🌟Staff Highlight: Josh Hutcheson🌟

Josh Hutcheson, the Unit Director of our Tulare Club, was recently awarded Director of the Year for our organization. He has been a part of our team for two years and has been a director since October of 2021. Josh’s leadership abilities were clear from the start and he has proven to be a great role model. His Club members identify and connect with him through shared experiences as he too grew up in Tulare. Read Josh’s reflection on his experience and outlook as a Director below!

• What keeps you motivated and inspired?

The kids always have been and always will be my number one motivator. I've gotten the chance to work with almost 200 different members over the years, and the stories that they've shared with me will stay with me forever. I've seen kids with the "troublemaker" label attached to them turn into some of the most helpful members of the Club. I've seen kids that were too shy to even talk to their own shadow come out of their shells and become leaders. The rainbow at the end of the storm is always what gives people hope, and I see the potential rainbow in each and every single one of the kids that walk through these doors.

• In your opinion, what makes a great Club Director?

A great director has three distinct traits. Trait #1: They have the trust of their members. Your members have to be able to trust you enough to go to you when they're having issues. Only then can you help them through their problems. Trait #2: They listen to their staff. Listening to staff members and helping put their ideas into action is the ultimate symbol of you not only respecting your team, but letting them know that you trust them enough to make their ideas come to life. Trait #3: They're involved in their community. One of our goals as an organization is for our members to learn good character and citizenship so that they can be productive members of the community. Our community members are our biggest supporters; so a great director is one that is able to not only say thank you to everyone that supports us, but to also go out and support them ourselves. I'm excited to get out into the community that I've lived in my whole life and show these kids that no matter where you come from, you can always make a difference in your community, no matter how small.

• Tell us about an unforgettable moment you experienced at the Club.

I was hired right before the pandemic. I only had a month of experience before my Club was closed for over a year. When we finally opened up again, we had five members show up on the first day. The next day, we had about seven, which started increasing from there. I'll never forget that on Friday, two members that attended the Club before the shutdown attended that day. They recognized me instantly, and it felt like no time had passed. They were still the same kids I remembered, but now they were older. Even though we wore masks and had eight kids instead of the 80, everything felt normal. At that moment, I knew we would have a new normal, but it would still be okay. We, as a Club, would be able to give a whole new group of kids experiences they'll never forget. That is one of the many moments that stand out.