00:00We have an Oscar winner, red carpet dominator, if you will, blockbuster powerhouse, joining us,
00:11Mr. Denzel Washington. How are you? Good. I'm going to get a t-shirt.
00:16Doesn't he like that? I like to get creative. Red carpet dominator.
00:18We're talking about a cause that's very close to your heart, the Boys and Girls Club of America.
00:24That's right. So you've been a spokesperson for the
00:27organization for over 20 years, but the BGCA has also been a part of your life since you were six
00:31years old when you first started going to your local branch in Mount Vernon, New York.
00:35At that age, most youth are going to a program because they have to, if you will.
00:39But what was it about BGCA that captured your attention at such a young age and was able to keep
00:45your attention, you know, especially through those teen years and those high school years?
00:49They were actually building the club. I think I was either in kindergarten or the first grade when they
00:54were building the building. So I would pass it every day, wondering what it was going to be
00:58and what was going to go on over there. And as I found out, you know, first thing I said to my
01:05mother, you know, I wanted to join. I wanted to be a part of it. So I've been a part of it for 50 years
01:11or something or more. Was there a particular program that spoke to you? Was it like a workshop or a mentor
01:16that you? No, no. Initially, I think it was just a place to go play. And, you know, the cool thing
01:22about it was nobody said, oh, you're learning these life lessons. You know, you're thinking you just go
01:28to play ball or run around, do this and that. But really, you were learning about working together
01:34as a team, being a gracious winner and loser. There's all kinds of life lessons that you learn
01:41through what you think is just play. And those are some powerful life lessons that can carry anyone
01:46very far all the way through adulthood. And I love the new PSA. You've gathered a great group of
01:51celebrities and influencers who are impacted by the Boys and Girls Club. There's Jennifer Lopez,
01:56Misty Copeland, Kerry Washington, Shaquille O'Neal, Cuba Gooding Jr., just to name a few. My favorite
02:01takeaway from the piece is a quote where you say, while many doors open, these doors transform. How do you
02:08feel you were transformed through the organization? Wow. I mean, you know, in so many ways, just in so
02:16many ways. I mean, how do you? I mean, that's a good question for you. Okay. How have you been
02:21transformed? Oh, and before we say you, would you like to introduce who is joining you, the newly
02:26announced winner? If you would like to introduce him, Mr. Washington. You go ahead. You know, that
02:31sounded pretty good, the newly announced. I am the National Youth of the Year for the Boys and
02:35Girls Clubs of America. Thank you. Thanks. Thank you. Congratulations. And I don't want to downplay
02:43that at all. I've been doing some research and it's quite a process to become the winner. So tell
02:48us about your journey. Right. So when I started going to the Boys and Girls Club, I was definitely
02:52in a very dark place just because of the struggles that I dealt with at home. And I didn't really think
03:00that my life mattered at that point. I didn't think that I had a purpose in this life. But when I
03:06started going to the Boys and Girls Club, the staff that I met, you know, really showed me that, you
03:13know, I have potential to be somebody great. And I can lead and inspire people to, you know, really see
03:21their fullest potential as well. So, I mean, I was going from being this person who didn't believe in
03:28themselves and didn't believe in the value of their life and, like, my goals to being able to lead
03:36and now succeed. Because we got in and we never left. And that's a blessing. There you go. And once
03:45you're a club kid, you're always a club kid. It's awesome. You're not always a kid, but you're always
03:50a club kid. You're always a club kid. You're always a club kid. There's a difference. There you go.
Comments