Partnership Provides More Than $7 Million to Club Youth and Awards 10 Extraordinary Individuals for their Dedication to Impacting the Lives of Local Youth
Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Maytag brand announce 10 new recipients of the 2017 Maytag Dependable Leader Award. The annual awards program, now entering its eighth year, recognizes Boys & Girls Club youth development professionals, both employees and volunteers, who have shown remarkable dedication to transforming the lives of youth in their communities. Each recipient also receives a $20,000 grant to provide scholarships to members of their Boys & Girls Club.
The 2017 Maytag Dependable Leaders, along with the 89 winners from previous years, were nominated by peers at their respected Boys & Girls Club, and following a comprehensive review of the nomination forms – each include compelling background on nominee’s impact – Maytag brand selects the winners.
This year’s 10 winners join an impressive line-up of previous dependable leaders award-winners who have been honored for their hours of dedication to local youth. For example, one previous winner, Guy Klabunde, works throughout all of Alaska, requiring him to travel hundreds of miles to remote and native lands, to open Boys & Girls Clubs so area kids would have a safe and inviting environment and he has helped to grow the number of Clubs from three to 33. Another previous winner doubled enrollment at her Club and never stopped working for her Club kids, even though she was in the midst of battling cancer.
The 2017 Maytag Dependable Leaders are:
- Carol Freeman, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston
- Danny Sherlock, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego
- Dennis Bedford, Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha
- Dione Buonto, Boys & Girls Club of the Grand Strand
- Emily Taylor, Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County
- Geo Bonilla, Boys & Girls Clubs of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County
- Katrina Lampman, Boys & Girls Club of Placer County
- Lynda Brown, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake
- Michael Jones, Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula
- Peter Mejia, Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills
“These dependable leaders at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide represent everything we stand for as an organization,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “These men and women make tremendous sacrifices to best serve and inspire every young person who walks through our doors, and with Maytag brand’s generous support, we’re honored recognize these individuals for all they do to make a difference in the lives of our youth and in communities across the country.”
Since 2010, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Maytag brand have presented nearly 100 Boys & Girls Clubs youth development professionals with a Maytag Dependable Leader Award and $20,000 grant. Maytag brand plays an intricate part in making sure Boys & Girls Club members have opportunities to explore their passions. Throughout the partnership, Maytag brand has provided more than $7 million to help deserving youth reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
“We feel very fortunate to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, an organization that engages and retains such spectacular, caring role models for our nation’s young people,” said Sarah Brandonisio, Maytag Brand Manager. “The Maytag Dependable Leader Award allows Maytag brand to give back to those Boys & Girls Club professionals and volunteers who give tirelessly to their local communities each and every day.”
Together Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Maytag brand are recognizing and promoting dependability – a quality that is at the core of what the Clubs do every day and is central to Maytag brand.
About Maytag Brand
For more than a century, Maytag® appliances have been synonymous with dependability and durability. For over 100 years- Maytag has an enduring tradition of quality production and powerful performance. Durable, commercial-grade components are found in many Maytag® appliances – including Maytag® front-load and top-load washers and dryers. Maytag also offers a full range of kitchen appliances – Maytag® dishwashers with the PowerBlast® cycle, Maytag® refrigerators with the PowerCold® option, as well as Maytag® ranges, cooktops and ovens with Power™ burner and Power™ element options. In January 2014, Maytag introduced America to the Maytag Man – a dependable machine and the human embodiment of the durability, reliability and power inside all Maytag® appliances. In addition to creating durable appliances, Maytag also is a dependable partner to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in their effort to support communities across America and help young people achieve great futures. For more information about Maytag, please visit Maytag.com, or find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Maytag, Twitter at @TheMaytagMan, Instagram at instagram.com/Maytag or Pinterest at pinterest.com/Maytag.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 4,300 Clubs serve 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Nielsen Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at BGCA’s Facebook and Twitter.