Bill Parks wants to help students succeed. For many of them, that means coming to HCC.
Bill Parks remembers what it was like growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Marlborough, Mass. His father worked in one of the local shoe factories while Parks was either going to school or hanging out at the Marlborough Boys Club.
He describes his father as a hard worker who always put food on the table but admits that college was never a conversation topic in their home.
“The Boys Club was always there to direct me,” Parks said. “They helped me look at colleges and even helped raise money to pay for it.”
That meant a lot.
He worked at the club during and after his college years at Fitchburg State, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Later, he applied for a full-time job as athletic director at the Billerica Boys and Girls Club, where he eventually became executive director. He moved on to the Waltham Boys and Girls Club and finally the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, where he spent the last 18 years of his 42-year career, creating educational opportunities for area youth. He retired in June as president and CEO.
During his time in Westfield, Parks served on several community scholarship committees and noticed that scholarship awardees tended to be high-performing students who were already receiving other awards and accolades.
“I thought, we should have something for those kids that are in the middle, the kids that really need that little push to help them along, and this may make or break whether they go to college,” Parks said.
For the past several years, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield has been supporting dozens of college-bound students through its Youth of the Year program, which recognizes teenagers who demonstrate moral character, leadership, and service.
I thought, we should have something for those kids that are in the middle, the kids that really need that little push to help them along, and this may make or break whether they go to college,
In order to be considered for the Youth of the Year award, candidates are chosen by a committee comprising members of the local community. They look for students who are leaders and have often had to overcome personal challenges. Their reward is a college scholarship.
“A lot of our winners are the first one in the family to ever go to college,” said Parks, “so the scholarship gives them a great way to experience what college is all about.”
The club already has an endowed scholarship for a student to attend Westfield State University, but Parks started noticing that more and more students were interested in HCC.
After receiving a $15,000 planned gift, Parks and his successor, current president and CEO Bo Sullivan, contacted the HCC Foundation about using those funds to set up an endowed scholarship. They were told that if they could secure another $5,000 for the scholarship, bringing the amount to $20,000, the Foundation would match it with an additional $20,000, transforming it into a $40,000 endowed scholarship.
Parks and Sullivan met with the club’s board of directors about the proposal, hoping to raise the final $5,000.
“It took about a minute and a half and we had it,” said Sullivan.
Starting with the fall 2022 semester, select club members enrolling at HCC will be eligible to receive the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield Scholarship.
“This scholarship is a way of saying to our students, ‘We believe in you.’ For some of these kids, it’s the first time somebody has said that to them,” said Parks.
While Parks and Sullivan are happy to create this new opportunity for area youth, they also hope to grow the relationship between HCC and the club.
“I think it’s more than just a scholarship,” Parks said. “I think this will turn into many other opportunities to partner with HCC, and who knows what we can build from there?”
