On November 7, 2021, our community lost an innovative business leader and generous spirit in Norm Skalicky. The board and staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota are eternally grateful to Norm, whose community challenges spearheaded incredible gifts to meet the greatest needs in our area. Norm has helped create a legacy of building great futures for youth, and he will never be forgotten.
Boys & Girls Club’s relationship with Norm Skalicky began in 1999 during the building of our Southside Boys & Girls Club, and continued to flourish with each Boys & Girls Club building campaign thereafter.
In 2005, the Boys & Girls Club launched a $3.7 million-dollar capital campaign to replace the old Eastside Club. But by 2007, we had reached a fundraising plateau at $1.7 million. We needed something big to revitalize this campaign to get us over the top.
This was when Norm Skalicky stepped up with a $500,000 challenge match, which was the largest gift he had made in the community up to that point! His gift generated renewed enthusiasm for the campaign and helped us successfully meet our goal to begin construction in 2008.
Norm stepped up again with a $100,000 challenge match in 2012 for the Roosevelt Boys & Girls Club’s expansion project, and yet again in 2015 when the Roosevelt Club needed a new gym after a fire destroyed the gym we shared with the school.
In 2017, Mark Sakry approached Norm with the opportunity to make a legacy gift to the Boys & Girls Club. To our surprise and amazement, Norm made the decision to give a community-changing, $5 million dollar gift with a 2 to 1 matching challenge to launch the Great Futures Endowment Campaign. This endowment ensures that the Boys & Girls Club will be there for kids 100 years from now, with caring adult staff as mentors providing opportunities and experiences to set youth on a path to achieve their dreams.
The Great Futures Endowment Campaign helps Boys & Girls Club ensure competitive wages for staff, professional development to provide a quality Club experience for every child who walks through our doors, and up-to-date technology and equipment to deliver positive outcomes for youth.
During the Great Futures Endowment Campaign, Norm visited the Eastside Club, read some books with children, and observed the meal program. He had some great conversations with some very brutally honest children. Afterward, when staff were thanking him, Norm said, “Giving is the easy part. You guys do the hard work every day with the kids.” Norm always deflected recognition. He was humble and kind and always gave all the credit to Boys & Girls Club’s amazing staff, who are the daily difference-makers that Norm knew were critical to the healthy development of our community’s youth.
Norm Skalicky received Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota’s Champion of Youth Humanitarian Award in 2013. He was awarded the Thomas A. Ritsche Lifetime Commitment to Caring Award in 2019. We can never thank Norm enough for his lifetime commitment to youth, which will undoubtedly make an impact on our community for generations to come. Norm Skalicky will forever be honored and remembered by the Boys & Girls Club for the great futures legacy he created for youth.