{"id":15315,"date":"2016-08-03T05:00:52","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=15315"},"modified":"2020-12-24T04:11:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T12:11:20","slug":"uplifting-cleveland-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/uplifting-cleveland-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Uplifting Cleveland Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ron Soeder did not know that he would fall in love with the nonprofit sector. He spent decades in for-profit businesses, beginning as a staff accountant before ending that leg of his journey as an Executive Vice President. Yet after a detour with his startup, he found himself on a new path.\"Ron<\/p>\n

\u201cMy path to the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland was divine intervention,\u201d says Soeder. \u201cA friend of mine who works in nonprofits said, \u2018They’re great companies that need good leaders,\u2019 so I started networking. My path ended up at a few board members\u2019 doors on a Tuesday morning. I interviewed with them and they called me back the next day and said, \u2018Can you start tomorrow?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What began as a tentative 12-week agreement has morphed into a presidency lasting for more than ten years. \u201cAt first, I wasn\u2019t sure if it would be a good fit for me or how I would be received by the community,\u201d admits Soeder. \u201cI found that I had so much empathy for the community. I\u2019ve really connected with people here. I\u2019ve seen kids come up from nothing, go through college and get good jobs. It has become a calling, a passion of mine. I can\u2019t think of any other words other than divine intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Soeder at the helm, the organization has experienced numerous positive changes. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland (BGCC) grew from five locations to 15 locations, from serving 3,000 kids to 8,000 kids. The community\u2019s involvement is a direct response to effective programming.<\/p>\n

BGCC has launched several grassroots initiatives that speak to the root of a child\u2019s sustainable success: programs that nurture learning, maximize youths\u2019 talents, and develop youth leadership skills beyond the scope of the project.<\/p>\n

The Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Educational Track teaches participants what it takes to create a business plan and build a company. Through the Farm Program, kids apply the skills that they learned in Junior Achievement to a real world environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re blessed to work with one of the serial entrepreneurial funds located in northeast Ohio, Burton D. Morgan Foundation,\u201d explains Soeder. \u201cWe wanted something that embraced the entrepreneurial spirit so we created an urban farm where we can teach the kids about the land and growing. They are directly involved in what to grow. They make decisions in their space. And then we teach them how to market to grocery stores, farmers markets, and companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heinen\u2019s, a local grocery chain in Cleveland, has given Farm Program students the opportunity to hone their skills in a retail setting. Participants create their own brand, logo, and shelf topper. The chain\u2019s new downtown store, located in a mixed-use development, is a fantastic source of exposure for the students\u2019 growing businesses.<\/p>\n

Kids don\u2019t have to get dirty in the soil to participate in BGCC leadership programs. The Graphic Arts Program allows students to develop their skills in design and publishing. Their work is used in marketing materials throughout the organization.<\/p>\n

\"vanIt all started with a van. Soeder challenged the kids to come up with a design for a van recently donated by Liberty Ford. Then 13-year-old Kameron Pearson stepped up to the challenge\u2014and won. He was able to see the production of his work from start to finish: transforming a digital file into a vinyl decal, the application, and even the press conference that presented his artwork to the public.<\/p>\n

Soeder recalls, \u201cIt was impressive because I was there with the owner of the Cleveland Indians [Paul Dolan] and the first thing that he saw when he came [to the center] was this kid\u2019s graphic of a baseball player. He said, \u2018That is so<\/em> cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, students regularly build their portfolios through their commercialized work with BGCC. \u00a0The club directors go directly to students when they need content for marketing fliers, announcements, event invitations, and other materials.<\/p>\n

The students are also in charge of a bi-monthly newspaper. Youth coordinate content calenders, selling ads and creating both written and graphic content. Member journalists and ad sales students are paid for their work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great. Now there is another little economy that we\u2019ve built\u2014that the kids have built\u2014and they\u2019re doing great,\u201d says Soeder.<\/p>\n

At the root of each of these initiatives is the BGCC Academic Success Program. Yardi<\/a> has supported the Academic Success programs since 2012 to ensure that youth creativity and leadership continue to flourish in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes about $5 million dollars to run the organization each year, to serve the 8,000 kids that we serve. The funding that Yardi has given us has gone into the Academic Success program. We have more than 3,500 kids each day that get involved in home help and academic support. With the support of this program, we graduate about 95 percent of our seniors. When you compare that to public school, only 81 percent graduate,\u201d says Soeder.<\/p>\n

He continues, \u201cWhen a young person joins the club this year, we tell them. \u2018You\u2019re a part of the graduating class of 2028 and we expect you to graduate.\u2019 We set high expectations academically\u2014and then help them reach those goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland continues to uplift, empower, and mentor students through innovative programming, dedicated staff and volunteers. To show your support and learn how you can get involved, visit www.clevekids.org\/ways-to-give<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ron Soeder did not know that he would fall in love with the nonprofit sector. He spent decades in for-profit businesses, beginning as a staff accountant before ending that leg of his journey as an Executive Vice President. Yet after a detour with his startup, he found himself on a new path. \u201cMy path to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":15316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1717,5,3354],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-15315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-people","category-team-yardi","tag-yardi-corporate-philanthropy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ron Soeder did not know that he would fall in love with the nonprofit sector. 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