The following is a report from The Goshen News.
Two individuals instrumental in the work of the Boys & Girls Club of Elkhart County were honored Thursday for their long-standing community support.
Former President & CEO Kevin Deary was inducted into the Indiana Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame, while board member Jason Lippert was awarded the Indiana Board Member of the Year award.
“I think there’s a lot of good people — staff and volunteers and board members along the way that really helped build our organization,” Deary said. “I learned an awful lot from them and I think we just had a lot of people that worked hard. Any time you see an organization as successful as that one is, you can bet there’s a lot of good board members, staff, donors, community support, and that’s one of the things we were very fortunate to have is strong community support.”
A retiree of the club for about 16 months, Deary said it was an honor to be inducted into the group.
“It’s certainly an honor,” Deary said. “I was CEO for almost 30 years here in Elkhart County, so I got to know the state, travel the state, and help a lot of organizations, and it was really nice for them to nominate me and for me to go into the Hall of Fame.”
Boys & Girls Club of Goshen has been in existence since 1956. Deary joined the team in 1994.
A native of New Hampshire, Deary joined the Boys & Girls Club of America nearly 40 years ago, when after leaving the military he stepped into a club to become a junior high volunteer basketball coach.
“I walked in as a volunteer and I left 40 years later,” Deary said.
He worked for the Boys & Girls Club in New Hampshire for about 10 years before coming to Indiana.
“To be an Indiana Hall-of-Famer when I’m not even from here is really special,” he said.
Deary and Lippert were nominated by President and CEO Tami Hicks and Boys & Girls Club of Elkhart County.
“He has gone from getting change out of the Concord Mall fountain with permission to make payroll to the organization that we have today,” Hicks said of Deary. “We’re serving on a regular basis 3,000 children, we provide them with meals and all of these programs and experiences and it’s because of a lot of the hard work that Kevin put in as President and CEO prior to me before he retired.”
Lippert has been a board member since 2007.
“He gives guidance has ideas and has chaired a fundraising committee,” Hicks said. “He pours his time and resources into making sure that event is something that stands above because he knows how critical it is for our clubs who provide services in the county.”
He’s one of just a few people from the Elkhart County club to receive the distinction statewide.
“He’s been involved for the last 16 years and has chaired a committee and pours his heart, soul, and resources into making sure that we are seen in the community and he’s an active participant and fund raiser out there for us,” Hicks said. “Never once has he asked for recognition and we thought it was time to honor him.”
To learn more, visit www.greatfutures.club.
Read the story from Dani Messick in The Goshen News here.
