If you’ve donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, please know that your contributions help support the great work our Club staff does every day to create safe, inclusive and engaging environments for our youth. As part of the “village it takes,” Club staff are often viewed as extended family members because of their dedication to every Club member who enters our blue doors.
Brian Ariza, a Class of 2020 Norcross High School graduate and an A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club alumnus, can certainly attest to this sense of community.
Hailing from the Republic of Columbia, Brian faced many obstacles and hardships. When he entered his Club in Norcross, he didn’t speak any English and experienced a massive cultural shock. However, the support from Club staff and members helped him to transcend barriers.
During Brian’s 6-year membership at A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club, he transitioned from a shy pre-teen to the 2019-2020 Youth of the Year runner up for Metro Atlanta. He also graduated in the top 5% of his class.
Since leaving BGCMA in 2020, he has enrolled at Kennesaw State University, where he is majoring in business administration with aspirations to become an entrepreneur. He interned at Accenture during the summer of 2020 and at DPR Construction during the summers of 2019 and 2021—opportunities made possible through the BGCMA Career Bound program.
“I would personally say that the Boys & Girls Club changed my life in every aspect,” Brian said. “Not only did the Boys & Girls Club provide a second home for me to spend my time after school, but they were willing to invest in me by providing an endless number of opportunities. They developed me into a young professional adult through their workforce development programs like Career/College Bound.”