National
Council
of Youth Sports
7185 S.E. Seagate Lane
Stuart, FL 34997
Phone: 772-781-1452
Fax: 772-781-7298
youthsports@ncys.org
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“Companies
that achieve phenomenon status are
always looking 2-3 years ahead and
planning for change and meeting
the challenges.” That is a
true statement for the NCYS.
NCYS
was founded in 1979 by the Sporting
Goods Manufacturers Association.
In 1988 we had 14 members. In 1998
we had 74 members. Today, June 2007,
we boast nearly 200 member organizations
that represent more than 52-million
participants in organized youth
sports programs!
NCYS
spent many years seeking to find
its niche. The NCYS Board of Directors,
known for tackling the tough issues
head on, created a Strategic Plan
with a passionate vision. Sometimes
the essence of strategy is choosing
what not to do as well as
what to do. The past few years have
confirmed that keen insight and
a well designed plan pays off with
rewards of growth and revered accomplishment.
This
past year we focused on strengthening
and expanding our top three programs
that have gained NCYS a well deserved,
valued reputation as the proven
leader of the youth-serving industry.
In addition, we pressed forward
adding a couple new and exciting
ventures for both our current and
future membership. We have created
exciting energy and kicked it up
a notch growing our brand to new
markets and to new levels.
Credibility,
integrity and vigilant visibility
have remained at the core of everything
we do for our members and our industry.
NCYS is unique and we pride ourselves
on living up to our Strategic Plan
as well as being respected by our
members, the media, the government,
corporate America and the leaders
in and around our industry.
HERSHEY’S STRIVE AWARDS
This
year marks the fourth year we are
presenting NCYS’ Hershey’s
STRIVE Award. The program just keeps
getting better and better as the
word spreads to hometown heroes
all across the country.
STRIVE
stands for Sports Teach
Respect, Initiative,
Values and Excellence.
This recognition program honors
outstanding individuals from all
across the United States in four
categories: Local Administrator,
National Administrator, Volunteer
of the Year and this year we expanded
the fourth category to be Coach
‘or Official’ of the Year.
The
award ceremony events are conducted
in each award winner’s hometown.
They are honored in front of their
peers, public officials, their community
leaders, administrators, colleagues,
parents along with the children
who they train so well. Each award
winner is a remarkable leader, a
respected mentor, and has made such
a significant positive difference
in the lives of children.
This
past year’s events were as
awe-inspiring and as varied as the
honorees themselves. The celebrations
were held:
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on
an ice hockey rink packed full
of children and their parents,
brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles
saluting an extraordinary volunteer
leader;
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at
a high school gymnasium during
the Special Olympics admiring
a speed-skating and cycling coach;
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at
a convention center honoring a
local administrator who has given
a lifetime of dedication through
many, many sports;
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and
at the Disney Sports Complex before
thousands of people paying tribute
to a humble and most deserving
national administrator.
The
recognition to these hometown heroes
is of course from NCYS and Hershey’s
Fundraising but also from local
Mayors, County Executives, U.S.
and State Senators and Representatives,
who send letters of commendation,
proclamations, state flags, passionate
congratulatory tributes and this
year there was a flag flown over
the U.S. Capitol. Some even proclaim
a “Be Kind to ‘STRIVE
heroes name’ Day!” as
a special honor.
Media
coverage increases each and every
year with paper press and electronic
press rising to the occasion. Local,
regional and national newspapers,
magazines, and industry publications,
as well as radio and television
have generously devoted tons of
inktime and airtime praising our
deserving STRIVE honorees.
NCYS
encourages everyone to send in nominations
with testimonials. Notify your affiliates
of the STRIVE program. We will supply
you with STRIVE postcards to send
your members in bulk for them to
distribute. Or duplicate our emails
to your colleagues. Spread the word!
STRIVE is a great program with good
publicity for your program and a
fun celebration of youth sports.
Hershey’s
has been a fundraising mainstay
for generations of youth sports
teams and leagues.
