Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley expands services but faces financial challenges

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley continues to enhance and expand its services, but faces fundraising challenges as it seeks to keep growing and accommodate more children.

“Our 2022-23 fiscal year was challenging and exciting at the same time,” said Michael Irvine, vice president of development and marketing for the clubs. “Our organization has been fortunate to build on a long history of successful fundraising events, but as we grow our services, our need for unrestricted funds grows, as well.

“Therefore, we hope to strengthen the year-round giving to our organization to ensure we retain our strong financial position throughout the year so that in turn, we will be able to meet the needs of our community throughout the year.”

The organization ended 2022-23 with a $286,000 deficit, but was able to sustain its programs without any cuts. It serves 1,800 students ages 6 to 18 years old per year, but was unable to serve 126 additional students who needed its services. They remain on a waiting list.

“This is entirely due to staffing and our safety-focused policy of having no more than 20 members per every one person at a location,” said Cary Snowden, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley.

She also said the organization recently increased the wages of direct-service staff members by $2 per hour to attract new employees and retain its current members. Snowden has already seen an increase in the quality and quantity of applications received, but this also has increased the club’s projected deficit for 2023-24.

So, the organization needs to raise additional money to sustain the salary increases. Even if the money is raised, filling all of the necessary staffing positions will remain a challenge.

“Ask any employer in the Valley and they will say the same thing,” Snowden said. “What is unique about hiring for the Boys & Girls Clubs is we have a very rigorous hiring and onboarding process, requiring background checks and hours of online and in-person training, all before our staff can work with our members.”

She said these steps, while vital to maintain the organization’s culture of safety, limit the pool of applicants — especially in a small community like Sonoma, where the clubs’ competes with the for-profit sector for employees.

The organization also has faced other challenges during the past several years, but has continued to thrive.

“We have weathered emotional, financial and physical storms, but emerged stronger, more resilient and financially stable in the face of uncertainty,” Snowden said. “This success is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our incredible community of supporters and the passion and dedication of our exceptional team.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley 2023 Annual Report released this month provides a summary of recent accomplishments.

In May 2023, State Sen. Bill Dodd named the organization the Non-Profit of the Year in Senate District 3, which span eastward from Petaluma to the Sacramento vicinity and northward from Concord to Hershey.

“This club has been a community stalwart of six decades, helping tens of thousands of kids reach their potential through nationally recognized programs,” Dodd said in a news release. “Their success is a testament to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and staff, who have provided this incredibly valuable service to generations of Sonoma Valley youngsters.”

The report notes the clubs’ expansion of safety initiatives. Brooke Padgett, who has served the organization since 2004, was named the senior director of child and club safety in March 2022.

“The expansion of our safety initiatives is grounded in a commitment to continuous improvement and a comprehensive understanding that safety extends beyond physical well-being to encompass emotional security,” Snowden said. “Proudly standing as one of the few Boys & Girls Clubs in the country with a full-time director of safety, our organization places paramount importance on safeguarding our members.”

Padgett oversees a spectrum of safety measures, ranging from human resources protocols to fire and emergency drills, and is instrumental in implementing trauma-informed care practices.

Snowden said Padgett ensures that the organization’s protocols remain vigilant and are up-to-date.

“This commitment is underscored by the unfortunate incident in 2016, when a former employee faced serious charges of sexual abuse of a minor,” she said. “This deeply troubling event, while shocking, highlights the broader challenges faced by youth-serving organizations nationwide.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley also boosted its mental health services in 2023 by hiring Natalie Goddard as a full-time, dedicated mental health clinician.

“In response to the pressing need for mental health resources in the Valley, our organization recognized the scarcity of options available, particularly for families unable to access services in nearby cities like Santa Rosa or Petaluma,” Snowden said. “In the wake of the pandemic, we elevated emotional wellness as a primary focus of our initiatives, acknowledging the profound impact of isolation and increased screen time of the youth we serve. This led to the hiring of Natalie.”

Goddard provides one-on-one and group counseling sessions, catering to the unique needs of club members.

“Natalie is unwaveringly dedicated to expanding and evolving her services to reach as many children and youth as possible, ensuring they receive the essential support needed for their well-being,” Snowden said.

Also in 2023, the organization partnered with Sonoma Valley Unified School District to run a summer school program, in addition to running its traditional post-summer school program.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley also partnered with the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation this year to create Empowerment Academy, which incentivized teens to participate in all the programs offered at the clubs’ Teen Services during the summer by offering a small completion bonus.

The organization doesn’t have plans to add any programs in 2024, but — in partnership with Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance and Sonoma Valley Education Foundation — is in conversation with Sonoma Valley Unified School District and Sonoma Valley High School to expand its Teen Services program to the campus.

“Additionally, we are actively working to expand our mental health programming as we currently have more demand than we can meet,” Snowden said. “We are currently exploring a partnership with Hanna Center to bring one of their clinicians to our sites, and we are looking forward to further expansion, as well, possibly with as many as three additional clinicians.”

More information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, including how to make a donation, can be found here.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.