Pat Halberstadt was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Pacific Region on Thursday, receiving the prestigious Horizon Award. This award is given to individuals who have made a difference in the lives of our kids by their lifetime commitment to the movement and accomplishments achieved as a member of the BGCA team.

Pat's career began with a Girls Club in 1974 as the Chief Professional Officer. She was the only employee of this organization which had an annual budget of $29,000 and her first two paychecks bounced. Under Pat's leadership the Girls Club of Garden Grove began to grow and soon had two locations, a membership of 600 and serving an average of 250 youth per day.

Pat's work, dedication and commitment to youth, particularly girls, was starting to be recognized. It was at that time in 1986 that Boys Clubs of America began seriously looking at the possibility of serving girls in common membership and the possibly becoming Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Tom Garth, President of Boys Clubs of America at that time, Roxanne Spillett and Barbara Stricker convened a committee that met at the Regional offices in North Hollywood to the discuss the possibilities, the value, and the ramifications.

Pat remembers being invited to these meeting that met periodically from 1986 to 1990. This was also her first real exposure to the Boys Club movement and little did she know that she would be a part of the new organization she helped create.

It was about 1994 that the Boys Club for Garden Grove was facing some major challenges and with Pat's concern for youth, she and her Board of Directors agreed to make the Boys Club a part of the Girls Club and soon became Girls & Boys Clubs of Garden Grove. The organization now had five sites with an operating budget of $800,000.

Pat exemplifies one of the pillars of Impact 2012, Beyond Our Walls. In 1995 and the years to follow, partnerships were developed with the Garden Grove Police Department, School District, Juvenile Justice Center, and Truancy Reduction Center. Development of Additional programs to Impact the lives of youth include a Family Campus, a Pre-School, and a Family Support Programs.

The partnership with the Garden Grove school district is recognized by the Superintendent as valuable. She has said "Thank you for such a wonderful gift to the school". By 2007 forty school sites had been added and their first school based teen center was opened and funding has been approved for a second site.

Pat understands the value of a good staff. She recently hosted an evening with dinner for the staff and 30 individuals were recognized with the Boys & Girls Clubs Service to Youth Awards for years of service.

Pat goes beyond her organization and is always willing to reach out to other clubs and share her expertise. She was instrumental in starting the Orange County Alliance and allowed that organization to operate under her umbrella for several years. In July of this year she agreed to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Orange County Area Council for the second time and is looking forward to hosting the 2009 Board Leadership Conference in Newport Beach. She works closely with BGCA and appreciates all the services that are available.

That once small organization with one employee and a budget of $29,000 now has a budget of $10,000,000, 452 employees and not one paycheck has bounced.