Karen Miller started at the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton in 1980, when a grant from Butler County United Way paid for her to develop programming specifically for girls.
“I knew gymnastics, so I taught mini-trampoline and tumbling,” she explains. “I also taught arts and crafts.”
The Boys and Girls Club offers a multi-faceted after-school program for children in Hamilton at two locations, one on East Avenue and one on Grand Boulevard. Children spend time working on their homework and playing educational board games that practice elementary-school skills in a fun environment. They also participate in physical education reading time with staff and volunteers at the club.
The Connect with the Arts programming includes voice, dance, yoga, mosaic, pottery, print making, and visual arts. US Bank sponsorship, Ftton Center instructors, and Boys & Girls Club kids came together to create meaningful arts experiences for our kids.
“For children living in poverty, it is a real benefit to have programs like the arts and music available,” explains Miller. “The children also have the opportunity to set and achieve goals, which is very important.”
As her work at the club progressed, the need for programming only increased; the children of Hamilton who attended the Boys & Girls Club may change every year, but even 40 years later, they still love the combination of educational content and fun that the club provides after school.
That being said, Miller has taken on many different roles herself, eventually taking over for Lawrence Weekly as Executive Director.
She’s seen a few changes during her tenure, such as how the club relies on a more diversified income stream now, applying for a wide variety of grants and corporate sponsorships, as well as the way that the club focuses on providing educational content more than it did in the past.
The secret to her long career at the Boys and Girls Club? Honestly, it’s no secret that there’s always something new going on, and that kept Miller’s interest.
“My responsibilities changed over the years, and I’ve never been bored,” she explains. “I’ve always had a great staff who were passionate, with a good Board of Directors and people who believe in the mission.”
As Miller looks toward her retirement later this year, she is preparing her staff, who she sees as more than capable of carrying on the club’s positive influence on the community.
“I’ve always felt like the kids needed me, and I kept seeing ways that I could contribute more,” she says. “I don’t think I could ask for more than that from a job.”