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Meet Connie Lane Van Driel of Boys & Girls Clubs of East Valley-Superstition Mountain Branch in Apache Junction

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Lane Van Driel.

Connie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama I grew up in St. Mary’s Girls Home, a Catholic orphanage for girls. I was two years old when my mother abandoned our family. My dad had lost his hearing in WWII and because of his disability he didn’t feel he could raise my brother and me alone, the state stepped in and took us away. We became wards of the Catholic Church. I went to St. Mary’s and my brother was taken to a farm to work and it turned out the family was really good to him and raised him as a son. My Dad visited the girls home regularly and made sure that my brother and I kept in touch with each other.

The nuns (Daughters of Charity order) were great mothers to us and instilled a love for life in each and every one of us. They gave us a passion to always make the best of everything we touched and everything that touched us. The nuns believed the outdoors was healthy for both body and soul. We lived on Mobile Bay and spent sunup to sundown swimming, water skiing, seining for seafood for our supper every day, canoeing, hiking, archery and basking in the sun. It was a life filled with adventure, creativity, and imagination.

We were taught to help one another no matter what. We were a team brought together by God. We were taught that no matter our differences, inside we were all the same. We grew to value each other’s talents and strengths. We learned to be individuals uniting when needed. We learned to treat each other as we wanted to be treated. We learned that when we left the orphanage, things would not be easy. However, if we were on the right path, we’d know it, and our faith would lead the way. If we chose the wrong path, we would know that too, because we would learn lessons the hard way. Through the years I have proven that fact to be true.

Leaving at the age of 17 gave me the spunk I needed to face my life outside the cherished doors of St. Mary’s. It has not been an easy road, but the passion for helping others continues to drive me every waking day. Helping kids to succeed is my life mission.  Giving them space to be kids is so important to their growing spirits.

As I said earlier, unfortunately I did take the wrong path a couple of times.  Lessons learned and finding myself a single mother working an eight-hour job for the Forest Service I decided if life was going to get better for my daughter and me, I had to take action.  I decided to return to school. I attended school at night, it was a grueling 10 years to finally wear the ASU cap and gown and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of Public Programs. This lifestyle was hard on my daughter and she was a trooper. I made a point of including her in every decision we made, and I knew she was the most important thing in my life. I never pushed her away and let her know that she could pour her day out to me and that I was listening. We moved from Mesa to Apache Junction my last few years of College, and that was hard on her. She was eight years old and found herself in a new environment, rural and not much for kids to do. She struggled to make friends as there were absolutely nothing for kids to do. The Parks Department was one of the best in the East Valley, however, our budget was enough to live on and nothing left for paid activities. She soon made friends in the neighborhood. We had many sleepovers, movie nights and the neighbors watched her after school hours. I took her to my workplace, at Canyon and Saguaro Lakes many times where we hiked and fished the weekends away.

However, back home the kids were struggling after school hours. It was a “Latch Key” town and many kids were left on their own after school hours. Yes, there was trouble abound, and suicide, young pregnancy rates, and crime were at their all-time high. My daughter told me “Mom, you HAVE to do something to help us kids!” Her exact words. To me, that was a message from God. “Out of the mouths of children.” It brought back the core values the Sisters gave us. “Help one another no matter what” was at the forefront. It so happened that same morning the local newspaper was delivered and inside the front page was a call for help from one of the City Council members who wanted to start a Boys and Girls Club in the City. I took note of the meeting place and time and attended the meeting. They were just gathering information on how to form the Boys and Girls Club and I left that meeting having been voted in as the Vice President of the newly formed Board of Directors. Within a month the President passed away from a heart attack and I was moved into the vacant position. That was 24 years ago. It was not an easy task to sell the idea of Raising a Boys and Girls Club in a City founded on serving the Senior Living Lifestyle. With God’s grace and guidance, we now serve over 425 children with after school hour programs and are partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley who have been instrumental in our success.

