An Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club board member has been named the Boys and Girls Club South Carolina Area Council Board Member of the Year, the highest volunteer state award presented by the nonprofit group.

Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club Secretary Willie Booker received the award during the 2008 South Carolina Annual Area Council/Alliance Meeting of the Boys and Girls Club Sept. 24 at the Columbia Embassy Suites.

“It was a humbling feeling that what I am doing is recognized by others,” Booker said, noting the award, which needs final approval on the national level by the club, is beyond anything he could have imagined. “The youth of the community is what this really is all about. When you can see ... that you are making a difference in the life of the youth, that is where the reward comes in.”

There are about 60 Boys and Girls Clubs in the state each overseen by a board. Currently, the Orangeburg club consists of about 14 board members.

Booker, who is also manager of the Orangeburg Fish Hatchery, has been with the Orangeburg Boys and Girls Club for the past 15 years serving in a variety of capacities and committees including treasurer, executive, board development, resource development/finance, human resources and property management.

He has also served as a counselor and mentor to youth. Booker has spearheaded fundraising efforts for the organization.

Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Thomas Eklund praised the work Booker has done for the Orangeburg club over the past year. His service came at a time when Eklund experienced some health problems, requiring him to take time off in operations of the club.

“He has probably spent well over 1,000 hours of time in the last year or two during that period of time when I was sick and out,” Eklund said. “He worked every day. He was at the club making sure all was running right and that all was OK. He was also busy raising money for the Boys and Girls Club.”

A native of Earle, Ark., Booker has always seen the importance of community service.

He has volunteered for the Orangeburg Parks and Recreation as a football, basketball, baseball and track coach. He is a board member of CASA Family Systems, a Department of Juvenile Justice advocate and a deacon at Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Booker graduated from the University of Arkansas, where he majored in biology. He later earned a master’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin.

Upon graduation, he took a position with the Department of the Interior in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington state.

After working in several states, Booker became the manager of the Orangeburg Fish Hatchery in 1991.

At the OFH, Booker has won several awards and recognitions.

Begun in the 1950s on Shuler Street as the Boys Club, the club has grown with its affiliation with the Boys Club of America and serves about 400 children.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Club operates five locations in the Orangeburg area.

The club offers character and leadership programs designed to instill a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence in boys and girls. Education and career services provide an awareness of educational opportunities and career options.

The club serves youth between the ages of 6 and 18.

It is funded through grants, foundations and individual donations.

For information about membership, volunteering, or to make a financial contribution to the Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club, please call 1-803-516-8606 or 534-4828.

Donations may also be mailed to The Orangeburg Area Boys and Girls Club, P.O. Box 2783, Orangeburg, South Carolina 29116.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551.

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