It can be difficult to ensure humble people receive due recognition, but members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley are doing their best to honor their president, Ron Rolett.
Members of his staff nominated him for the Contribution to the Profession Award last year, and he accepted the national prize this April in New York after being selected from a pool of nine finalists across the nation.
On Wednesday, those who work with Rolett on a daily basis have scheduled a reception to recognize the achievement.
"He's got such a huge heart for kids, and that's something I realized immediately," said Tami Swigert, vice president of community relations for the club, about the first time she met Rolett during her time working with the United Way. "He was always so excited about new partnerships and helping out in any way he could."
He's worked for the local club since 1990, but his history with the organization began when he was 5 years old.
"My mother was pregnant with my sister and the Boys Club was a block away from the doctor's office," Rolett said. "So, rather than have me sit and wait, she enrolled me in the club."
He stuck with the organization as a member until he aged out, but started working for the club in North Little Rock, Ark., when he was 26, back in 1979.
In 1985, he left to work for the club in Carlsbad, N.M., and stayed for five years.
He had no idea he'd been nominated for the prestigious award until he was announced as a regional winner at a luncheon last August.
"He sent me a text, because he was still at the luncheon, saying something like 'way to be sneaky,'" Swigert recalled, adding she had submitted the paperwork in July and nearly forgot about the award. "Then I remembered what he must be talking about, and we were all so happy for him."
At the national meeting, he accepted the award in front of about 2,000 people.
"That was just a wonderful feeling," he said. "Honored. I was so honored when that happened. But we're an outstanding team, my staff, we're so fortunate to have the team we do."
In so many years of service, he admits he's had tough days and overcome a multitude of obstacles, including budget cuts.
"But to see a child go through the club, go on to college, graduate, start a career, a family, that's just a tremendous feeling," he said. "We want to have a positive impact on these kids while they're in the club so they can go on to be positive role models for their children and become contributing members of our society."
Swigert said Rolett's dedication to the club is apparent and unyielding.
"Nobody tells the Boys & Girls Club story better than someone who grew up in it," she said. "He's seen it firsthand, what a club can do to impact someone positively -- he's part of it, he's a product of the club."
Wednesday's reception is set for 4 to 6 p.m. at the Best Western Atrea on Austins Colony Parkway in Bryan. The public is invited.
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