Local Kids, Local Impact: Inside the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad

Carlsbad: People, Purpose and Impact is an essential podcast for those who live, work, visit, and play in Carlsbad.
Bret: Good morning and welcome, everyone. My name is Bret Schanzenbach, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and once again, your Bret today. I’m very excited to have two guests with me: Alex Ghilarducci and Chad Nelson. Alex is the Director of Marketing and Events, and Chad is the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad. Good morning, guys.
Alex: Good morning.
Chad: Good morning. Thanks for having us.
Bret: That was in stereo. Well done. It’s exciting to have you here. It’s a little amazing, maybe embarrassing, that we haven’t had you on before, but we’re here now, and that’s what matters.
Alex, I’ll start with you. I was looking into your background, and it interested me for a couple of reasons. You’re not originally from this area, but you are a Cal State San Marcos grad. What brought you down from El Dorado Hills to Cal State San Marcos?
Alex: I’ve always loved the San Diego and Southern California area, and I had a really great opportunity to go to school there. I fell in love with it. I loved how small the classes were, and I felt like I got a better education. I made lifelong friends there, and I loved it so much that I never left.
Bret: Very nice. I also saw that you were a soccer player.
Alex: I was. One of my friends and I helped start the women’s soccer club at the school.
Bret: Very nice. Before your role with the Boys & Girls Club, you were with JC Resorts for a while.
Alex: I was. I was at The Crossings for six years. I started there as a wedding coordinator and grew into the director role, becoming Director of Sales and Marketing for weddings and events. It was my life for a while, and I loved it, but I wanted to try something new.
Bret: That probably set you up nicely for your current role in marketing and events at the Boys & Girls Club. You’ve been there about two years now?
Alex: A little over two years.
Bret: Very nice. Chad, let’s talk about you. I know your family has had a successful corporate career here in the area. Did you grow up here as well?
Chad: I did. I actually grew up at the club for a few years. My dad was the director of the clubhouse in 1978, so we have a long history with the Boys & Girls Club. At the age of seven or eight, my dad and his brother were dropped off at the Boys Club. Their mom, my grandmother, was a single parent at the time, and she relied heavily on the club.
Bret: That’s amazing. I’m going to guess that back then it was just called the Boys Club.
Chad: It absolutely was.
Bret: That’s an amazing connection. I know your dad is still a supporter, and now you can strong-arm him for more funding.
Chad: I like to say he’s the best free consultant I have.
Bret: That is amazing. You’re currently CEO, but tell us about your career arc before the Boys & Girls Club and then into this role.
Chad: I joined the club as CEO about three years ago. Before that, I had almost a 20-year career in orthopedic sales and traveled the country. I was looking for something different. I had been on the board of the Boys & Girls Club for about seven years, so I knew many of the board members, local community members, and supporters.
When the opportunity came up about three and a half or four years ago, I started talking with some board members and said I’d love to at least have a discussion. Fast-forward, I was offered the job. I’m very humbled. Being born and raised here, and knowing what the club has done for my family, my dad, and so many others, is priceless. I’m very proud and excited to be in this role.
Bret: I love that connectivity because it’s very personal to you. The success, the programming, and everything that goes on matters because of your connection and your dad’s connection.
I want to hit on the mission of the Boys & Girls Club because I thought it was beautiful: “To inspire our community’s young people to be great.” Full stop. Short and sweet. You even have “Be Great” in all caps on your website. Talk about that.
Chad: I think a lot of people in our community think this is just a place where you drop off kids and they color in coloring books, like daycare. We hear that every day, but there’s so much more that comes out of the club.
It starts with our staff, our youth development professionals. We offer so many programs and try to change things up each day. It’s really more of a mentorship. For many kids, this is their second home. It’s a place where they feel safe, meet friends, and grow.
At our last gala, I highlighted that 23 of our staff members either grew up at or attended the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad. They’re giving back to the club because it made a difference for them. That tells me we’re doing something right.
Bret: Speaking of doing something right, you have a robust history. Since 1952, right?
Chad: Yes.
Bret: Seventy-three years. Amazing. And as we mentioned, it started as a Boys Club, as most Boys & Girls Clubs did. The Roosevelt location was your original location, correct?
Chad: Yes.
Bret: I saw that it’s been renovated five times, which makes sense as you’ve grown and community needs have changed. Then in 2011, you added another location. Talk about your history a little bit and how things have changed and grown.
Alex: Chad can probably speak more about the transition from Boys Club to Boys & Girls Club because his dad was an integral part of that.