Hershey’s believes that youth
sports play a vital role in the
development of well rounded youngsters,
by helping to teach children the
importance of good sportsmanship,
the rewards of hard work and practice,
and the sweet taste of victory.
A
most sincere thank you to Hershey’s
Fundraising for allowing us this
wonderful opportunity to recognize
the best of the best as America’s
hometown heroes!
NCYS
CERTIFIED SPORTS ADMINISTRATOR PROGRAM
Youth
sports industry executives and managers
have really caught on to the benefit
of NCYS’ Certified Sports Administrator
program. We know that the rapidly
changing sports market is requiring
more sophisticated marketing and
greater fiscal responsibility from
sports organizations. At the same
time, sports industry managers do
not often have the time, resources,
or opportunity to earn an advanced
management degree.
Thanks
to the generosity and forward-thinking
of the NFL Youth Football Fund,
the NCYS hired the internationally
renowned The George Washington University
to develop and deliver a customized,
flexible and affordable educational
program that provides management
related courses to youth sports
executives.
The
key to the success of the Certified
Sports Administrator (CSA) program
is member organizations offering
the CSA courses at their national
training meetings and conventions.
This is a top-notch education opportunity
that broadens the knowledge base
and provides for better-trained
professionals delivering sports
programs.
All
six courses are offered online through
the NCYS website www.ncys.org. And
NCYS and member organizations will
continue to offer the CSA’s
in a traditional setting throughout
the year. The online distance learning
opportunity has been very popular
allowing individuals to take the
CSA courses at their own pace at
their convenience.
Courses
offered are: Marketing Sports Organizations;
Sponsorship & Negotiations;
Risk Management; Event Management;
Funding Sports Organizations; and
Management & Leadership of Sports
Organizations. Completion of all
six courses earns one the prestigious
CSA designation along with a signed
and sealed Certificate from The
George Washington University and
the National Council of Youth Sports.
S.P.O.R.T.S. INSTITUTE
We
just can’t mention our Certified
Sports Administrator (CSA) program
without quickly boasting about our
new partnership with SportsEvents
Magazine. For many years now, our
NCYS President Rutledge has envisioned
the establishment of NCYS local
chapters. And for many years, your
Executive Director Johnson has visualized
NCYS regional meetings. Well, this
year it all came together.
SportsEvents
Magazine and NCYS had spent a couple
years considering the idea of a
regional meeting and this year we
held the first S.P.O.R.T.S. Institute
in Birmingham Alabama. The meeting
was presented by SportsEvents and
NCYS was a co-sponsor providing
most of the education.
S.P.O.R.T.S.
stands for Sports Planners &
Organizers Regional Training Seminars.
This meeting provides straight-forward
training from the grassroots level
on up. Topics are presented in a
high-energy educational environment
for attendees to learn how to consistently
produce highly successful sports
events and exceed the expectation
of participants, sponsors and volunteers.
There
is one CSA course offered in its
entirety at each S.P.O.R.T.S. Institute
putting a ‘student’ on
the road to earning their Certified
Sports Administrator (CSA) designation.
The S.P.O.R.T.S. Institute is a
big step in the right direction
for NCYS to expand its membership
base, increase CSA participation,
and spread the word on all our programs
and projects easing the way for
youth sports managers and administrators.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND SCREENING
PROGRAM
Several
years ago NCYS began a nationwide
movement to protect our children,
volunteers and administrators, and
organizations from the possible
loss of personal or organization
assets because of costly litigation.
At
the request of our members, we created
the “NCYS Recommended Guidelines
for Volunteer Background Screening
in Nonprofit Youth-Serving Organizations”
to assist the youth serving industry
with best practices, policies and
procedures. These guidelines are
quickly evolving into the industry
standard.
To
further that goal, we helped create
the National Center for Safety Initiatives
(NCSI) in order to provide the very
best national background screening
service solely dedicated to youth
serving organizations. NCSI was
formed in partnership with the National
Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) with
the goal of significantly increasing
the level of safety for our youth.
