“The Boys & Girls Club helped me become successful because of the staff’s determination to help every kid as much as possible,” Shimar remembers.

Shimar became a McKinney club member when he was 5 years old and remained a member for 12 years. His favorite memories include playing football and dodge ball in the gym and a special trip to a conference in Colorado as a Keystone Club member.

This youth was a talented teen and aggressively graduated from high school one year early! He gives the clubs most of the credit for his success through efforts to encourage him to work hard. “They made it fun and easy at the same time,” says Shimar.

Not only was the club a fun place to be, it was a safe place to go after school. Shimar managed to reach adulthood without the influences of drugs or gangs. “The Boys & Girls Clubs are more important now to younger kids because there are more bad things happening in our community, and kids need somewhere to go to stay off the streets,” Shimar adds.

The McKinney club is a tradition for Shimar’s family. His older brother and his younger sister both joined BGCCC and have also seen the difference the clubs can make in the life of a child.