News & Stories

Duane McEwan has been a volunteer with BGCBigs since 2015. Duane has spent this dedicated time with the wonderful children of the West Boys and Girls Club. Duane is very much a leader, and his charisma can shift the entire club from good to great by simply walking into the club. These wonderful qualities have been great tools for Duane as he has ran the Torch Club at West for the past 4 years.

Torch is a leadership program that builds on children’s competencies and provides opportunities for life long success. Duane starts every meeting with a lolly-pop moment — there is a fantastic backstory that only Duane can provide, but simply put the children start every meeting with an impactful positive interaction they had initiate the past week. This is an intentional approach to be kind to others.

Duane Hammered built West Club’s first Buddy Bench. The idea was that anyone could sit on the bench and if someone saw someone on the bench, they would make a concerted effort to sit next to them. They could talk, build their relationship and leave feeling better than they did before sitting down.

Duane McEwan sitting on the West Boys and Girls Club buddy bench.

The picture to the right shows Duane, and the Torch groups beautiful bench. Duane, thank you for your commitment to the children of West Club. You are a personification of the our mission statement, which states a “commitment to the healthy development of children, youth and their families by providing safe spaces, positive relationships, services and opportunities to develop personal strengths and interpersonal skills that enhance long term success in life.

Duane McEwan, we thank you for being a #BGCBigsVolunteer