Congratulations BSAC Team Leaders of February and March!

BSAC would like to recognize Cameron Shack and Kelly Cheney as the Team Leaders of the March! We would also like to highlight Shelby Johnson and Kerwyn Richardson, who were selected as the Team Leaders of February. We’d like to dive into the different roles they actively excel in, so our families can see how they are impacting our organization for the better.

Cameron Shack has been a BSAC after-school mentor for two years now, and really enjoys making a difference in the lives of his students. He wants to be remembered as someone that the children could look up to and talk to everyday about their struggles or problems.

“One of the many things that are important in my role, is working to correct behavioral problems,” said Cameron. “It helps to use my personal past as examples from when I was their age. It helps the students relate to me, and I get to watch that lightbulb go off in their head when something clicks.”

It’s not always serious, though. Cameron loves listening to the kids’ funny stories, and enjoys spending time with them through structured activities. His most memorable moments have been after summer break, when students light up to reunite with him. In his spare time, he likes to exercise and eat food. Cameron plans to pursue a career in acting or filmmaking.

“Most might say I’m strict, but I play that once the students get older, they realize everything I did was out of love for them,” he said.

Kelley Cheney was first drawn to aquatics as a swimmer around 15 years old, which is late for an athlete. Her coach believed in her however, and she went on to swim in college at Transylvania University in Kentucky, the state she is originally from. That experience inspired her to be a coach herself, and she is now making a difference in the lives of those on the BSAC Blue Wave Swim Team.

“It was really cool to watch swimmers hit milestones at the championship end of the season meet,” said Kelley. “Some of the swimmers were called back for finals, which was a big confidence boost for those who didn’t think they were at that level yet.”

Her positive attitude and willingness to help were key components for her being selected as Team Leader of March. Kelley is consistent on the pool deck and always strives to be a good team player.

“That has been kind of my mantra my whole life, I am here, how can I help, how can I use my strengths to benefit and to step into the role as a mentor for some of our athletes,” said Kelley. “I have been there too, I have had my highs and had my lows. So sharing those life experiences, and letting them know that they are not alone in this and kind of coaching them in life too.”

Kerwyn is still relatively new to BSAC, but he has made a tremendous impact this past year as our organization undergoes heavy renovations. He considered himself pretty handy before joining the BSAC maintenance team because he knew how to make improvements around his home. He enjoys learning new skills and being able to work on something new every day.

“I like to see the kids around BSAC because they keep my job fun and interesting,” said Kerwyn. “Since I started working here, I have been able to learn a lot of new things that I didn’t know how to do before like maintaining the tennis courts for our members.”

He was selected as Team Leader of February due to his hard working attitude and willingness to take on new projects and tasks, picking things up quickly thanks to the help of Jeff Clark, BSAC’s Director of Maintenance. In his spare time, Kerwyn likes to work on his truck and is saving money to attend USF to pursue his passion of becoming a forensic criminologist.

Shelby Johnson was formerly the Senior Director of Educational Programming, organizing after-school and summer camp at our main campus. She made a huge impact in the lives of children for three years, assisting with behavioral development while teaching life skills like respect and responsibility. She is now living in New York City.

Written By: Carli Walko – BSAC Director of Marketing