Clubbys Caps Off Big Week for BGCOR

Even though Clubs were closed for an entire week at the end of May, staff from all across the Ocoee region were busy with activity.

Every May, executive leadership conducts extensive training for all Club staff, full and part-time alike. Training includes classes on safety, classroom program delivery (from start to finish), and leadership development. Staff from sister organizations in both Chattanooga and Dalton also participated, bringing the total number in attendance to around 150 each day.

This year, staff were ‘surprised’ by the relatively short-notice arrival of representatives from Boys & Girls Clubs of America who showed up to conduct safety assessments both for the organization at large and for eight individual units (others will be assessed next year). Even though the timing of the visit was less than ideal, BGCOR Vice President, Wyatt Bevis, was pleased with the process noting that BGCA Safety Analyst, Jef Goodnight, was “highly impressed with our physical safety as well as the emotional safety that we provide for our kids,” noting the extra effort our staff put in to make sure kids not only have a safe environment, but that they feel genuinely cared for.

After a full week of training and safety assessments, full time staff and spouses, plus board members and spouses, gathered this year at the new Olive Branch Venue in Cleveland for the 2nd Annual Clubbys awards. Since blue is the signature brand color for the Club and blue diamonds are the rarest and most expensive in the world, the two ideas were married together to form the Clubbys, a way of celebrating the “true diamonds of BGCOR.” The evening is intentionally designed as a chance for leadership to come together for a night of genuine appreciation for the tremendous amounts of hard work that happens day in and day out, all year long.

“The idea from conception was that leaders get an actual night off,” said Eric Wilbanks, Director of Brand Development, Marketing, and Communications. “These folks are hardworking and they never stop. They deserve at least one night a year where they don’t have to do any work at all—no planning, no set up, no break down or clean-up, no jobs at the event. That takes months of planning and preparation to pull off, but it’s worth it to see everyone decked out and celebrating with one another.”

One critique from the first Clubbys was that it seemed to be more Board focused, so an intentional effort was made to balance out the awards presented in order to properly honor both staff and board.

“This year made staff feel very appreciated, celebrated, and it was super fun to vote for our colleagues! It made it meaningful” said one staff member. Others said the night was “fun and lighthearted” and they loved that staff were made to feel special. Of course, the event wasn’t without its ‘hiccups’—all of which are already being addressed in preparation for 2025—but attendees rolled with the challenges and celebrated the award winners.

Like last year, the 2024 list of Clubbys awards recipients included those who earned service pins for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and even 30 years of service. But new for 2024 were some “just for fun” staff superlatives and awards—such as Most Likely to Wear Club Swag Every Day, and The Bubbles Award for always having a bubbly, fun attitude and perspective. The full list of 2024 recipients were as follows: