Business Development Board of Martin County (BDB) for designating Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC) as the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year.

It’s not yet Christmas and we’ve already received a wonderful gift.

We’re deeply appreciative of the Business Development Board of Martin County (BDB) for designating Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGC) as the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year.

The annual Martin County Business Awards ceremony showcases the variety, creativity, and incredible capabilities of local employers. Some of this year’s examples included a broadband provider that specializes in delivering internet service to underserved areas (Blue Stream Fiber), a manufacturer of parts for motocross racers (WMR Competition Performance), and an entrepreneur whose technological inventions equip the US Navy to wage electronic warfare (John Justak of Advanced Technologies Group).

Learning more about the ingenuity and achievements of such private sector standouts made me especially grateful that the BDB devotes an award category to nonprofits. Doing so recognizes the robust local nonprofit industry, which fortunately reflects the immense generosity of our community as well as, sadly, its persistent need.

As many as one in five young people (under age 18) in Martin County live in poverty. More than 8,000 children live in households with incomes below the federal poverty level. As much as 25 percent of children have endured the hunger pangs of food insecurity. Nearly 44 percent of the more than 18,000 students in the Martin County School District qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Thankfully, organizations such as Banner Lake Club, House of Hope, Hobe Sound Community Chest, Elev8Hope, Martin County Police Athletic League and so many more labor alongside BGC in our shared commitment to improving the present-days lives and futures of local children in need.

At BGC, 90 percent of the kids in our care qualify for free and reduced lunch. So, while we feed each one multiple times a day and send them home every weekend and holiday with backpacks full of food, we also want them to be strong, independent and self-sustaining. That’s why we’re preparing them to bring knowledge, poise, and marketable skills to the workforce.

A professionally administered culinary program, food truck enterprise, drone-certification courses and skills training comprise just some of the ways in which BGC is developing our future workforce. Not unlike the BDB, whose motto states, “A stronger economy is everyone’s business,” we believe encouraging the cultivation of more capable and prepared young people is in everyone’s best interest.

In addition to strengthening our economy, every child who realizes their potential and escapes the cycle of poverty for possibility and productivity represents a future contributor to our community. Who knows? They just might one day become the next great entrepreneur who enables immense employment opportunities and transformative charitable giving.

Or, more simply but just as powerful and meaningful—they might also become the next trustworthy employee, loving spouse, devoted parent, and reliable neighbor.

In either case, the result of such prioritization and investment in young people is the gift that keeps on giving.