Bob Bromwell
Volunteer of the Decade
The Boys & Girls
Clubs of Delaware has once again recognized Bob Bromwell as the "Unstoppable
Volunteer of the Decade".
On Tuesday, January
11, 2011, a retirement luncheon was held for Bob Bromwell, at the Administrative
Offices in Wilmington. After over 40 years of working and volunteering with the
Boys & girls Clubs of Delaware, Bob and his doctor have decided it is time
for him to relax and enjoy some "me" time.
Bob is a native of
Delaware. He is one of seven children raised by a single parent. Bob joined
the H. Fletcher Brown Boys Club at the age of 9. As a teen he worked at the
club in the locker room for 50 cents an hour, which he gave to his mother to
help with the household expenses. When he quit school at 16, Joseph Dulin,who
at the time was CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, pressured Bob to
go back to school. Bob finally relented and returned to school and graduated
from Brown Technical School. He worked as a Lab Technician at Witco Chemical
until his retirement in the late 1980's, all the while he volunteered at the
club in the evenings and on weekends.
Through his active
volunteer involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, Bob
demonstrated his commitment to the youth of Delaware. He has logged more than
30,000 volunteer hours. While devoting himself to the clubs, he has also
managed to volunteer with the Elsmere Bureau of Police Needy Family Fund, St.
Francis Hospital, Mary Campbell Center, McDonald LPGA Championship, five Points
Fire Company, and the Basket Brigade.
Awards for his
efforts are numerous and read like a Who's who in Delaware: Recognition has
come from the then Senator Joseph Biden and Senator Thomas Carper among many
others.
If you ask Bob about
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware his answer will be "I would either be
dead or in jail, if not for the Boys & Girls Clubs."
Bob doesn't do it
for the accolades. He explains, "The club has always been a good place for
kids. I am paying back what they did for me. I want to help the Boys &
Girls Clubs of Delaware be the best I can, and for me that's giving them my
time."
Thank you for all
that you have done and we will miss you around here.
K.C. Keeler named the Liberty Mutual
Coach of the Year for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
The Award recognized coaches for their sportsmanship,
integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off field. Votes by fans
contributed 20 percent to each coach's final score, and media and College
Football Hall of Fame accounted for 25 percent and 55 percent,
respectively.
"Coach Keeler embodies the spirit of the Libery Mutual
Coach of the Year Award through his dedication to his students, team and
community, and fans should be proud of the significant impact they made through
their votes and support for their teams, alma maters and coaches," said Greg
Gordon, Liberty Mutual senior vice president of consumer
marketing.
Off the field, Coach Keeler and his team are active
throughout the community and state. K.C. co-chaired with his wife, Janice, the
Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware's 2006 One Campaign. He is active as a AFCA
ambassador to the Jason Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to youth suicide
prevention. He also works to support Autism Delaware, and the National Marrow
Donor program.
Keeler will be honored in the permanent Liberty Mutual
Coach of the Year display at the College Football Hall of Fame and in his honor,
Liberty Mutual will make a $25,000 charitable donation to the Boys & Girls
Club.
"Today we celebrate Coach Keeler for the latest honor he
has brought to our school, our fans and our community."
Board Member Charlie Gummey
named Local Hero
Charlie Gummey has been named a Local
Hero by Bank of America for his dedication and work with the Boys & Girls
clubs of Delaware and the local community. Charlie joined the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Delaware (BGCDE) in 1971 as a board member. His passion for promoting
youth development has kept him involved for nearly 40 years. Charlie has
chaired every committee of BGCDE, including Chairman of the Corporate Board from
1980-1985. He has also served as Chairman of the Board for Tower Hill School,
State Chairman for Ducks Unlimited, Chairman of the Board for Delaware Wild
Lands, Chairman of Board of Governors for Wilmington Club, and Secretary for
Marmot Foundation. Charlie was recognized at a reception held by Bank of
America in early May. The recognition comes with the opportunity to designate a
$5,000 contribution to the charity of the honoree's choice. Charlie has chosen
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware.
Charlie we thank
you.