NCYS
engaged the insurance companies
into our child safety program initiative
in order to prove our youth serving
industry is taking on the responsibility,
implementing best practices and
properly protecting them against
the liability exposure. NCYS also
remains active on Capitol Hill keeping
a pulse on all legislation affecting
our initiatives in order to secure
the safest possible environment
for the children in our care.
Here’s
the history in a nutshell…the
criminal background screening initiative
first began with the youth sports
industry taking its concerns to
Capitol Hill. Then NCYS was named
in the PROTECT Act of 2003. And
then… along came The National
Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI)!
NCSI’s
mission is to serve as a leading
resource in an overall effort to
eradicate harm to youth in organizations
and communities across the globe
through increased awareness, the
creation of national standards,
and the integration of fully-managed
background screening programs.
-
The
programs and services of NCSI
directly reduce the incidence
of harm to children and protect
youth-serving organizations from
child predators. Their shared
goal is the overall eradication
of child abuse and molestation.
-
NCSI's
background screening programs
are recognized as the "Standard
of Care" in the youth-serving
industry.
NCSI’s
focus is to offer a ground-breaking
approach to background screening
that focuses efforts, systems, and
expertise on seven identified risk
factors to help client organizations
meet due diligence.
NCSI...
-
was co-founded by the National
Council of Youth Sports in 2004.
-
is
a comprehensive resource for background
screening programs using only
the best in class providers and
processes to ensure the safety
of our nation’s youth.
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specializes
in assisting youth-serving organizations.
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is
growing rapidly with clients increasing
daily.
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is
the only company licensed to implement
the NCYS Recommended Guidelines©
which are quickly becoming the
standard of care in youth-serving
organizations.
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has
insurance industry support and
involvement.
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maintains
safe and confidential storage
of records.
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is
the only organization in the country
that truly manages the background
screening process for you.
This
past year brought new and exciting
business developments. The USOC
released it’s policy requiring
background searches on the official
Games delegation staff in order
to ensure a safe team environment
at the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan
American and Parapan American Games.
To this end, the USOC has declared
that the National Center for Safety
Initiatives (NCSI) shall conduct
all background searches on all official
Games delegation staff members.
Each National Governing Body (NGB)
and Paralympic Sports Organization
(PSO) is required to enter into
a contract with NCSI so as to allow
use of the NCSI website.
The
client list is extensive, and while
there are many other prominent organizations
along with the United States Olympic
Committee who have selected NCSI
for its background screening services
there are few worth mentioning for
their distinctiveness: United States
Bowling Congress has stepped out
with an impressive Registered Volunteer
Program, USA Football has made NCSI
part of their League Administrator
Toolkit and committed $500,000 towards
reducing the cost of full-service
background screening through NCSI
for any football organization, US
Ski & Snowboarding implemented
a membership screening program in
2006 and USA Gymnastics has embarked
upon a unique program that will
results in their entire membership
being screened through NCSI.
Important
strategic partnerships continue
to be formed, including a national
partnership with Pop Warner. State
soccer programs, including Michigan
and Maryland are engaged with NCSI
and many townships are responding
including Jackson and Marlboro in
New Jersey. NCSI is developing it's
home market in Cleveland, with the
Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland
and is active with First Tee groups
throughout the country and a number
of education based organizations
including many colleges and universities.
On
a personal note, this area of child
safety has been my platform since
the early eighties when I was a
full time community volunteer. From
1984-1988 I was the chairman of
public safety, crime prevention
and citizenship (child abuse &
sexual abuse, missing children)
for the General Federation of Women's
Clubs--the largest organization
of volunteer women in the world.
From
1983-1995, I had a career holding
various positions including deputy
executive director with the National
Association of Police Athletic Leagues
(PAL). PAL is a program whereby
cops and kids work together to keep
kids off the streets and out of
trouble.
Over
ten years ago I became the executive
director the National Council of
Youth Sports where I have continued
this passion for youth safety programming
and determination to have a reliable
background screening and honorable
safety program in place. I am an
untiring advocate for youth issues,
for the protection of children,
and for eradicating criminal behavior
in our organizations as well as
society in order to make a positive
difference for children of all backgrounds,
genders, and economic diversities.
