Board of Directors celebrates success of his tenure and looks forward towards the future
The Board of Directors of Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County announces the departure of Executive Director, Tim Wills effective April 1, 2016. Wills has accepted a new position as President and CEO of The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama in Mobile. “It’s with a mixture of admiration, pride, sadness, and deep gratitude, that we make this announcement,” says Phil Crocker, President of the BGCHC Board of Directors. “Tim has made a tremendous impact on our organization and leaves BGCHC well-positioned to continue its mission and growth to benefit our kids.”
Wills joined BGCHC in 2009 as Associate Executive Director and was named Executive Director in 2012. Throughout his career with Boys & Girls Clubs he has been focused on organizational change management and will continue that in his new role in Mobile. Having accomplished his mission here, he is ready to take on his next challenge which presents a need and opportunity to make a difference on an even greater scale.
“Our organization and community owe so much to Tim for bringing BGCHC to a level of success and results that was hard to imagine nearly seven years ago,” adds Crocker. While BGCHC’s successes under Wills’ leadership are too many and too significant to fully recount, here are some highlights of what has been accomplished, along with countless devoted members, staff, allies, funders, donors, volunteers and board members:
- Youth served has increased 161% since 2009, from 2,300 to over 6,000
- Daily utilization increased from 69% in 2010 to 92% in 2015. Clubs are currently at 92% of their capacity and seeing 23% more young people each day than in 2010
- Opened a fifth Club at Windsor Valley
- Assumed operations of Aberdeen Family Swim Center in 2010
- Assumed operations of the 180-acre Camp Hidden Valley in 2012
- Constructed and opened the Vi Ripken Field at Ollie’s Park in 2014
- Launched new programs such as i3STEM, NFTE Entrepreneurship, Young Leaders Academy, RYME Music Studios, Aberdeen Harvest of Hope, while revamping existing programs
- Increased the awareness of the need for afterschool programs in Harford County
- Brought the Clubs to a high level of cost-efficiency by maximizing the impact of every dollar that our supporters contribute
Said Jeff Foulk, immediate past president of the board, “When Tim arrived, his goal was to turn things around amidst declining federal dollars, and position us to reach more kids, more often and make a bigger impact on their lives. He has succeeded in doing just that.”
Wills will remain at BGCHC until the end of March to support the organization through this transition. “I am committed to providing all the support needed during and after the transition,” said Wills. “What’s most important to me is to ensure the next executive is successful and continues the work forward for my kids.”
The board will be naming an interim director in the coming days and has begun a national search for a new executive director. They promise to keep stakeholders apprised of the plan and progress during the transition period. Join BGCHC at the 26th Annual Steak & Burger/Youth of the Year awards dinner on March 31 at APGFCU Arena starting at 5:30pm to hear directly from youth members about the impact the Clubs have had in their lives. Complimentary Tickets at www.bgcharfordco.org/S&B
Donations in honor of Tim’s service to our community can be sent to:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County PO Box 1106, Aberdeen, MD 21001or made Online
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County:
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County was established in 1990 by a group of concerned citizens in the Aberdeen area. The organization now serves over 6,000 youth per year and operates Clubs in Aberdeen, Bel Air, Edgewood, Havre de Grace and Windsor Valley, as well as summer programs at Camp Hidden Valley and the Aberdeen Family Swim Center. Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club is open to all youth ages 6 to 18 and provides positive youth development programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership Development; Health & Life Skills; Education & Career Development; the Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation.
