Most Impactful Staff Member:
Kelly Smith, Boys & Girls Club
At Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, Kelly Smith is the go-to person. She can often be seen surrounded by staff and kids, answering several questions at once, yet she is a beacon of calm and steadfast authority in a room packed with energized kids. She is well respected and well liked by kids, parents, and staff. It is a reputation she has earned with hard work and determination.
Kelly, originally from Jamaica, found herself in Jefferson City after accepting a track scholarship to attend Lincoln University. While she was drawn to Lincoln because of the coach, it was a daunting experience to travel outside of Jamaica to a new country for the first time.
“I came here with nothing except being scared,” Kelly shares. “It was new people, new food, new places. It was an adjustment being here without family and friends, and with no financial help. It was very difficult.”
Kelly turned that uncertainty into a solid college experience, including earning an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in agency guidance counseling. She also became a six-time national track champion and was inducted into the Lincoln Hall of Fame. After college, she launched her career in family therapy at a substance abuse facility and spent 16 years helping families through rough times. This position gave her a strong foundation of skills, and she transitioned to working at the Boys & Girls Club as the child and family services director in 2019.
“A lot of people don’t know about the Boys and Girls Club or what we do,” Kelly says. “We are so much more than a daycare. We do so much at the club with STEM, homework help, clubs, gardening, and e-sports. These young kids get to experience amazing things here.”
As the club has grown, so has Kelly in her role. She now serves as the director of operations and oversees all four Boys & Girls Club sites. This includes the main Railton Center, the Sadowski Center on the west end, the Future Blue Tiger Teen Center at Lincoln, and the Burcham Youth Center that opened in August in Holts Summit. Kelly oversees the unit directors at each site, day-to-day operations, staffing, site maintenance, and license requirements. She also spends her time helping staff grow personally and professionally.
“I don’t just help kids; I also help the staff when it comes to appreciating things and looking at things indifferent ways,” she says. “Letting them see the importance of education and having a family to express your emotions to is important. In my culture, I could not do that. We don’t say it, and we don’t show it. Being here has taught me to teach others to express their feelings and that you care about them.”
Kelly understands how our upbringing and culture can shape us. She never asked for help growing up and was expected to figure things out on her own. While her upbringing made her the person she is — a resilient individual with an upfront nature — it also gave her a heart for helping others and working together to figure things out.
“I really like the fact that I have a great relationship with the parents we serve,” Kelly says. “They feel comfortable talking to me. Good communication is important with parents and kids. They know I care about them.”
While Kelly spends a lot of time overseeing operations, people remain at the heart of her work and bring
her daily inspiration.
“When I work with staff, I encourage them to capitalize on what they already know,” she reflects. “How can they help themselves and the kids? Seeing things from both sides has allowed me to appreciate people I come across and share that with other people.”