What grade were you in when you started coming to Boys & Girls Club?
“I was in first grade at the Cordley Elementary Boys & Girls Club.”

What got you out of your shell and make you feel confident to speak up?
“It just took me a while to realize how much more fun Boys & Girls Club is than just going home and how much better the staff is at Boys & Girls Club. It took me until I got to the Teen Center to really start liking Boys & Girls Club. First of all, it’s not a bunch of kids. Usually at the elementary schools, there are a bunch of kids. I don’t really like being around a bunch of people. The amount of people that we have here right now is pretty fun for me, but sometimes when it’s really crowded in here I get claustraphobic.”

Why did your mom want you to go to Boys & Girls Club?
“Everyone in my family had a job. Usually the jobs would be out of town or they’d be working late. So they had me go to Boys & Girls Club. My mom works in Lenexa right now so it takes her a little while to get back here, she usually can’t get here before 6 p.m. My mom is actually really surprised that I always do my homework here.”

Why do you choose to come to the Teen Center when you could just go home?
“All the staff here are great. All the people here are great. I have so many friends here. It’s just fun.”

Sometimes at home, you have to be the grownup. How does it feel to come to BGC instead?
“Usually when I’m at home watching my nephew, it’s really hard because he’s so rowdy. But here, it’s so fun because I’m just myself.”

Aside from basketball – what is something that happens at the Teen Center that you truly enjoy?
“I do enjoy cooking here, it’s actually really fun. I started doing my homework more at home, too. During football season, I would walk home after practice or my mom would pick me up, and she would take me home. I’d do my homework when I got home. Some of the staff here would help me with my homework, and that actually motivated me to do my own work.”

How many shots have you taken on that court?
“Too many for me to count. More than 50,000, though. Probably 500,000. This is the court that I dunked on nine (9-foot goals) for the first time.”

What would you tell someone who thought Boys & Girls Club was lame?
“I would just tell them it’s not. It’s actually really fun. The staff there are nice, and they let us do a lot of fun stuff like take us on field trips, go outside and play on the Xbox. We went to SkyZone this summer for a field trip and that was my favorite.”

At the groundbreaking ceremony, you represented all of the teens and kids who will one day use that building. How did that feel?
“I was really nervous because there were a whole bunch of people there. I found a way to fight through it because I’ve spoken in front of a lot of people before at school and during Junior Youth of the Year when I was in fifth grade.”

Why does Boys & Girls Club mean a lot to you?
“Boys & Girls Club is a place where I can be myself, where everyone can be themselves and you can have fun. But not too much fun.”

When you first get here everyday, who are you most excited to see?
“Noah. I mean, we’d be friends and still see each other even if we didn’t go to Boys & Girls Club. But we definitely see each other a lot more here.”