By FRED KRONER
Karl Mauzy was first introduced to and influenced by the Mahomet Area Youth Club as a fifth-grader in the 1990s.
The club had such a profound impact on his life, that he continued to support it even after he had left the state.
And, years later after returning to central Illinois, Mauzy again became affiliated with MAYC. For almost two years now, he has served as a board member.
MAYC has been a prominent part of his life.
“I started going to MAYC – when it was known as the Mahomet Boys’ and Girls’ Club – when I was in fifth grade due to my parents both working and wanting somewhere for me to go after school,” he said. “I went to the club from fifth grade until I graduated (from Blue Ridge in 2000) and left for the military.
“My involvement with the club when I moved to Blue Ridge never changed. Once in the military, I sent money to the club as a donation to help out when I couldn’t be there.”
He can’t imagine what his life would be like had he never been associated with MAYC.
“I didn’t always make the right decisions when I was a kid and would sometimes get in trouble,” said Mauzy, who has lived in Mahomet with his wife since 2016. “The club gave me a place that could help keep me out of trouble.
“Gary and Trudy Matthews took me under their guidance and helped me find the right path that I needed to be on. The club gave me a place to go when both of my parents were at work that didn’t have me running around getting in trouble.
“I had friends who didn’t have a place like the club to go to and ended up going to jail. I am not saying that if you don’t attend the club you will go to jail, but I know it helped me make the right decisions that kept me from it. I know that without the club in my life, I would not be where I am today.”
Originally, Mahomet’s club for youth was a satellite site for the Champaign Boys’ and Girls’ Club and, Mauzy said, “had the same programs that the club in Champaign did, and we were able to take advantage of those.”
MAYC provided a safe spot for Mauzy and the others who were involved.
“My parents wanted me to go somewhere that I would stay out of trouble and would have a positive impact on my life,” Mauzy said.
The appeal was not just the camaraderie at MAYC, but also a chance to participate in sports.
“I grew up playing sports and always loved the competition that came with them,” Mauzy said. “Finally, I found a place that was fun to go to and hang out with my friends.
“Growing up, I played sports both with the schools and outside of school. I would be down at the park playing basketball and it wasn’t always the safest environment to be in.
“The club started a travel basketball team where I was able to play all over the state. Playing with the club, it gave me the opportunity to play with different people who have different experiences than mine.
“We all were there to play and we all learned from each other. One of the great things about it was it didn’t matter where we came from or what we looked like, we all just wanted to play and complete.”
It was a structured environment and Mauzy thrived. He can see the benefits more clearly now than he did as a youth.
“I have remained with the club for all these years due to the fact I would not be the person that I am without the club,” he said. “With the guidance from my parents and the support from the club, I have accomplished many things that I am proud of.
“I want the youth of today to experience what I did so they can succeed in life. Having a place that will support you and give you guidance is the best thing that you could ask for. I enjoy being a part of the board that helps to guide the club to make these kids’ lives special in as many ways as we can.
“We try to make the club fun and help these kids have experiences that they may never have had without the club. Not all the kids will come back and be involved with the club. However, if we have one kid that we were able to help and comes back to help the next generation, then it is all worth it.”
The opportunities – and memories – extended beyond sports and were more meaningful because of the dedicated staff.
“Having a place that we could go that was fun is a big part of why we were there,” Mauzy said. “If it wasn’t any fun, you will not get kids to come back.
“The staff and board did a great job of keeping us involved with the club and giving us experiences that we hadn’t had before.”
The memories still linger.
“Going to Kickapoo State Park is one thing that I will always remember,” Mauzy said. “Having all the teens come and stay at the club where we could all do a sleep-over and just hang out and enjoy the time we all spent together, is something that will always remain with me.”
Mauzy spent seven years in the military, with the Special Forces, but didn’t wait until he was back in central Illinois to begin to give back.
“Once I received my orders to Montana, within a week of being up at my base, I sought out the local club and started volunteering with them,” said Mauzy, who works at Plastipak in Champaign. “Upon my return to the Mahomet area, I returned to help the (MAYC) club.”
This summer, MAYC has had an unusual source for help. The organization has partnered with the Mahomet United Methodist Church.
The coronavirus pandemic limited the number of teens that MAYC could accommodate at its building on West Main Street.
“MUMC opened its doors to MAYC programming this summer for the first time because of COVID-19, but they have been long-time supporters of the club in a variety of ways,” MAYC executive director Sara Balgoyen said. “This summer, their awesome indoor and outdoor space was exactly what was needed to be able to serve more Mahomet families.
“We worked out a great partnership agreement that included COVID-specific protocols like cleaning. Both groups have been wearing masks indoors at all times since we opened.”
In a typical year, MAYC has between 70 and 80 youth participants in its summer program, “which is a five-day a week, all-day program,” Balgoyen said.
Even with the assistance from MUMC, fewer than half that number have been involved in 2020.
“We started in Phase 3 with groups of eight kids, plus two staff,” Balgoyen said. “One group at each location on two different schedules (Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday).
“So, we had four groups serving 32 kids total each week.”
Two weeks ago, staff made a tweak to the scheduling.
“We combined these groups to be Monday through Friday so we have 16 kids daily, but still serving 32 kids (between the two sites),” Balgoyen said. “We’ve been able to serve a little less than half of the kids that we normally serve in a summer, which has been very hard for families that rely on us.”
Also different is the activities.
“Last summer, we went to pools a couple of times a week, movies, zoos, bowling and two big end-of-year trips,” Balgoyen said. “The junior high group went to Raging Waters Water Park and the elementary group went to Chicago to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Field Museum.”
Travel has been restricted this summer.
“Given all of the safety guidelines, we have been going on fewer trips and doing a lot more local fishing, hiking and water play outside, which has been really fun for all the kids,” Balgoyen said, “especially after the weird spring we all experienced.”
Balgoyen started at MAYC in April, 2019. Within a year of her hiring, she faced a series of unexpected developments due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“This year, our spring break was cut short due to COVID-19,” she said. “We had the program for one day and then everything had to shut down.
“This was strange and challenging for everyone. Since then, MAYC has worked to develop programs to continue to meet our mission of serving youth and families in the community that need it.”
That meant altering and adjusting summer programs to follow all of the guidelines and recommendations.
“We had to reduce the number of kids we could serve, which also means changing what the program looks like,” Balgoyen said. “We had to change our protocols for parent drop-off/pick-up, general interactions and change our cleaning procedures and protocols.”
In order to serve more students, the partnership with the Mahomet United Methodist Church was formed in order to create a second location, which doubled the capacity.
“This summer has been both a tremendous and challenging experience,” Balgoyen said. “We were not able to serve the same number of families and youth, but we were able to serve some the best we can, in a healthy, safe way still providing positive youth development with fun, outdoor, recreational, educational activities.”
Small but important corrections, I was Security Forces not Special Forces.