Q&A with new executive director of the Boys and Girls Club: J.C. Schwab

J.C. Schwab is the new face around the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County after taking over as the executive director of the local nonprofit.

He came into his new role earlier in December after former director Julia Hockenberry left to become the development director for Flat Rock Playhouse.

Schwab moved to Hendersonville with his family from Panama City Beach, Florida, where he was born and raised. Schwab was a member of his local Boys and Girls Club as a youth and recently served as Area Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Bay County.

He comes on board to the Club as enrollment numbers continue to grow. By the end of 2018, the Boys and Girls Club will have served more than 1,100 children, all of which pay only $5 annually for the wide range of services and programs at the nonprofit.

Schwab and his wife, Laura, have a 2-year-old named Zac. They enjoy trips to Disney World, the beach and watersports. Schwab said the family is eager to take advantage of the recreational amenities in their new Western North Carolina home.

The Boys and Girls Club’s new executive director recently sat down with the Times-News to discuss his vision for the club, and what it means to the community.

TN: The Boys and Girls Club has been a part of your life for many years. Where and when did that connection begin?

JS: In Panama City Beach where I am from and grew up, we always went to work with my dad. He owned a motel on the beach for 27 years known as the Sea Star Inn. During the spring and summer months my two younger siblings and I needed a place to go to get away from the spring break crowd. My dad and mom wanted a positive place for my brothers and me to go.

We went to the Boys and Girls Club at Frank Brown Park, located in the community center. We loved it. The summer of 1998 was the first year we went, and my brothers and I went every summer after that. We really enjoyed it. I think the thing that stood out most to me is the staff was so positive and upbeat, and they had engaging activities for my family and other kids there that kept us wanting to come back. That is something we enjoyed and that really stuck with us.

Some of the staff there during that first summer are still friends of mine to this day.

TN: What is your biggest takeaway from your time with the club as a youth?

JS: As a kid growing up at the club, the biggest takeaway was some of the skills that we as teenagers were able to acquire while being there. Never having a formal job before, we went through a program called junior staff. That program gave me and my peers the opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes on what it takes to work for a youth development organization.

We shadowed the staff there at the club. We went out and did community service projects that benefited the organization. The staff also taught us how to fill out a job application and a resume. It helped us understand that it was important to give back to the community. That was a really big takeaway from me. In turn, it was something that made me want to continue to work with that organization and become a part of the staff myself.

TN: How do you feel your experience as a club member has prepared you for the role you have today?

JS: I feel I have a unique point-of-view in this area because I not only grew up in the Club, it’s the only job I have ever had. The positive atmosphere at the Club hooked me in, and I wanted to do my part in giving back to an organization that gave me so much.

Paul Mosca, who was an incredible mentor to me, really took the time with me to show me the inner workings of running a successful Boys and Girls Club. Paul retired a few years back after giving nearly 40 years of his life to this profession, and to this day his imprint on Bay County (Florida) will live on for decades to come.

My role in the last eight years was overseeing four club sites with a combined enrollment of over 1,400 youth. Being able to now focus my attention and energy on one Club is something I am really looking forward to.

TN: The Boys and Girls Club’s model focuses on the whole child in mind, body and soul. What is the job of the executive director in supporting that growth?

JS: Those three pillars of youth development in essence are really the secret to our success.

The mind, body and soul strategy focuses on educational development, intentionally motivating youth to be physically active, and creating opportunities for social and emotional development.

To be successful in this area it’s going to be crucial that I work to continue to promote our programs and activities that highlight those three areas. I want to work toward hiring positive adult mentors who value those aspects of what we do. I’m fortunate because this Club already has a great core staff that has been changing lives in this community for years.

TN: Membership numbers at the club continue to steadily climb. What are some of the main focal points to handling that continued growth?

We have a waiting list of over 500 kids that want to come to the Club. Coming up hopefully this summer, our expansion here at this facility will be complete and we will be able to serve more kids in the community. That is very important to us.

We get phone calls every day from parents wanting to get their kids involved in the Club. For us, expanding our programs and services is vital to the community.

Our average daily attendance here that we track for grants, the Boys and Girls Club of America and for the community, is typically 375 to 400 a day.

TN: For those who do not have personal experience with the Club, how would you explain its part in the community?

JS: The Boys and Girls Club fills the gap between school and home. We provide a safe environment where kids have fun, participate in life-changing programs and form lasting relationships with peers and caring adults.

In economic terms, especially here in Hendersonville, the Club takes the burden away from parents who worry about how they are going to pay for child care. The fee annually to be a member is only $5. That is incredible.

TN: What are some of the best ways for the community to support the Boys and Girls Club?

We are always looking for positive adult mentors to come in to work with the kids. If someone has a special skill, whether it is teaching dance or yoga, music or culinary skills, those are great things we can incorporate into the club and teach the kids.

For the couple of weeks I have been here, the community has been particularly giving. We’ve received several donations checks. We have had people come in and drop off presents. I have already seen what a giving community Hendersonville is.

TN: What would you like for your legacy to be at the organization?

JS: Well I certainly have huge shoes to fill. This Club is known nationally across our movement for having dynamic leaders at the helm. Julia Hockenberry, who is the outgoing executive director, has built quite the legacy in the community. Her love for kids is certainly evident.

The man that preceded her, Kevin Lauritsen, was instrumental in leading the growth and expansion of the Boys and Girls Club of Henderson County.

I believe I would like my legacy to be of someone who made a difference. I want our kids at the Club to feel like they were actually part of something special and they are able to take those tools they learned with us into adulthood.