By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Chad Hoffman didn’t have a time schedule in mind when he accepted the position as executive director of the Mahomet Area Youth Club in January, 2017.
“I really was looking for it to be long-term,” Hoffman said.
At the same time, he also wasn’t going to ignore other opportunities.
“I like to grow and develop,” he said, “and take on new challenges.”
Within a month, Hoffman will have a new challenge.
He has accepted a position in Champaign as executive director of Habitat for Humanity.
“That’s an exciting organization as well,” Hoffman said.
His replacement at MAYC has not yet been announced.
Hoffman knew the former Habitat director, Sheila Dodd, and that led to his job change.
“She asked me to apply,” Hoffman said.
His first day at Habitat — March 25 — comes the day after he officially leaves the Mahomet Area Youth Club.
MAYC Board President David King is appreciative of Hoffman’s contributions.
“Chad has done a tremendous job,” King said. “There were many successes under Chad’s leadership.
“He was good with people, was incredibly motivated and had a very positive impact.”
Most noteworthy among developments involving the club was the relocation to its current address, at 700 W. Main, in 2018.
“The new facility is a big one, but there were key donors (he solicited), improvements in our transportation,” King said. “It’s a big loss for us.
“I was shocked to hear he was leaving.”
Hoffman emphasized he won’t be totally gone.
“I’ll see the (June 8) auction through,” he said.
Moving MAYC to a new location led to other improvements.
“With the new building, we can serve more kids, expand the programming options,” Hoffman said. “In terms of growing the club, there were some good new developments.
“We have an activity bus and a wonderfully designed playground.”
Additional security and safety precautions have also been implemented.
With children who still attend Mahomet-Seymour schools, the Hoffmans will remain in the community.
That will mean ample time for him to serve as a volunteer.
“I plan on continuing to be involved and active,” Hoffman said. “I’m really looking forward to helping the organization going forward.
“We are making a difference in kids’ lives and changing the community. I will volunteer as much as I can. I believe in the mission.”
Hoffman estimated that more than 500 youth are involved with MAYC throughout the year.
The growth in the summer programming since his arrival is significant.
“Last summer, we had 116 kids at our out-of-school program,” Hoffman said “The kids came more often and were more active.”
When Hoffman started at MAYC, the summer involvement, he said, was “about half of that.”
During his 26 months on the job, Hoffman was frequently seen throughout the community as the face of MAYC.
“I truly believe that is part of the role,” Hoffman said, “to interact with the community and share how successful we are as a club.”
King said that Hoffman was essentially filling two roles at MAYC, not only as the executive director, but also handling the programming.
“We need full-time staff to work with the youth,” King said. “It’s too much for one person. We’ve always known that.
“We’re now in position to do that.”
King emphasized that the first priority is to get a new executive director in place, but he isn’t sure that will take place prior to Hoffman’s departure.
“We will focus on hiring an executive director because the executive director should have input on hiring other staff,” King said. “The Board recognizes the need for additional staff.”
Hoffman has set the bar high.
“I don’t know that we will find someone like him,” King said. “It’s a demanding job if you do it well and do the job like Chad did.”
Hoffman acknowledged that there is plenty of work to be done, but added, “it’s not too overwhelming, but it will run better with two people.”
Nonetheless, it has been difficult to keep up.
“There is always more that can be done,” he said, “but you run out of time or the ability.
“There can be more community service with the kids and working more and more with the youth.”
Previously, MAYC has had directors with specific strengths.
“In the past, we had executive directors who were great with youth, but not necessarily great with business, management and developing relationships,” King said. “With Chad, we had a good blend.”
If Hoffman’s replacement is not on board by March 24, that person won’t start from behind.
“Spring Break programming will be completed by March 24,” King said. “We’ve mostly just completed our strategic planning. The next piece (on the to-do list) is summer programming.”
M-S students will return to school from Spring Break on Monday, March 25.
At Habitat, Hoffman’s duties will include overseeing the ReStore as well as assisting families become homeowners.
Dodd helped more than 50 families achieve homeowner status during her seven-year tenure, which started in 2011. She left last November. The organization has operated under an interim director, Michelle Stallmeyer.
“I’m looking forward to new challenges,” Hoffman said. “This will combo some of my previous experiences.”
