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Our Founder Mike O'Deen
We are forever grateful for Mike O'Deen and his vision to bring a Boys & Girls Club to Cedar Rapids.
Mike O’Deen was raised in a northwest neighborhood of Cedar Rapids and regularly visited the Ellis YMCA. The facility represented many positive values that Mike embraced throughout his lifetime. As an adult, Mike circled back to the Ellis YMCA and joined their Board. When the central YMCA elected to close the Ellis Branch, Mike and a group of committed colleagues (Friends of the Ellis Community Center) approached the YMCA about acquiring the facility because they recognized the importance of this community center for the youth and families who resided in that northwest neighborhood. As a result of these volunteer efforts, the building transitioned to the Ellis Community Center.
However, Mike had a grander vision and went in search of potential local or national partners. He traveled to Dubuque and Waterloo to visit their Boys & Girls Clubs and was so impressed with both organizations that he connected with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This relationship culminated in what is now Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor, founded by Mike and the Friends of the Ellis Community Center.
Mike had a huge heart for all children, especially those who need “the Club” the most. He was always encouraging the Club to serve more and more kids so they could have a safe harbor and “an opportunity to make positive changes in their lives and the communities in which they lived.”