Smart People

In the episode "Election Night" of the White House drama, The West Wing, fictional President Josiah "Jed" Bartlett, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, has just been elected to a second term. After delivering his victory speech, he steps down from the stage and has a very candid exchange with his physician wife, First Lady Abbey Bartlett -

• Abbey: "You were off the prompter."
• Jed: "Just for a minute at the end. I couldn't see it."
• Abbey: "It's all right. There are going to be more days like this. It starts now. It's going to be harder this time."
• Jed: "Yeah, I know. We can still have tonight, though, right?"
• Abbey: "You've got lots of nights. Smart people who love you are going to have your back."

"Smart people who love you are going to have your back." 
And just like that, one sentence can magically assuage doubt or fear and dissolve loneliness. How empowering to know that you have a team of bright people who care about you and want to support you.

Many of us have been fortunate enough to know what it's like to feel this way. Our "smart people" may be different for each of us, but somehow we've managed to find other human beings who care about what happens to us and want us to live the very best life we can. It's a powerful thing to feel that your life is a real team effort. When you're lacking courage, wisdom, or strength you can call upon your "smart people" to share some of theirs. 

Of course, not everyone always feels this way. Unfortunately, there are many children who do not feel this way. 

We have an unprecedented number of children taking depression medication. Childhood obesity has doubled in the last 30 years (and yet the number of youth eating disorder cases is still on the rise). Low self-esteem is something both girls and boys are dealing with by engaging in radically unhealthy activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, and drinking. Finally, perhaps the most unspeakably sad fact of all...we have kids killing themselves. Because whatever it is that's plaguing them, it's left them drowning so deep in despair, so hopeless, that they feel as if they can't bear to live at all. 

It's 2013 in the first-world superpower country of the United States of America and we have 9 year-olds with diabetes and 14 year olds committing suicide. We have children in crisis. They may not be the children living in your house, on your street, or even in your neighborhood. But they exist nonetheless. They are in Waynesboro. They are in Staunton. They are in Augusta County. These children do not exist tucked away in some far corner of our community. We are not talking about "the poor children". We are not talking about the "children from bad family situations". We are talking about children of all family structures, of all neighborhoods, of all school districts, of all abilities. There are children in every type of household that are feeling challenged in some way. These children need smart people.

If we want a community of compassionate, engaged, conscientious adults then we must begin investing in raising compassionate, engaged, conscientious children. This effort must be city-wide. It must be daily. It must be genuine. It must extend beyond our own family tree or voting ward. We must share more with these children than a zip code. These are the sons and daughters of this community and we must treat them as such. We must do so knowing that whatever resources we invest in them, whether it's time, money, love, support, or attention, the reward will be far greater for all of us. We will have more human beings who respect themselves and others. They will treat their bodies with care. They will be creative problem solvers and team players. They will be smart people.

Every member of this community has something to contribute. All of us can be "smart people" for these children. 

The Boys and Girls Club is working with its own staff of "smart people" to support this mission.
We want to look every kid in the eye and say"Smart people that love you are going to have your back" --and mean it.

Let Us Begin.

In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy famously challenged Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." That particular line has become arguably the most iconic quote from one of the most revered speeches in American presidential history. It is another passage from that 1961 speech, however, that is the focus of today's inaugural blog entry.

Throughout his address, President Kennedy highlighted many of the monumental challenges that faced not only the United States, but humanity. He committed himself and his administration to boldly begin to tackle that daunting series of threats and barriers, foreign and domestic. He also conceded that although he would work fiercely for real progress on these issues, they were part of a greater pursuit that would likely transcend the lifespan of not only his political tenure, but his life and the lives of his constituents.

"All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."

The sentiment of these words is especially apropos for our organization. This is an organization with a vision. Not a vague, generic idea of what we'd like to aim for. A real, living vision for how we want to impact the lives of kids and teens, and as a result, this entire community. It is the continuously evolving product of deeply compassionate, hard working people from every corner of Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County.  This organization does not want to be a series of buildings that are staffed with individuals who just go through the motions to kill time with kids after school. We do not want to be passive. We do not want to be static. We do not want to be the bare minimum.

This organization wants to be alive. We want our staff to be wildly passionate. We want our energy and enthusiasm to be contagious. We want to empower kids to be brave and inclusive.  We want them to boldly say "no" to drugs and violence and "yes" to education and teamwork. We want kids to know that they are immensely valuable human beings whom this world desperately depends on. They need to eat right, exercise, and seize every opportunity to learn because they will, one day, inherit the power and responsibility that comes with being adults. We want to prove to them that learning is fun and reading is fundamental. We want them to understand that to serve others is noble and always, always worth their time. We want kids to feel whole, loved, and equal. We want this club to have expectations for every child that walks through our doors because we believe that every child has the capacity to achieve them. This organization wants to be a force of nature that unites a community with a common mission: Strengthen this community by strengthening this community's children.

We are ardent believers of our vision and we will continue to boldly pursue it every day. Certainly, it is ambitious. Certainly, it will require a great deal of hard work, late hours, and long weeks. Certainly, all this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.


To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County click here!