Looking back at my childhood, I would say that the Boys & Girls Club’s KIDSTOP program was a big part of my life. KIDSTOP was always fun. No matter what happened during the school day, I could go have fun for a few hours afterward. My brother and I spent our summers at KIDSTOP, too, and we always looked forward to the activities, like dodgeball in the gym, playing outside with friends, or just taking a break and drawing for a while.
My favorite memories of KIDSTOP were the field trips! We went to places like Valleyfair, Minnesota Twins games, and we were even able to participate in the Minnesota Vikings training camps! Those were all awesome experiences that I might not have otherwise had. Through it all, I was able to build connections with great staff, including Andy Rennecke and Paige Kaehler.
Boys & Girls Club’s KIDSTOP program gave me the opportunity to interact with youth from all different backgrounds and learn important social skills. KIDSTOP also instilled the importance of staying active and healthy. I developed a love for sports, and I played football and hockey throughout high school and did weight training in the summer. Today, I am actively involved in park and rec sports, and I am always busy playing broomball, volleyball or even kickball after work.
I am currently a finance analyst at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. I graduated from SCSU in 2014 with a degree in finance and moved to Rochester to serve as a financial analyst at IBM. I moved over to Mayo Clinic in July 2017. I currently work in a department that supports research doctors and the government and pharmaceutical grants they receive for their work.
I’d like to thank the KIDSTOP staff who worked to build a connection with me and encouraged me to get involved in all the fun activities taking place. They helped build my confidence to participate in sports in school, and I know that they truly cared about me. I’ll always have great memories of KIDSTOP!