And I proudly serve on the NCSI
Board of Advisors.
In
2004 the National Task Force on
Backgrounding of America –
convened by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice,
and SEARCH, The National Consortium
for Justice Information and Statistics
appointed me to serve their task
force representing the volunteer
sector. I have proudly attended
every meeting including being a
presenter in Washington D.C. spreading
the word on NCYS and NCSI’s
leadership and good works for the
protection and safety of children.
Without
exception, NCYS is the industry
leader on complete and comprehensive
criminal background screening program
for youth serving organizations.
NCSI is dedicated to this cause
with passionate determination as
the first-line of defense in the
protection of the children under
the care of the youth-serving industry.
NCYS is profoundly grateful for
their unwavering commitment.
PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
NCYS
promotes tangible opportunities
for member organizations to participate,
collaborate, and engage in the legislative
process, always seeking to maximize
industry representation. NCYS produces
legislative lobby days, encouraging
members to come to Washington, DC,
and visit with their Representatives
on serious issues relating to our
business. NCYS also encourages member
organizations to cultivate relationships
with elected officials by hosting
events and inviting Representatives
to visit their facilities. The success
generated by a collaborative industry
approach goes a long way in establishing
critical long-term communications
opportunities to promote amateur
sports and business issues in Washington.
Government
Relations is a mainstay area of
work for the NCYS. We began our
public policy advocacy work 10 years
ago with the encouragement of the
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
who continues to support our works
today. At that time, there were
two areas that NCYS advocated for:
one was Land and Water Conservation
Fund (LWCF) including Urban Park
and Recreation Recovery Program
(UPARR) and Conservation and Reinvestment
Act (CARA) and the other was Title
IX.
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Land
and Water Conservation Fund
Outdoor Recreation
Expanding Outdoor Access
Created by an act of Congress
in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation
Fund (LWCF) has paid for the creation,
development and maintenance of
more than 40,000 parks and recreation
areas. LWCF is one of the most
important funding vehicles to
preserving and expanding access
to outdoor recreation areas --
enabling millions of Americans
to enjoy physical activity. From
casual participant to extreme
adventurer, outdoor recreation
is a critical catalyst for healthy
living for athletes and enthusiasts
of all abilities. Among other
things, this legislation preserves
the land so it is available for
athletic fields and recreational
activities. It’s our youth
sports fields and facilities issue.
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Title
IX
Sport Opportunities for Women
Providing Equal Opportunities
Title IX is designed to provide
equal and effective accommodations
for both men and women to participate
in collegiate sports. The government
needs to promote increased physical
activity and participation in
sports as a way to reverse the
trend towards obesity. NCYS advocates
a stronger position to actively
solicit and engage student interest
in athletics.
NCYS
has continued to carry the advocacy
banner on legislative issues. We
have become a regular resource in
Washington D.C. for the U.S. Senators
and House of Representatives, their
staffers and the Congressional committees.
We are the “go-to” unified
voice of youth sports and recognized
as such on Capitol Hill.
And
in fact, NCYS proved itself credible
and influential when we mobilized
our grassroots efforts for the federal
government to assist us promoting
child safety through criminal backgrounding.
The U.S. Congress responded directing
NCYS to participate in the PROTECT
Act. We also worked hard to pass
legislation that overhauls the way
that we register and monitor sex
offenders.
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Child
Safety
PROTECT Act of 2003; Adam Walsh
Child Protection and Safety Act
of 2006
Promoting Safety, Protecting
Children
The NCYS was named as a participant
in the PROTECT Act of 2003 addressing
a variety of provisions for children’s
safety including a pilot program
authorizing national criminal
history background checks to determine
the fitness of volunteers associated
with NCYS member organizations
and a feasibility study. The Adam
Walsh Child Protection and Safety
Act of 2006 includes the Sex Offender
Registration and Notification
Act which declares the establishment
of a comprehensive national system
for the registration of sex offenders
to protect the public from sex
offenders and offenses against
children. It also establishes
mandatory minimum sentences for
crimes against children. Both
are important pieces of legislation
to keeping our children safe while
in our care, thereby helping to
protect our youth programs from
costly litigation.
