Grace
Boys & Girls Club Programs Help Students Reach Their
Full Potential
BY ROBIN F. DEMATTIA
B 14 JULY - OCTOBER
orn in Bolivia on “America Day,” America Gutierrez joined the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County while in the fiſth grade. Over the years, she won many awards, including the club’s Youth of the Year and a second runner-up at the state level. Currently a freshman at Florida SouthWestern State College, she is also a part-time
employee at the Boys & Girls Club and a role model for all club members. “During the roughest year of my life, the Boys & Girls Club programs saved me,”
America says. When her parents divorced, her mom could barely pay the rent and food was scarce. The club was her sanctuary. “God was with us, and it was through His guidance that we were made aware of the
Boys & Girls Club,” she says. “My sisters and I were able to be in a safe place with friends, do homework, get involved in different programs and eat dinner.” The Boys & Girls Club annually serves 3,000 students ages 6 to 18 in its clubs and
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