Boys and girls club’s Myers motivated by love for children

Authored by Jim Langham on Aug 13, 2010

The face of Vicki Myers glows with energy when she talks about how much she enjoys being around children. Myers, the unit director for the South Adams Boys and Girls Club, has spent much of her adult life enjoying the presence of children.
She and her husband, Rex, are the parents of four children, Dustin, Chris, Kirsten and Megan. In addition, they have done volunteer work with the children’s junior high youth group and they have been involved with Sunday school and Vacation Bible School.
“I really love to be around kids,” said Myers. “I feel a sense of well-being when I am with children. They make me happy. It fits my personality to work with kids.”
That passion for youth was one of the motivating factors when she decided to attend college at age 37. Following a lifelong dream, she enrolled in IPFW where she acquired a degree in elementary education with an endorsement for middle school English and social studies. Following graduation, she taught Title One for one year. Then she saw the ad in the local paper from former unit director Christen Sprunger looking for a replacement.
“I put in an application and Christen hired me. She (Sprunger) even told me that my name had come up as possibility. Quite obviously God was in this,” said Myers. “My husband has been so supportive of all of this. I’ve had 100 percent backing from him. When I was doing my schooling, our children would leave for their school and I would leave for mine.”
Myers graduated from South Adams High School in 1981 where she was active in swimming, tennis and the school’s flag corp. She and Rex, a 1973 graduate of Adams Central, met in a group setting. They were married in 1987 at the First Mennonite Church.
Rex is a service manager at Nesco Sales in Bluffton where he is in charge of outside services calls throughout the country.
Myers said that she is especially excited about being part of the club’s transition from its present site at the South Adams Senior Center to the new club site under renovation on East Main Street.
“Being in that building is going to be awesome,” said Myers. “The thing that excites me a lot is that each staff member is going to have personal space. They will have their own room. It is going to be a place where they can take a room and turn it into a place where kids can feel safe.
“It will be a place where they can put special things on their walls that they won’t have to tear down,” Myers continued. “It will be a place for kids to hang out and get involved with the programs that they develop. It is going to give a much greater opportunity to expand into a personal approach that can look at kids’ needs from a broader spectrum.”
Myers said that once the renovation is complete, she and Adams County Boys and Girls Club executive director Michael Howell will plan the layout with the needs of area youth in mind.
“Each day when the kids come in they say, ‘hi, Vicki, how are you doing,’ and they run and give me a hug. We are a place where all children from all situations can come and have quality time. Every child, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to have their needs addressed,” Myers said.
“We have a very caring staff,” continued Myers. “They are all very empathetic and understanding of kids. They have very meaningful and heartfelt relationships with these kids.”
Myers said that the new facility would allow for even greater opportunity to develop multiple programs that will serve the needs of the kids that are attending.
“Now I see what a wonderful blessing this is, to have the opportunity to reach so many young people,” Myers said. “For me personally, this is a much better fit than a classroom setting. I like ‘casual’ structure. I’m just me, Vicki; this all fits me so well personally.”
The late summer and fall program will begin on August 23, with a full program, including education, sports, recreation, art and a game room. Hours will be from right after school until 7 p.m. Myers said that parents or guardians are free to pick up their children at any time, but no later than 7 p.m. The cost for the entire year is $5 per child.
Anyone with questions about the club or enrolling their children can call 260-589-8365.
“When kids come here, it is so much fun to watch them grow,” said Myers. “If I can do something for one child and make a difference, then I have accomplished something. If you touch one life, it is worth all of the effort involved.”

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