Has it been a smooth road?
Through the years, I’ve learned that nothing good is ever easy. We were met with many challenges and being in an area with no industry, was our greatest. We had depended on the pocketbooks of local residents. We formed partnerships with other non-profit organizations and through the years made some strong friendships with the Goldfield Ghost Riders, Superstition Mountain Promotion Corporation and AJ Mounted Rangers who put kids first in their mission to better the community. We changed our mission from building a Boys and Girls Club (which would take a lot more money than we had) to starting programs for after school hours. We partnered with the school district and found they had a small two-roomed recreation center, which held 49 people at one time, it was being used by another children’s non-profit that was struggling to make ends meet. Some of our Board Members didn’t agree with the new mission and dropped off the Board.

As quickly as they left, new members came onto the Board and there were then ten of us who have been together for the life of the club. These ten members bonded quickly began fundraising and within a span of two years raised enough to buy the building and officially formed our Boys and Girls Club of America sanctioned local club for the kids. We struggled to get kids to come due to lack of transportation and parents not knowing what we had to offer.  It took a lot of work to get kids to the club. We began our public after school hour programs to children ages five years old to a very few teens. We began offering weekend programs for teens to get them to come. Soon, we were receiving tickets from the Fire Department because we were exceeding the occupancy load of 49. With the help of some friends of the club, Paul and Leslie Monfardini, who stepped up and donated a beautiful ramada outdoors, we expanded our staff and membership to another 50 kids and grew again bursting at the seams of our small building.

The Board approached the School District once more, and we soon worked with them to acquire use of a school that had been vacated. We moved there in 2011 and now serve over 425 children.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Boys & Girls Clubs of East Valley-Superstition Mountain Branch – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from other organizations.
This journey has not been easy. You’d think people could see the need when it’s facing you, but if you don’t have a star in the sky, you can’t see the sparkle.

We were the minority in the sea of seniors. We were a few trying to show the need for children’s fee-free activities after school. We monitored city and county statistics and used them to write grants and apply for after-school program funding to pay for staff. I attended many meetings, luncheons, and dinners speaking passionately for the kids. Our Board of Directors are incredible supporters and along with our club members were the spirit and content of my speeches.

We still have a very small industrial base in our area, and it is a challenge to gain their support when they are bombarded for sponsorships from all non-profits in the area. We hold two major fundraisers annually, a golf tournament and annual dinner, dance, auction known as The Yesteryear Event. Both are well attended. However, we must reach outside of our community for support. Industrial Seats – United Group of Chicago, Taco Bell, SRP, Dolly Steamboat, and Pinal Partnership have been annual sponsors and major supporters for this annual event which is the second largest fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley. Dolce Vita Retirement Community has been gracious hosts for the past 6 years. It is well attended, and we are limited to 400 attendees only because of the size of our venue. Although this is an adult event, the kids love entertaining and come up with their own talent show every year keeping in line with the theme chosen for that year. Themes have been from the decades (50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s), Great Gatsby, Mardi Gras, Cruisin with the Queen of Hearts, Hollywood, Pirates and so much more. 2020 will host a Disney-The Most Magical Place on Earth theme where we are expecting great costumes from fairytales, cartoons, Marvel, Star Wars and more. The costume contest is always sponsored by Salt River Tubing and Recreation and fills the floor with parading characters. The event is held the first Saturday in April and is never the same. We look for what’s trending in the fundraising arena, stepping outside the box, to keep it fresh and exciting for our attendees. Encore Creative donates outstanding sets to transpose the venue into a real-life experience for whatever the theme is. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for Disney theme. The event brings out the kid in all who attend. They really get into their characters and it been a blast year after year to see the same people transform into their inner personalities.

2020 will be the 22nd year we’ve held the Yesteryear event. We started out raising $4,000 after costs for the event, and now raise $80,000-95,000 going back directly to our local club. We’ve learned so much through the years. The best lessons can be seen on the smiles of the kids we serve day after day. We’ve also gained a large family of non-profits working together for the kids, a City that now supports their families and kids to the fullest, a wonderful school District that embraces the services of the Boys and Girls Club, and a community that embraces this safe place their children now enjoy after school hours. It has truly been a grass-roots effort and shows what a small group of people can grow, working with the City and the community as a whole.

Is there a quality or characteristic that has played an outsized role in your success?
Faith first.

Passion for what you are doing.
Persistence in the face of resistance.
Empathy
Honesty
Listening is one of the most important skills we all need.
Loving ALL people unconditionally.
and above all else Courage to Accomplish your goals.

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Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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