on children and their families in our community. I also love getting to share the Boys and Girls Club experience with new generations of kids and to my own children. Finally, training new staff to be youth development professionals and seeing how that has provided them with a solid foundation for future career growth has been extremely rewarding.”
We are incredibly grateful for Glenn’s 16 years of service and the positive influence he has had on our community. His dedication and passion are a testament to the values we uphold at the Boys and Girls Club of Boone County.
Congratulations, Glenn, on this remarkable milestone! We look forward to many more years of making a difference together.