Business View Magazine - September 2016 15
ment and the experience for more than 50,000
Club members, driving new membership among
kids and teens. Dawes, a long-time friend of Boys
& Girls Clubs and a mother herself, understands the
value of the Club experience in bringing hope and
strength to kids and teens in need of a safe and in-
spiring place to go after school.
“Boys & Girls Clubs drive academic success, influ-
ence positive health and wellness, and build good
character and citizenship for America’s kids and
teens, putting them on a path to great futures,” said
Jim Clark, president and chief executive officer of
BGCA. “Our partnership with Lowe’s holistically
impacts Clubs – addressing critical improvements
needed while bringing the skills and dedication of
Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers to leave a last-
ing mark on Clubs and in the lives of our members,
staff, and local communities.”
To create the largest single initiative ever undertak-
en by Lowe’s and Boys & Girls Clubs of America,
one Club in each state was selected from Clubs
in need of significant repairs and improvements.
Lowe’s will support a wide range of enhancements
ranging from kitchen repairs to amenities that influ-
ence creativity and well-being like music studios and
counseling spaces.
To further commemorate Renovation Across the Na-
tion, each Club will mark the occasion with an origi-
nal mural masterpiece, uniquely designed by Boys
& Girls Clubs of America’s 2016 National Fine Arts
“Best in Show” winner. Debora C., a 16-year-old
member of the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida,
was selected to design a mural that represents what
belonging to a Club means to her and all the young
people who make Boys & Girls Clubs part of their
lives. Debora C. will paint her original mural design
in Harlem, and then each Club will be able to sten-
cil and customize the design to their location and
engage Club members and Lowe’s Heroes in hand
painting the mural with paint donated by Sherwin-
Williams.
“Over the last six years, my Club has empowered
my passion for art and I’ve been supported by the
mentors and friends who have encouraged me
along the way,” said Debora C. “When sketching the
mural, I wanted to bring the values, growth and op-
portunities that come with being a Club member to
life through my design.”
Lowe’s Heroes will provide hands-on support from
a volunteer force of more than 1,000 employees to
complete critical repairs at each of the 50 Renova-
tion Across the Nation Clubs. “Since 2009, Lowe’s
and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have refurbished
and improved 130 Clubs across the country to pro-
vide young people with safe places to learn and
grow,” said James Frison, Lowe’s Director of Com-
munity Relations. “We’re significantly expanding
that partnership this year with Renovation Across
the Nation so we can make a larger impact on kids
and teens - who will become our leaders of tomor-
row - all across the country in the communities we
serve.”