Chad: I believe that happened in the mid-80s. My dad was working at the club at the time and recognized that girls weren’t allowed in many of the night programs. He went up the chain of command and asked why girls weren’t allowed. If the mission was to serve kids in Carlsbad, why weren’t we serving girls too? There was some pushback early on, but now you see what it is today.
As for the Roosevelt location, we’re actually in the process of planning another remodel, number six. We’ve outgrown Roosevelt, and our Bressi Ranch clubhouse is full. We’ll be filling in the pool and expanding the footprint.
Bret: Filling the pool as in it won’t be a pool anymore?
Chad: Correct. I know there could be some pushback because so many people have memories there. I took swim lessons in that pool too. But the sketches we’ve put together so far are really exciting. We probably won’t break ground until the middle of next summer, but it’s going to be a very exciting project.
Bret: The needs of the community are changing. The pool was a big need at one point, and maybe it’s not right now.
Chad: Exactly. It was the only pool at the time. Now the city has two others, so we felt this was the best option as we continue to expand and offer more programs.
Bret: In 2011, you opened Bressi Ranch, so now you have two full working clubs. That started as a trailer, right?
Chad: It did. Before opening Bressi, we had a trailer in the local area and served about 60 to 75 kids there. Around that time, the city asked the builder to donate land to a nonprofit, and we were granted that opportunity. Then the capital campaign came in.
Bressi was put together like Legos. First came the clubhouse, then the gymnasium, and then the teen center. The Rancho Carlsbad community came together and fundraised to build that teen center. It’s a heck of a story.
Bret: That is a great story. One of our staff members here has a six-and-a-half-year-old son who goes to your Bressi Ranch location and loves it.
Let’s pretend someone listening isn’t familiar with what the Boys & Girls Club does. Who do you serve, and what is your sweet spot?
Alex: Across both clubhouses, we serve an average of about 1,000 kids a day throughout the year, including summer camps, spring break camps, after-school programs, and youth athletics. So many kids get to experience the greatness of the Boys & Girls Club and the impact it makes.
Bret: What age range do you serve?
Chad: Generally 6 to 12, but we also have teen programs that we’re revising. COVID changed some of that, and e-bikes probably didn’t help attendance either. So it’s usually around 6 to 15, depending on the scenario and program.
Bret: One of the notes Alex shared with me said that for some children, the club experience is the most stable part of their day or week. Talk about that.
Alex: Kids really need structure, even though they sometimes push back on it. They need a place where they can feel safe, be around people they trust, and have somewhere to go after school.
They may not have the best home environment or a safe place otherwise. At the club, they’re not just being babysat. They’re learning, getting homework help, and building skills they may not learn otherwise. We have cooking clubs, arts classes, reading classes, and other programs that help build skills for the future.
Chad: We also don’t always know what’s going on at home. Fifty-one percent of our kids are on financial aid, and every family’s situation is different. Our staff does a phenomenal job finding the right ways to build relationships, create friendships, and provide a safe space.
Bret: That’s powerful. People need consistency. They need something they can count on.
Let’s talk about programming. Your website talks about character development, education and career development, health and life skills, sports and fitness, and the arts. That’s a lot. Tell me about some of your favorite or most engaging programs.
Chad: We have cooking clubs, athletic camps, and we serve three middle schools in Carlsbad. We took that over about three years ago. After school, kids can stay on campus or come to the club depending on the sport they’re interested in.
We also have over 160 field trips a year. We take kids to places like the music museum so they can experience things they may not otherwise encounter in daily life. We bring in STEM programming: science, technology, engineering, and math. If you come to the club, there’s something for you.
Alex: And a huge piece is our youth development professionals. The way they mentor these kids has a huge impact. Some of the staff who grew up in the club were impacted by youth development professionals when they were kids, and now they want to come back, work for the club, and mentor the next generation.
Chad: We’re also lucky to have 25 board members, many of whom are successful business owners. They come in and lead sessions on a variety of topics. They interact with the kids and help create thinking in the clubhouse. That’s exciting too.
Bret: Let’s talk about summer camps. How are they structured?
Chad: Summer camp season is right upon us. We’re actually in spring break camps right now. Summer is what I call controlled chaos. Kids are dropped off starting around 7:30, and then we have rotations throughout the day.
There’s singing, dancing, and lots of activity. It may not look structured at first glance, but it is. Kids rotate through arts, athletics, cooking club, broadcasting, ping pong, pool tables, field trips, and more. Last summer, we served over 17,000 free meals just at the Village clubhouse.
Bret: If I’m a parent considering summer camp, is it a set period of time, or can kids come throughout the summer?
