Landon

It isn’t often that you get to see a young person grow and flourish who isn’t your own. Working at Club, we get to see it more often than others, but it doesn’t feel any less exciting to watch someone become a productive member of society. This young man has been in and around Club from his elementary days, and his tenure and knowledge have helped him grow with our members. Whether it is building relationships while playing sports on the playground, asking questions about the deeper needs of members, or developing intentional relationships with those who need us most, it is the connection which makes him a great candidate for the Make an Individual Impact Core Value Award.

Intermediate kiddos are an interesting group. For one, they are getting old enough to flex some independence, but nowhere near old enough to make safe informed decisions for themselves. As pre-teens, they believe they are teens and as youth development professionals, we know at times they are close to two-year olds. Every year, they try the same tactics like calling the shots, belittling other members and staff, or just checking out during programming altogether. All this is true and then some for this intermediate coordinator. The youth he works with are consistently challenging boundaries both at Club and at school. During sports, there is something about the competition that sets their worst tendencies on fire, but here is where this professional shines. He goes out of his way to engage in playing with the members, talking to them about what challenges they are having and how they can better solve their problems with strategies other than screaming and yelling, or worse yet, physical altercations. While Landon can attest that it doesn’t always feel successful and for every step forward, the kids take two back, the work that he is doing with the intermediate group at McKinley is more than impactful.

Right now, Ezra will not appreciate his words, Ronin will just want to yell, Jayden and Taya will plot and scheme, and many members will run all sorts of havoc. Regardless of it all, Landon chooses to be there, as a steady voice, a calm presence, and a definitive support of reason when times are rough. There are many facets for how Landon impacts our members and while these are only a few, they are more than enough to earn him the Make an Individual Impact Award!