NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Lance Patterson with the Hutchinson Boys and Girls Club celebrated his 20 year anniversary with the club recently and he is glad to continue to be involved in mentoring kids in the community.
"Relationships, building those strong relationships, it makes the Boys and Girls Club what a Boys and Girls Club is," Patterson said. "When we listen to some of our team members who say, I just want to be able to do the same things that, when I was a kid, that teenager did for me. I feel like I need to give back. That's the power of that relationship."
Seeing that happen with the older teens with the younger kids and getting feedback, when it happens, from those that come back to the club is gratifying.
"A lot of times, we see the kids, we see them for a lot of time, for a short period of time in their lives," Patterson said. "Those interactions do make a lifetime impression on their life. The cool thing about working with kids is knowing that what you do, you're probably not going to get thanked for, but it is making a huge difference that's going to last them a lifetime."
Mentoring also is having positive voices in kids lives that are not necessarily their parental voices.
"If you have kids, you know, they don't think you're very smart," Patterson said. "So, having somebody else that can give them that advice, I think it gets heard a little bit better from somebody else sometimes. Having those people that are positive, that are caring, that look out for your kid, that's what's going to help make a community strong."
If you'd like to learn more about the Hutchinson Boys and Girls Club, you can do that at https://www.bgchutch.com/.
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