The executive director of the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of Hamilton-Halton says it’s been a privilege leading the organization for 33 years.
Glenn Harkness is set to depart from the youth program provider after three decades at the helm helping thousands of young people discover healthy lifestyles through club initiatives.
“I know that it certainly is going to carry on and be successful without me, but I’m pretty proud of my 33 years,” Harkness told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
“I’m certainly going to to miss it.”
Harkness remembers the first day he walked through doors of the Hamilton BGC to take on a new challenge after nine years working as an instructor at Mohawk College.
“Just a young guy with hair, walking in the front door of our old facility back then,” Harkness recalled.
“The Boys and Girls Clubs, there’s a feeling to it, and you can feel that immediately when you walk in the door that we’re a very different grassroots organization that just wants to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth.”
A significant challenge in directing a local service program is the acquisition of government funding which Harkeness recalls as a frequent issue over the years amid constant changes at the three levels of government.
“Seems like every time there was an election at any level, that we … needed to scramble to get to know them and their platforms,” Harkness recalls.
“Certainly funding’s always been a challenge, but we worked through those things.”
Other career highlights include a 2007 Canadian Idol win for BGC alum Brian Melo, running in his first fundraising marathon through the North Pole in 2011 and the growth of the BGC from one to 38 service locations throughout Hamilton and Halton.
“Glenn has been a pillar for our community, serving at the grassroots level and helping thousands of children and families for over 33 years,” Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said in a statement ahead of his last day Dec. 23.
“I thank Glenn for his tremendous service and congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement.”
Harkness and his BGC colleagues shed some tears at a celebration of his time during a mid-November gathering at Tim Horton’s Field which included a Hamilton Music Collective (HMC) scholarship announcement.
The Glenn Harkness Musical Futures Summer Camp Scholarship Fund will provide $1,000 annually for BGC Hamilton-Halton members to attend a yearly session.
The BGC will also keep his legacy going with the Harkness Heroes campaign, a fundraiser in support of an active living program teaching youth the importance of physical activity and nutrition.
To date, the campaign has raised over $4,000.
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