Boys & Girls Club Dane County

Cristial Manneh

“I had such a great experience in the program for so long, I decided to come back to help” C ristial Manneh, a 15 year-old high school student in the 608 community, came back to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County to work for the organiza- tion. Cristial started out in the Boys and Girls Club at age six or seven, and he had such a great experience in the program for so long, he decided to come back to help. “I really loved coming here. It’s a great experience for kids, you learn to explore a lot of sports you might not have ever played, and it’s all been so good.” OPPORTUNITIES & EXPRESSION The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County gives children opportunities for express- ing themselves and learning new things. They also receive support, a lot of fun activities, friendship and guidance on how to achieve greatness in their lives.

THE BEST TIMES Cristial remembers some of the best times of his life as a part of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. He loved playing all the water games and ac- tivities the Club offered when he was younger, but his best memory was get - ting the opportunity to meet one of his basketball heroes, Nigel Hayes, at not one, but TWO of the Boys and Girls Clubs in the area. Nigel was a basketball star for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, and he was drafted by the NBA in 2017. That was a huge moment for Cristial as a young boy who wanted to become a basketball star, too. He is excited for his high school basketball season to be- gin, where he plays center and loves the game. Reminiscing about his youth with the Boys and Girls Club, Cristial says,

This organization was named one of the Top Five Boys and Girls Clubs in the nation in 2011 for financial literacy and educational programming. They serve more than 7,500 young people in our community. They transport more than 625 children weekly from 19 schools in the area to their Club locations. Children are excelling with their creative arts divi- sion, allowing hundreds of young people to appreciate art. In addition, more than 12,000 donors and volunteers support the Club’s members annually. For Cristial Manneh, he can testify that the Boys and Girls Club of Dane Coun- ty has helped him determine reachable goals and provide for him a path to a bright future.