HOPE FOR AMERICA'S YOUTH

Part history, part biography, and part testimony of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County.

Edwards Sutter makes her intentions for this work clear in the introduction: “This is not a self-help text, a scientific study of mentorship, or conclusive document about Boys & Girls Clubs of America”; instead, it’s an “honest attempt to demonstrate how caring adults can ignite the bright potential of America’s youth.” True to her word, Edwards Sutter, who served almost a decade as president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, catalogs the success stories of kids who have moved through the program, her personal journey, and oral testimonies from former co-workers and volunteers. One story charts the club’s influence on Rick Nagel, once a “poor kid with no sense of home,” who went on, after earning a scholarship to Oklahoma University, to visit the White House and head Acorn Growth Companies, a company focused on aerospace, defense, intelligence, and space investments. There is also some historical information about the early days of the organization—originally begun by three women in 1860 in Connecticut who noticed the challenges that kids faced during the Industrial Revolution—and its eventual inclusion of girls. The author’s own path toward her position is described in the form of a vision, a calling from God, and her testimony is moving. Many of her former co-workers and volunteers also have a Christian connection to their service, though there is a wide representation of people interviewed and varied tales of achievement presented throughout. For those interested in reading about the history of one of the leading youth organizations in the country and the dedicated people who pour their hearts into it, there is much to enjoy here. While Edwards Sutter didn’t intend for this to be a self-help book, readers may be inspired to donate their time or money to their own communities by some of the words of volunteer Suzanne Breedlove: “There is more need for Boys & Girls Clubs now than ever in history….Everybody has some time to pour into someone else’s life and to see how far just a little bit of attention and energy goes.”

A moving account of a community and organization committed to changing young lives.