A legacy of building great futures

When Ken Hoeksema first learned of the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces, it wasn’t under the most positive circumstances. He read a 2008 article from a local news outlet sharing that the Club was having financial difficulties and that the organization’s electricity was in danger of being shut off.

“I immediately drove down to the Club, asked the executive director at the time what the kids needed, and handed him a check to help keep the lights on,” Hoeksema said.

It turns out that was just the first step in Hoeksema’s journey with the organization. He was invited to attend a board meeting and during the meeting, was voted in as board chair.

“I had just retired from Amway after 28 years and had recently moved to Las Cruces from Michigan, so aside from playing golf four or five times a week, I realized I needed something more to become involved in,” he shared.

Ken became the face of the Club in the community, helping to recruit board members and share the work that the Club was doing to impact the lives of local youth.

“I was at the Club so much that people thought I was an employee,” Hoekesema said, “Seeing the kids made all the difference, and my heart ached at times that we couldn’t do more for them knowing what they needed.”

Helping youth has always been important to Hoeksema. He had experience as a youth mentor, serving as a big brother for Big Brothers Big Sisters for the majority of his life.

While visiting the Club, he observed a few kids who were a bit shy and hesitant to play outdoor sports with the other members. Hoeksema took the time to learn more about them, discovering that one boy was on the autism spectrum and experienced behavioral issues.

Realizing that his father wasn’t involved in his life to help provide guidance, Hoeksema stepped in to act as a mentor, taking him and another Club member to NMSU basketball games and visiting them during Club hours.

He also helped to make meaningful connections in the community that, to this day, are still benefiting the Club. Hoeksema’s relationship with Michael Yoke from Sisbarro Dealerships led to a meeting with Coach Lou & Mary Henson, who agreed to help recruit top-tier talent and host a breakfast in their name to raise funds for the Club. Eighteen years later, that breakfast event raises approximately $50,000 annually to help support Club operations.

Hoeksema was also able to witness how the Club’s older facility was affecting the services the organization could provide.

“Club kids used the outdoor blacktop area to play basketball and other sports and games, so during our hot Las Cruces summer months, it became difficult to find space to continue these activities,” he said.

He also remembers the Club only being able to accommodate a limited number of children and teens, creating wait lists for summer and after-school programs.

“When we ran the numbers, we were able to see the number of kids we could serve in our current facility versus the number who needed a safe space and youth programs,” he said. “What we saw happening, with the statistics and the data, showed that we were doing wonderful work in the community, but we could do so much more with a decent facility.”

He rolled up his sleeves and got to work, setting up meetings with local city leaders, architects, and realtors, planting the seed for the need for a new Boys & Girls Club facility. While, at the time, the Club wasn’t in the strong financial state needed to move forward with a capital campaign, he did his best to work with legislators and local leaders to highlight the need and keep the Club at the top of mind.

With his board term limit approaching, and a new professional role as a shareholder at Electronic Caregiver that kept him busy with out-of-state travel, Hoeksema stepped back and let the next group of leaders help guide the Club. Now, almost 20 years later, the progress that has been made toward making the dream of a new Club facility a reality is inspiring for him.

“When you think about the lives that have the potential to be impacted, it’s stunning what can be done,” he said.

He also hopes that those looking to become involved in the Club see the return on investment that their gifts can make, not only for Las Cruces youth, but for the entire community.

“The return on the money you are giving, you are essentially investing in the Club, in the kids, and in the future,” he said. “The impact the organization makes has been demonstrated across the US and you have the opportunity to improve the lives of kids in a very tangible way. Just take a tour and go meet some of those Club kids. In my experience, just being around the kids makes you feel like you want to be a part of this.”

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces and its Building Great Futures Capital Campaign, visit www.bgclascruces.org or call (575) 526-1519.