What is the most significant change you have made to any organization with which you have been recently affiliated? Please describe how you identified the ned for change and how you managed the process of implementing change. What were the results?

When I began volunteering with Street Squash over a year ago, it was evident that while the full-time employees were passionate, they were clearly overworked and outnumbered by the nearly 70 students they taught and supervised. Further, the burden of a new headquarters under construction, one that was not yet fully funded, seemed to hang over everyone’s head and take energy away from the day-to-day operations of the program. Street Squash had made great strides in the 8 years since its inception but, through no fault of its own, the organization lacked the human resources necessary to achieve many of the goals it strived to attain.

This lack of human resources was evident both on and off the squash courts. Oftentimes at practice, as a result of limited staff and volunteer help, there would be eight players on a squash court that might comfortably fit three or four. Drills were disorganized and the kids recognized this. Off of the court, the director of Street Squash’s college prep program expressed a concern that with the largest rising class of Street Squash seniors came a real lack of help for those students who were unfamiliar with the college application process. Not only was the rising class of 18 seniors larger than Street Squash’s entire full-time staff of 12, many of those students had parents who had never seen a college application.

The underserved programs were something that the other volunteers and I would discuss on the way home from Saturday morning practices. Many of us were involved with other not-for-profits and we began to brainstorm ways to help the Street Squash staff achieve their short-term and long-term goals. From these discussions, the Young Leadership Committee (YLC) was born.

The YLC started as a relatively informal group with a monthly meeting and lofty ambitions. As we began to work with the Street Squash employees, and as ideas were hashed out, momentum started to build and many of the ideas were put into action. First, we helped hit the phones and began to speak with donors and the greater squash community about the exciting momentum that Street Squash was building. Our excitement was contagious and before donations and/or volunteer work were even mentioned, people were offering to give money and/or their time; they simply wanted to become a part of this positive organization. The money necessary to cover the remaining costs associated with the new Street Squash Center was collected quickly and it was on to our next task - an event that would turn people on to Street Squash and let them know that it was an organization on the rise. After hard work and two months of intense planning, the Street Squash Soiree was a huge success. The event raised almost $20,000 and was attended by over 200 people, but more importantly, people were turned on to the passion within the organization.

In the seven months since the Young Leadership Committee's inception, the group has helped raise over $40,000. As a team, we have conducted resume workshops and planned alumni play-days and numerous family events. It is apparent that all contributions made by the Young Leadership Committee have been well received by the Street Squash staff, the students, and their families. Going forward, we plan to continue the momentum that has built over the past six months. In the immediate future, we’ve implemented a program that will provide a college mentor for each rising Street Squash senior. Interestingly, these positions were filled by volunteers and friends of the program, which allows the full-time staff to focus on their day-to-day responsibilities. In addition, while it has not yet come to fruition, I personally will be leading an initiative to plan and organize a pro-am tournament at the new Street Squash center once it is fully operational.

The overwhelming transformation that Street Squash has experienced in the time that I have been involved with the organization is amazing. Collectively, the volunteers, the staff, and the members have worked to dramatically improve the organization’s finances and the operations. The goal of providing the best possible environment for the students of Street Squash continues, and my involvement is something for which I am extremely proud.