My experience at EOYDC has been a great one. I started participating in the programs at the center when I was 14 years old and started working here at the age of 18. I am 21 years old now so EOYDC has been a part of my life for 7 years and has changed my life tremendously. Before I came to this center I was a wild child who always got caught up in the wrong things. I had run ins with the law and was doing terrible in school but that all changed when I was brought to EOYDC for the first time.

            I came to the center for the first time to play in the black college league. That league was the best league I ever played in, it was so exciting. My coaches were Kwame and Floyd. They were a catalyst for me in trying to become a better basketball player and young man.

            EOYDC is like a second home for me. Along with my family my elders at the center have molded me into a responsible and overachieving young man. I say that because most young black men my age situations are totally different from mine. Because of the encouraging words of my co-workers and Ms. Regina Jackson at the EOYDC I have excelled in the classroom and matured faster than expected.

            Working at the center has been wonderful. The kids are great and I have bonded with lots of them very well. I knew most of the kids before I started working so that made the transition go really smooth because of the relationships I had already developed. While working at the center we have went on lots of trips and I have been fortunate enough to be put into situations where I have had to take the leading role and deal with people who are very professional so I had to be the same way. At first those experiences were shaky and hard to deal with but now I handle them like a pro because of the way I see my boss and others at the center deal with them.

            EOYDC is a place that is devoted to the advancement of people in our community.  I feel without the center I don’t know where I would be at this point in my life. At the center I am able to do most of the things I love like work with children and play basketball. The center really helps me educationally because at the center I am able to do research for homework assignments, type papers and even get information on colleges thanks to the Pathway to College program.

            I am thankful to the EOYDC for giving me a place to make some good money. I feel like I owe a lot to the center because no matter what the circumstance good or bad the center will always be there to benefit me as a person.

Thank you EOYDC for developing me into the African American young man that I am today.

Matthew Bogard

Web Note: Matt is currently a second year student at Merritt College pursuing an AA in African American Studies. His GPA is a 3.4. He is a starting point guard for the Merritt Thunderbirds. He plans to study business administration at a four year college. His goal is to become a sports agent.