Boys &  Girls Clubs of Wayne County Professionals Awarded Highest Honors

Executive Director Bruce Daggy, has been awarded the highest regional honor from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.  Daggy was presented with the prestigious Heart & Soul Award at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America 2012 Midwest Leadership Conference.  According to BGCA, the recipient of this award has by thought, word and deed exemplified excellence among Boys & Girls Club professionals, demonstrated remarkable initiative, imagination and responsibility and provided devoted and extended service on behalf of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Midwest region.  Daggy has been in the Boys & Girls Club movement for 31 years, twenty of which have been as the Executive Director for the local Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County.  He has served on numerous community and youth organization boards and served as president of the Indiana Youth Services Association, president of the Richmond Kiwanis Club and president of the Step Ahead Child Care Council.  Bruce is known in the community not only for his outstanding leadership but by his genuine caring for youth.  On any given day of the week, youth stop by Bruce’s office to say hello and keep him updated on how they are doing in school.  He truly cares about the kids and shaping them into fine young people.  Daggy currently mentors Club Members and meets with them at least once a week.  Throughout Bruce’s career he has been open to mentoring others and encouraging  staff to further their careers.  Under his leadership, two staff members have become executive directors for Boys & Girls Clubs.  In 2010, BGC Wayne County received the Merit Award for Program Excellence in Overall Programs for Clubs for budgets over $500,000.  That same year, Daggy was also named the Professional of the Year by the Indiana Board Leadership Area Council.  In 2011, Daggy was awarded the Horizon Award by Boys & Girls Clubs of America for his work with the Clubs across the Midwest region.  Bruce continues to lead the Club to new heights, serving more than 2500 youth at four locations across Wayne County.  He is truly deserving of such a high honor.  Congratulations, Bruce! 

Larry Stone has been awarded the Tom Burt Pacesetter’s Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This award is presented to any non-executive staff who has supervisory responsibilities and who by words and deeds motivates, guides and supports the professional and personal development of other professionals in the Boys & Girls Club movement.  Stone has been with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County for nearly 17 years.  He is currently the Director of Operations but has also been an Education Director, Unit Director and Sr. Unit Director for our organization over his long career.  He has completed BGCA’s Advanced Leadership Program and attended various national, regional and state conferences and trainings.  Larry has served as coordinator for the Indiana State Youth of the Year Competition many times and on the National Keystone Steering Committee.   He has facilitated staff trainings on program development and teen programming to our own program staff as well as other club staff around the region at the OKI (Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky) Summit and at the Indiana State All-Staff Training.   During his tenure with the Club, Larry has impacted the lives of hundreds of the youth in our community through the programs that he has personally been involved with or has ensured the program quality by the staff he has overseen.  He is well known in the community for the work he does with youth and is well respected and acknowledged as an expert in the field of youth development and program planning and implementation.  It is not uncommon for Boys & Girls Club youth to refer to Larry as Papa Stone, Uncle Larry, Dad Stone and most of all, "the man who saved my life”.  Under his guidance, Larry mentors youth and provides opportunities for them to participate in life changing programs.    Congratulations, Larry, on receiving such a high honor from your peers!