Having
gained the respect of the U.S. Congress,
we now look forward to advancing
public policy by supporting legislation
to provide immunity for nonprofit
athletic organizations in lawsuits
arising from claims of ordinary
negligence relating to the adoption
of rules for athletic competitions
and practices. We will continue
to advocate for immunity for those
youth-serving organizations involved
in lawsuits who follow the “NCYS
Recommended Guidelines” and
show due diligence. And we will
also continue to work hard on issues
surrounding physical activity.
-
Youth
Sports and Family Fitness
Personal Health Investment Today
(PHIT) - H.R. 245
Empowering Americans to Be
Active, Healthy, and Fit
Recently introduced by physical
activity proponents, the Personal
Health Investment Today (PHIT)
initiative would encourage increased
physical activity by easing the
financial burden of being physically
active. If passed, PHIT would
expand existing pre-tax medical
accounts to allow for payment
of expenses related to physical
activity, sports, recreation,
fitness activities and related
equipment more affordable for
Americans.
PHIT was reintroduced in the new
Congress on January 5, 2007. Almost
$1,000,000,000 was invested in
these pre-tax accounts in 2004-2005.
PHIT will encourage Americans
to be physically active and healthy.
We
will look to our members help in
mobilizing a grassroots coalition
whenever there is public policy
that affects our industry, advances
our ethical values and good character,
and enhances the youth sports experience
in America.
NCYS CEO SUMMIT & LEGISLATIVE
FLY-IN
On
June 19-21, 2007 the NCYS is bringing
together the amateur sports industry
leadership to the U.S. Capitol to
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provide
focused discussions of timely
subjects,
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be
an effective advocate in the legislative
process,
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visit
with Senators and U.S. Representatives
to influence Congressional legislation.
Attendees
of the CEO Summit & Legislative
Fly-In will hear from distinguished
plenary speakers and panelists from
the forefront of their fields as
well as participate in panel sessions
and informal discussion groups.
Whether
one is well-versed in government
relations or a freshman “working
the halls of justice” this
meeting will provide a legislative
briefing on the issues making everyone
comfortable with the talking points.
All registrants will have pre-scheduled
face-to-face appointments with their
respective members of the U.S. Senate
and U.S. House of Representatives.
Attendees
will return home better prepared
to communicate the legislative process
and convey key industry issues with
their respective boards and constituents.
Most importantly, the participant’s
opinions will be shaping the future
of amateur sports.
MARKET RESEARCH
Great
news! The much anticipated 2007
“NCYS Report on Trends and
Participation in Organized Youth
Sports” is in production!
The University of Kentucky Center
for Sports Management is assisting
us with this project. The same information
is being requested as in the previous
studies (1997 and 2001) with a couple
new forward-looking questions added.
The report will show a 10-year comparison
on total participation numbers as
well as a breakdown by age and gender.
The results will provide important
data and trends for all NCYS members
to use in their planning and projections.
NCYS
is well known for producing credible
market research and this is a much
sought after document. There is
absolutely not a week that goes
by without numerous inquiries for
our research. No other entity produces
such a publication by and for the
organized amateur youth sports industry.
We look forward to this document
being completed and published by
Fall 2007.
LOCKER 81 FUNDRAISING SOLUTIONS
The
NCYS has entered into an agreement
with a company owned by NFL football
great and Heisman Trophy winner,
Tim Brown. This program is in its
pilot program stage but we did want
you to know what exciting things
are forthcoming in 2007-2008!
The
focus of the gift card program is
to act as the launching pad for
the next generation of fundraising
in North America. The program is
a disposable Discover branded stored
value card (Gift Card)—it works
like a debit card. The gift card
will address a growing trend in
the marketplace toward this medium
of gift giving. By combining grassroots
promotion, scalable technology,
celebrity endorsements and lucrative
incentives, Fundraising Solutions
will deliver a unique fundraising
solution for NCYS and its member
organizations.
