Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation Celebrates Grand Opening with First of Four New Clubs BGCA surprises crowd with $100,000 check for newly-chartered organization LECHEE, Ariz. - The newly-established Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation launched its first club here today with appreciative speeches, hoop dancers, a guitar rendition of "Classical Gas," food and, of course, dozens of children and teens playing everywhere. "We want to thank you for allowing the Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation to come into our community," Carlton Miller, a teenage LeChee Youth Council member, told Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., and several representatives of the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Lichíí’ii Unit will be open Monday through Friday, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Its programs are designed to emphasize character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness, recreation and Diné culture. A tour of the facilities showed kids working out in an weight room, a teen room where they were playing pool, enjoying their X-Box player, and another room with computers and video games. "You've come to a very unique place in the universe," said LeChee Chapter Coordinator Ralph Begay. "The pot of gold that we're seeking is probably right here, and it's our youth." President Shirley, who was accompanied by First Lady Vikki Shirley, told about 225 people that it's been a lot of work and effort to get to this point, but that this was the intention of the Navajo Nation all along, and that it was worth it. "That was the plan, to have it under the Navajo Nation," he said. "It's my honor to announce this. It's my honor to celebrate this." Mrs. Shirley said she was pleased to see so many children playing while the speeches were going on, enjoying the pool table and computers while adults toured the sparkling building behind the LeChee Chapterhouse. "I was happy to see the kids, seeing their eyes light up when the President opened the door," she said. "It's a place for them to play, a place to stay out of trouble." The President said it was appropriate that the Navajo Nation itself operate programs for the benefit of its own children. "That's the way it should be," he said. "Navajos should take care of our own, our own children, grandchildren, youth, our people. That carries down to our own sovereignty, getting back to our true selves." He said that by establishing the Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation, Navajos are reaching out to their own children, and will be able to teach them the Navajo way of life while giving them after-school activities. This, he said, will lead these children to standing on their own in the future. "To me, the ultimate goal in life is to freestand," he said. He said getting to this point has been a struggle but life is a struggle. Good things don't come easy. That's what it takes to get at the good things in life." Glen Permuy, the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America Senior Vice President for Services to Clubs, who traveled from Atlanta to attend the Grand Opening, called it a "great day, an historical day" that was long overdue. He then unveiled a huge $100,000 check and presented it to President Shirley to be used for the next three clubs to come under the wing of the Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation. The Lichíí’ii Unit will receive $25,000 of that. He said the national organization always wanted to be part of the Navajo Nation, and this check demonstrates that support. He credited President Shirley with the vision and patience to see the development of the new organization despite difficulty and criticism. "I want to thank you for the leadership you provide, not only to the Navajo Nation but to the children of the Navajo Nation," he said. "It's a great start for the young people here." He complimented the President's team "Expansion Office program manager Spencer Willie, Lamont Yazzie and Michelle Morris, as well as Department of Youth program manager Marilyn King-Johnson and Division of Diné Education Executive Director Leland Leonard" for the work they did, and the resilience they showed through tough times. "This is a great opportunity to make an investment in our children, and that's what tomorrow is all about," Mr. Permuy said. The Lichíí’ii Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation joins a family of 184 Native American BGCA programs, and is one of some 3,700 nationwide serving as many as 4.4 million kids, he said. LeChee Chapter Council Delegate Tommy Tsosie called the new club a beautiful place for his community's young people to go after school. "It's great, great! I love it," he said. Melanie Spencer, a member of the LeChee Parent Advisory Committee, said parents need to provide this kind of support for their children to guide them in the right direction. "Our founding Diné leaders fought and died to provide us with a better future," she said. "Let's keep that mentality alive in our youth." Jonathan Miller, LeChee Program Manager and Projects Specialist, called the Grand Opening "an historical event for the Navajo Nation to move forward for their youth." He said almost 50 percent of the Navajo population is youth and that programs like this one are increasingly needed. He said close to 100 LeChee kids will probably use this new club per day. "I can see 110 Boys & Girls Clubs on the Navajo Nation," he said. "What these clubs are doing is making our dream come alive." Leland Leonard, executive director of the Division of Diné Education, said clubs like this one will return a sense of pride to Navajo kids. "This is the vehicle that will reinvigorate in Diné children who they are," he said. "When we do that, that's when we'll be independent and self-reliant. This will be an outstanding model for other communities. President Shirley had this vision to regain the pride of the Navajo people." Jim Walker, superintendent of the Page Unified Schools, called the opening of the first Boys & Girls Club of the Diné Nation "an awesome opportunity for the Navajo Nation" that will benefit the chapter and the city of Page. "Because these are our kids," he said. "They go to our school district. This will help keep these kids on the right path." Spencer Willie, the Expansion Office program manager, who, along with President Shirley, took the brunt of criticism for the past six months because of difficulties with the defunct non-profit Boys & Girls Club of Navajoland, Inc., said what seems like the beginning for some represents the conclusion of something else for him and his staff. "For us, it's like an end because we worked so hard and now we get to enjoy it," he said. The best part, he added, is that by the end of the month he expects to see more clubs open in Tohatchi, Crownpoint and Tuba City. A Boys & Girls Club can be found at the most eastern point in Maine, in the Great Plains, the Hawaiian Homelands and many Alaskan Villages. But our work is far from over. In fact, our vision calls for 200 Boys & Girls Clubs on Native Lands in the next five years. Read on to find out which tribes and communities are joining the movement.