We recently connected with Diane Carbray and have shared our conversation below.

Diane, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Our mission at Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. We do this through exceptional after-school programs. For 75 years, we’ve been serving the underserved, placing our Clubhouses in areas where crime, poverty, and gang violence are most prevalent. Our Clubs are a positive and safe place for kids & teens, but more than that, we are a place where they have opportunities to grow. At the Club, social barriers are redefined, passions are ignited, and futures are changed. For many the Club is their second home. For some, it’s their only home.
In January of 2024, Club member Kayden gave a speech at our annual Youth of the Year competition and told the crowd “the Club was where he grew up to be a man.” He said, “The staff have been my mentors while giving me the safe place I was able to go to when I was at my lowest point. With a large family, all of us are in different stages in our lives and as one of the oldest, I needed time for myself, so I can grow up, think about the future, and prioritize my school work.”
Another Club member was inspired by our Smart Girls program when female community members came to the Club and told a group girls that they could be whatever they want to be. Eight year old Sophie said, “I used to think I couldn’t be a veterinarian but now I believe I can.”
Its stories like this that push us to do whatever it takes for underserved kids and teens.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I first became aware of the Boys & Girls Club through a friend, and then later my husband served on the Board. I grew up in a very large family (12 siblings) so I was used to having all age groups around me. I think the beauty of the Club is that it is like a large family. We have diversity, and different programs from the arts to sports, so all interests have a chance to be nurtured, mentored, and coached. I moved to Fresno to build the baseball Stadium and bring the Grizzlies Triple-A team here, to entertain adults and kids in a family atmosphere. Coming from the sports/entertainment business to a non-profit business was a big change. I do find it is so much easier to ask people to help children in need, especially because we serve the most impoverished youth in Fresno County. I actually wish I could spend more time in 1:1 activities with the kids…it is so rewarding to watch them blossom.
For those who don’t know, Boys & Girls Clubs is a 160 year-old national organization with over 500 Clubhouses in the U.S. Locally, we have 14 Clubs and have been around for 75 years. Our size makes us a Metro-Club, one of the top organizations in the country. Not only are we one of the largest and longest-standing organizations, but we also have an impressive history. Many policies and procedures we have created are now implemented nation-wide because they have been proven to keep kids safer and keep facilities running more efficient. We also serve incarcerated teens at the Juvenile Justice Campus making us 1 in 5 organizations who do that in the State of California.
We have a long rich history in Fresno County. As the first female President and only third President overall, I can attest to the long standing relationships we have in our community and how we’ve grown deep roots. In the last 75 years, we’ve served over 1 million kids. That’s the biggest thing to be proud of!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2020 when the world shut down, young people were forced to be more independent than ever, taking their education to virtual platforms. We had to make some quick decisions and decide if we were going to pivot or just close down like everyone else. The learning gap in the underserved areas we’ve invested in was going to be deepened if we closed. So we developed safety protocols and it only took us a week to re-open and give kids a place to finish their education. Parents could drop their children off at the Club which we temporary called “Learning Hubs.” We implemented safety precautions that stopped the spread of germs and kept as many employees on as we could. With Learning Hubs, we didn’t skip a beat. We even held graduation ceremonies for kids and teens who finished the school year at our Learning Hubs. The teachers from nearby schools were amazed at the positive progress that some of their students had made from coming to our Learning Hubs. It was very gratifying for our staff to know what a difference this opportunity had made for our kids.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

At Boys & Girls Clubs, we’re a family. We recognize each other’s strengths and use those strengths to help each other. We also know our weaknesses and create staff development opportunities. Through webinars from Boys & Girls Club of America, or other conferences, staff at the Club level and Administration can recognize areas of growth, learn good practices, and just be real about where they fit best. As far as morale, I think we do our best to appreciate everyone at every level. We have an annual Staff Appreciation Ceremony where we recognize outstanding work. That event also just gives everyone a fun night to get to know each other and relax. Our holiday Christmas party is the same way. There is no agenda for that event except to strengthen our bond as a team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bgcfresno.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bgcfresnocounty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BGCFresnoCounty/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boys-&-girls-clubs-of-fresno-county/

Image Credits

Jessica Maxey