At
this time, the launch is expected
in the fourth quarter of 2007. Stay
tuned for more details in the near
future!
NCYS WEBSITE
The
NCYS website continues to be our
most valued area of communication,
brand marketing, and source of expansion.
It is our “face” to the
youth sports industry we represent,
and our website drives new business
to us everyday.
The
STRIVE program is completely online,
our Certified Sports Administrator
program is online, and NCSI is online.
As a convenience and benefit to
our members, we accept credit cards
online for the purchase of membership
renewals, meetings registrations,
CSA’s distance learning, publications
and merchandise, etc.
NCYS
receives a lot of attention from
those “googling” the Internet
for youth sports related information.
Our website is clean, uncomplicated,
and easy to travel through. www.ncys.org
has broadened our visibility, improved
our image, and marketed our brand
with a positive appeal.
As with any company’s website,
building, creating, refreshing and
effectively maintaining the site
is an ever evolving process. We
are serving two markets: driving
individuals through our site until
they contact us and appealing to
the search engines driving more
traffic our way. Content is the
key to both markets and NCYS receives
exceptional feedback on the appearance
and the ease to navigate through
www.ncys.org.
THE FORECAST
There
are five key areas that the Board
of Directors identified as priority
issues in the NCYS Strategic Plan:
“Vision 2010” and
they are: Identity/Credibility/Visibility;
Partnership; Funding; Member Services;
and Leadership & Organizational
Structure. This is a living document
that we follow on a daily basis.
It will be published and available
in its entirety on the NCYS website.
IN CLOSING
I
have a confession to make, every
year I dread putting my deskwork
on hold to stop and write this Executive
Director’s report. But once
I get started there seems to be
no stopping me and believe it or
not the arduous task actually becomes
one of the most favorite parts of
my job! It is such an honor to be
able to share with you, the youth
sports industry leaders, a piece
of the excitement and joy that I
live with and cherish each and every
day.
We
are not a cookie-cutter industry.
We are diversified in sport, in
skill, in performance, in rules,
and so on. But philosophically we
are at one with the common purpose
– to enhance the youth sports
experience in America for the betterment
of youth, of sport and of society.
A
sincere thank you to the NCYS membership.
Your incredible dedication to your
work is such an amazing inspiration.
When the going gets tough, the youth
sports industry leaders are JUST
getting going!!! At the end of the
day, you should have nothing but
extreme pride to do such magnificent
good for the children and society
as a whole.
Thank
you to NCYS Board of Directors.
They are remarkable individuals
who lead with a true passion, an
open mind and great vision to be
certain NCYS best serves the needs
of the youth sports industry. And
a very special thanks to President
Rutledge. Wanda is completely dedicated
to the positive and practical advancement
of the NCYS. She, like all the board
members are outrageously busy with
their own jobs but always make themselves
available to assist with NCYS.
And
thank you to our generous corporate
partners whom we are most appreciative
to. Without them, we absolutely
would not exist. It is this combined
commitment of unwavering support
that keeps my enthusiasm and passion
at its peak motivating me to drive
youth sports forward in an optimistic
and constructive way.
My
expectation is that you will leave
Washington D.C. really charged up
– more excited about youth
sports than ever before. And that
you return home so darn proud to
be in this industry that you’ll
want to take advantage of all the
opportunities and challenges we
have presented and more! This CEO
Summit & Legislative Fly-In
is planned to be an event that is
first class, unequaled, unparalleled,
unrivaled, unmatched, amazing, stimulating,
provocative and inspiring! Hopefully
it will even exceed your expectations!
Thank
you for all that you do each and
every day to make a child’s
life more fun and more complete.
And thank you for this extraordinary
opportunity to serve NCYS.
Click Here for the 2008 Executive Director's Annual Meeting Remarks [PDF]
Click Here for the 2007 Executive Director's Report [PDF]
Click Here for the 2006 Executive Director's Report [PDF]
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