Boys & Girls Club of America has recognized Fred Roberson of Little Rock as the Southwest Area Council Liaison of the Year.
The prestigious award was presented in Dallas last month at a Regional Summit meeting. Roberson has been a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas for 27 years and is currently Vice President of the Board, Resource Development Committee Chair, and will serve as President for the 2024 term
“I have never seen a volunteer work as hard as Fred does to ensure our organization is doing all it can, and with all the resources possible, to give youth in Little Rock and North Little Rock a more promising future,” said Cindy Doramus, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas.
“Fred never misses a chance to engage in events with the kids. He gives generously of his time and money. He’s a walking billboard for the Boys & Girls Club. Just ask anyone who knows him,” said Vanessa Russell, Director of Resource Development for Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas.
He recently chaired a Centennial Celebration fundraising event for the 100-year anniversary of the Wetherington Boys & Girls Club of North Little Rock where he grew up as a participating member. That event raised just over $100,000 for the Wetherington Club where some of those funds will be used to begin much-needed improvements. Roberson retired in 2020 from Morgan Stanley as a Financial Advisor. He worked there for 41 years during predecessor firms EF Hutton, Shearson & Smith Barney.
“I want to be sure the Clubs are here for the youth 50 and 100 years from now. It meant so much for me to have the Boys & Girls Club and all its guidance as a kid growing up in North Little Rock. We were not wealthy by any means and it gave me a lot of opportunities I would not have had otherwise,” said Roberson.
The regional Liaison of the Year award represents all of the SW regional states including Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming. Every Boys & Girls Club organization can submit an area council liaison to be considered for this award. The role of the AC Liaison is to encourage their local board leadership to participate in the affairs of the area council. This includes participation in training, networking, sharing of ideas and best practices and governance.
“Fred truly models the way in so many of these areas of board leadership. He is always seeking new ideas to help promote funding, partnership-building and board development for his organization,” said Clyde McGuire, Regional Service Director for Boys & Girls Club of America.
If you are interested in ways that you might serve Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas, you may contact Vanessa Russell, Director of Resource Development, at vrussell@arclubs.org.
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