Where Are They Now?

The 60th anniversary of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Youth of the Year program is also a time to reflect on past achievers and the contributions they made to society. As these outstanding individuals demonstrate, many former Youth of the Year finalists continue to live by the values they learned at their Club – the same ones that made them winners many years ago.

JOE MEANY (1957)
WALTHAM, MASS.

As 1957 Boy of the Year, Joe Meany is celebrating several milestones in 2007. Not only has it been a half-century since he received the national honor, it also marks the 50th anniversary of a remarkable adventure: His journey across the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower II, where he was a cabin boy during the 55-day trip. Meany was disappointed that he couldn’t attend his high school graduation ceremony, which took place during the voyage, so crew members put together a mock ceremony for him. They even made a mortarboard and graduation gown out of materials found on the ship.

What the Club means to him: “The Club created an international sensitivity and awareness of the world’s diversity,” says Meany. “It also helped me with my career direction.”

Where he is now: After obtaining an undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. at Northeastern University in Boston, Meany spent 25 years working for Digital Equipment Corporation in a number of management positions. Even in adulthood, he remained involved with Boys & Girls Clubs, serving as a 15-year board member and past president of the Marlborough Club in Massachusetts. In addition, Meany was an active Area Council member for New England and Massachusetts.

KELLY ZIMMERMAN LANE (1993)
ORRVILLE, OHIO

Despite a difficult and challenging childhood, punctuated by an abusive father who was in out and of her young life, Kelly Zimmerman Lane always knew she would find a better way. As the oldest of three girls, Lane helped her mother make the best of a trying situation – and then became determined to break the cycle of poverty in her family.

What the Club means to her: “The Club taught me to stand up for what is right and that every effort to help another person is an effort worth making,” says Lane. “I put the lessons I was taught at the Club to use on a daily basis.”

Where she is now: Lane graduated with a degree in speech communication and then obtained her master’s in managerial leadership from Marietta College in Ohio. Today, Lane is a busy woman. In addition to owning JKL Properties and Lane Travel Group, she recently returned to her Club roots as director of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lakeland and Mulberry, Fla.

While actively working to end domestic violence, Lane and her husband also support young people in troubling circumstances. They are not only foster parents, but also run a foster care home that serves as a safe haven for children in need.