Established in 1948, The Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs has been serving the area for more than 75 years. Offering programs for children from second to 12th grades, it is the largest after-school youth community center in the city.
The organization’s mission, which leans deeply into altruism, remains firmly in place: “to enable and inspire all young people, especially those in need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”
Still, like many nonprofits vying to make a difference, it is not immune to challenges, financial and otherwise.
“One of the things that was very eye-opening for me when I worked in the corporate world was, ‘the better you do, the more growth you have, the more money you make,’ but in the non-profit world, it’s the reverse,” says Margaret Keung, CEO and Executive Director of the organization. “In nonprofits, it’s, ‘the better quality programming we have, the more visibility we bring to ourselves, the more growth and enrollment we have, the more we’re in the red wheel.’
“And that’s kind of a scary thought,” she quickly adds, “because we are 100 percent self-funded.”
A recent grant from IECF through the Sheffer/Scheffler Advised Fund offers more ease on that front. Keung says the grant will allow the nonprofit to use the funds for general purposes and further focus on some of the important work it’s doing.
In addition to ongoing challenges to keep up with operating costs due to escalating expenses and growing needs as a self-funded non-profit, the organization is attempting to address other concerns.
One current challenge is the mental health crisis among youth, especially post-pandemic, Keung notes. How can an organization, then, help address behavior issues among young people who have become overly dependent on cell phones and other electronic devices?
The nonprofit calls it “phone-based childhood,” which interferes with social and neurological development—everything from sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction to loneliness, inability to connect socially, and lack of relationship/play time with peers and others.
To that end, many of the organization’s programs implement evidence-based modalities to engage young people and ensure they stay on the path to graduation. The campus itself, located in Sunrise Park, includes a children’s center, a teen center, an indoor pool, an indoor basketball gymnasium, and a health and wellness center.
Homework assistance is provided. Healthy snacks are offered. Summer programs ensure children stay on course academically while also offering fun and engaging experiences such as field trips and a summer camp at Pathfinder Ranch.
Keung says her decades-long work in banking sharpened her skills for her current role. During her corporate career, Keung eventually became a board member of the club and was part of the recruitment team to hire a new CEO. The organization’s focus at the time was on fundraising and revenue needs, and sustainability and longevity.
Perhaps it was a twist of fate then that, in the process of looking for new hire, Keung would become the new CEO.
“I got tired of working for corporate,” she says. “Money isn’t always everything and I wanted to leave a footprint on the Earth. Seeing the instant reward as it is with The Boys & Girls Club was very satisfying.
“I wanted to bring my corporate experience and offer more structure into the club,” she adds. “It’s the best decision I ever made.”
Circling back to the importance of funding the recent grant, Keung explains that there isn’t a guaranteed source of revenue that comes to club. Therefore, it must remain enterprising.
“There are about 20,000 kids in the Palm Springs Unified School District, and we have maybe 200 of them,” she says. “We can have a projection of 30 percent growth in the next two years, especially with teens and preteens because they’re really going through some stress and anxiety issues.
“We’re focusing on bringing them in,” she adds. “And that piece is really important and it’s just as important for the community to know that we’re here, but we’re here based on need.”
Learn more at bgcps.org.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, September 2024.
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