Chad: All of the above. Every family structure is different. Some parents work from home, some work early mornings, some are off in the afternoons. Families can drop off and pick up when they need to, though we don’t allow pickup during field trips for safety reasons. Pickup has to happen at the clubhouse.
Bret: This is amazing, but Alex, this requires money. Tell us about your fundraising activities and how people can get involved.
Alex: We hold multiple fundraising events throughout the year. In a few weeks, we have our 74th annual golf tournament. We also have our third annual pickleball tournament coming up. Then we have our 45th annual gala at the Omni on October 17, and our 14th annual poker tournament at Bressi Ranch on November 14.
These events bring together community members and business owners from all around Carlsbad. One thing Chad and I always say, and something we’ve built into our branding, is that we are a local nonprofit supported by locals. That really comes into play with fundraising.
For the pickleball tournament, we’re partnering with a brand-new facility in Carlsbad. I actually heard about it on your podcast with Sean Walker, called him right away, and Chad and I visited. We loved what he was doing, and now we’re Breting our tournament there. It’s pickleball meets happy hour, with local food and beverage vendors, games, and a DJ.
Bret: Pickleball plus happy hour sounds like a formula for victory.
Alex: Exactly. It’s a 21-and-up event on Saturday, May 9. We’ll keep our Bressi clubhouse open that day so parents can drop off their kids while they come play and support the club.
People can get involved in many ways. They can attend events, donate, volunteer, sponsor, or donate items to an event. These events are essential to the lifeblood of the club.
Chad: Fundraising is the most important piece, as it is for most nonprofits. Alex has done a terrific job. Her background at The Crossings with weddings and events has translated really well to our golf tournaments and fundraising events.
Bret: Let me ask about pricing. Do families pay for their kids to come?
Chad: If they’re paying full price, it comes out to about $3 to $4 a day. We’re proud that we haven’t raised prices often. What we provide for that cost is significant, and we need community support to make it work.
Alex: The funds raised through our events help support all of those programs. We also provide more than $450,000 in financial aid annually to make sure no child is ever turned away due to inability to pay.
Bret: People can make donations, sponsor events, donate auction items, become community partners, or get involved in other ways.
Chad: Absolutely. Community partners are a huge part of our success. It averages about $500 a month, and those partners help us advertise, connect, and network in Carlsbad. We have over 25 community partners.
We’re also looking to grow our board. We currently have 25 board members and would like to build up to about 40. It’s a volunteer board with meetings nine times a year, a few social events, and lots of great support. At the end of the day, it all benefits the kids.
Bret: Randy Farren is on your board, right?
Chad: Yes. He’ll be board president in July.
Bret: Randy from California Bank & Trust is a great member of our chamber and a bedrock of the Carlsbad community. It’s fantastic that he’s involved.
Your website is BGCCarlsbad.org, correct?
Chad: Correct.
Bret: That’s a great place to start if people want to learn more, connect, support, or get involved.
Chad: Absolutely. Or they can give us a call. I’m happy to give a tour any time.
Bret: What’s the number?
Chad: 760-729-0631.
Bret: Say it again slower.
Chad: 760-729-0631.
Bret: Perfect. BGCCarlsbad.org is the place to find out about events, sponsorships, community partnerships, and ways to support these youth. Is there anything we missed?
Alex: One thing I want to mention is that 100% of the proceeds from our fundraising events go toward our programs. That’s a great statistic, and people should know they’re investing in great futures.
Bret: I love that. The Village remodel is down the road, but people can also contribute to that, correct?
Chad: Yes. We’re working on a capital campaign now, waiting for sketches and floor plans to come in so we can build excitement. We have a committee of board members working on the remodel and meeting every week. It builds excitement every day.
Bret: Fantastic. I really appreciate you both taking the time to come and share. Thank you for what you do and for investing yourselves in this work. You are changing generations and helping young people be great.
Chad: I appreciate that.
Alex: Thank you.
Bret: Anyone interested in learning more about what you do can come see it in real time, right?
Alex: Absolutely. Anyone who wants to learn about what we do, see the impact we have on kids, or come to an event can let us know. We’re happy to show them what we have going on. We have a great team, including Colby and her team, and we’re happy to welcome anyone.
Bret: Thank you both for coming down.
Alex: Thanks.
Chad: Appreciate it.
Bret: Thanks for joining us today on Carlsbad: People, Purpose and Impact. If you got value out of today’s episode, please hit the follow button on your favorite podcast app and tell a friend. Can’t wait to see you next time on Carlsbad: People, Purpose and Impact.