General makes a stop at Boys & Girls Club of Elgin

It is not every day that the children at the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin get to meet a general, especially a general who was once just like them.

On May 22 at the Enrichment & Education Center on Dundee Avenue, they had that opportunity. Major General Freddie Valenzuela served 33 years in the U.S. Army, was highly decorated for heroism, and commanded in the Cold War and Gulf War eras.

In 2003, he presided over the funeral of the first casualty of the Iraq War, a young Hispanic soldier who was not yet a citizen. After retirement from the Army, he was moved to write a book, "No Greater Love," which explores the dedication and sacrifices of our servicemen and women, particularly Hispanic soldiers, in the U.S. military. All of the proceeds go to the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty or at-risk children.

In his retirement, the General also travels across the country to visit local Boys & Girls Clubs and spread his message. He was a Boys & Girls Club member in San Antonio as a child and he acknowledges that the club helped shape him into the man he is today.

He was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2001. Although his military record is quite impressive, his message to the children at the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin was more about his life as a child in San Antonio. He told them how he did not do well in school and was a bit "wild" until he found the Boys & Girls Club.

He told them how the Boys & Girls Club and the Army taught him about hard work, dedication and pride. He encouraged the children to stay in school, listen to their parents and teachers, and keep going to the Boys & Girls Club.

Club members were excited to be able to ask questions and talk about their own family members who are serving the country in the armed forces. General Valenzuela told one boy whose uncle is a Marine serving in Iraq, "Tell him I said thank you from the bottom of my heart for his service."

To learn more about club activities or to make a donation, call (847) 608-5017 or visit www.boysandgirlsclubofelgin.org.

The Boys & Girls Club of Elgin was established to provide alternative prevention services for the area's at-risk youth, and officially opened its doors Nov. 9, 1993. Operating out of a 2,000-square-foot city-owned residential house at 355 Dundee Ave., the organization began serving its membership of nearly 100 kids. In June 2008, the 15,000-square-foot Education & Enrichment Center opened its doors to the community. It was originally projected that membership would rise from 690 members to 750 within months of opening the new facility; however, the demand significantly exceeded this with a current membership of 1,300 members, a growth rate of more than 90 percent in only one year.

The Boys & Girls Club of Elgin Education & Enrichment Center is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Services also include Ellis Middle School and Larsen Middle School. To learn more about the programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin or to make a donation, visit www.boysandgirlsclubofelgin.org.