Matt Sinclair walked into his first Boys & Girls’ Club in June 2007 as he made a career transition from working at a children's shelter in Austin. During his tenure with the nonprofit, he has been part of programs for gang involved youth, worked in facilities, and served in administration. Today, he is the Senior Director of Community Partnerships for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County (BGCGTC), which last fall expanded its services into Denton County.  In his current role, he looks for opportunities to get the nonprofit involved in communities that do not yet have a Boys and Girls Club to bring in resources that can direct young people toward a bright future.

 

Sinclair shared about the organization's mission as the featured speaker for the Lewisville Noon Rotary last week. The first club was founded in 1926 and BGCGTC is the largest club in Texas, Sinclair explained, with an annual budget of nearly $16 million. Much of the funding comes from government grants and partnerships, which helps the organization provide high-quality club experiences in the 5,000 locations around the U.S. and safe places in the community for youth.

 

Sinclair was joined by Marcus Hicks, COO of BGCGTC, who said he was drawn to the nonprofit's vision to do community differently. More than providing a snack and an opportunity to play games in an after school program, Boys and Girls Clubs look to help kids thrive in life. “How do we focus on academic success? On character and leadership and their ability to manage conflict?” Hicks asked. Through BGCGTC, more than 31,000 Tarrant County youth have access to a safe, positive environment with supportive relationships and opportunities tailored to nurture academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character and leadership

 

About 18 months ago, the nonprofit was researching areas outside its current footprint that had a need. They discovered the opportunity to branch out into Denton County, and Sinclair met Lewisville Police Sergeant Steve Dickens, who spoke to the Lewisville Noon club last week and himself was an alumnus of Boys and Girls Clubs. Sergeant Dickens helped Sinclair get plugged in with law enforcement and elected officials in Denton County so the nonprofit establish a presence in the area. Today, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County reaches youth in the local community around Lewisville and Flower Mound by providing a mobile clubhouse experience with a fully outfitted RV. The organization also partners with Lewisville Parks and Recreation to support the Thrive summer youth program and teen events and partners with Christian Community Action (CCA) to host a summer youth enrichment program in the area.

 

BGCGTC aims to continue expanding its presence to benefit more kids in Denton County and across North Texas, Sinclair said. The goal is to transition into a model where kids can access club resources every day through special events, after school programs, and daytime programming with school and childcare center partnerships, he noted, adding, “Ultimately, we want to serve the young people.”