BGCM remains a vital lifeline for the community
Malibu is a different place today than it was 20 years ago when Kasey Earnest was hired as program director for the then recently established Malibu Boys & Girls Club (BGCM). Much of that transformation can be attributed to her tireless efforts.
With only 30 children enrolled in its after-school programs, the young Earnest immediately saw untapped potential for greater community impact. With a background working for a nonprofit supporting inner-city youth and families, she was initially confused about the need in Malibu but, she said, “it was almost immediate upon arrival that there was nowhere else that I should be. There was so much that needed to occur for the youth. The level of need was extreme.” It was apparent those kids enrolled “needed so much. There was endless opportunity to be helpful and supportive and triage the different levels of need for the kids there,” according to Earnest.
What followed was two decades of growth and innovation under Earnest’s leadership. Her “superpower,” as she calls it, has been the organization’s ability to swiftly identify needs and take action. Just two years after joining BGCM, she was promoted to chief executive officer, and her vision for the club began to take shape.
Afterschool programs grew to include academics, good character and leadership development, health and wellness, and the arts. It’s a BGCM effort to graduate students with increased confidence, positive relationships, healthy minds andbodies, as loved individuals who are ready to launch into the adult world.
What started as a modest program at Malibu High School expanded to include all three public elementary schools. Sites remain at Webster and Malibu Elementary School since the closure of Juan Cabrillo. “It was a consistent request that ‘We need high-quality affordable after-school care. Can you do this?’ If you give us space we can,” Earnest recalled.
Enrollment soared to nearly 900 children prior to the Woolsey Fire in 2018. However, like much of Malibu, the clubwas deeply affected by the disaster, as hundreds of homes were destroyed and families displaced. The COVID-19 pandemic only compounded these challenges, with enrollment plummeting. Still, the need for BGCM’s services didn’t diminish — in fact, it grew. Earnest and her team stepped up to meet the crisis head-on.
In 2017, BGCM opened a wellness center with counseling and supportive services. It still serves as a powerful benefit not just for students and their families, but for the entire community. “It’s a core pillar of who we are and what we do,” described Earnest. “A significant portion of our budget that we have to raise every year; that program touches every child in our public schools.” The center’s wellness teams are integrated into Malibu’s four public schools, where children can be seen by clinicians during the school day. “It’s so important…meeting the kids where they’re at,” Earnest said.
Following the Woolsey Fire, Earnest spearheaded the creation of a social work department focused on Malibu’s aging population, which was hit hard by the disaster. Earnest personally assisted many seniors in the aftermath, helping them fill out aid forms and delivering food and other essentials. “These Malibu citizens had lost everything,” she said. “They couldn’t meet their basic needs. It was a no-brainer. We had to help.”
When asked about her most significant memories from her two decades with BGCM, Earnest, now a wife and mother, said there were too many to count, but, “When I run into alumni and they tell me, ‘The Boys & Girls Club saved my life,’ that’s enough. To change someone’s life, to give them opportunities they didn’t think they had — that’s a gift.”
Her impact on Malibu is undeniable. Wade Major, president of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS), called Earnest a “local treasure.”
“She represents the kind of local educational involvement we hope to get more of once we’re independent, someone who doesn’t just contribute to the community and to our schools, but who is part of the community, and part of the community of school parents,” Major said. “If anyone asks how our Malibu parents can give back and contribute, I always point to Kasey as the example. Somehow,she manages to be everywhere all the time and still be a mom. If even a fraction of our Malibu parents follow her example, our future school district will be off to a soaring start.”
Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart added, “We are fortunate to have her making Malibu a better place every day.”
Looking to the future, BGCM is set to expand again with a new teen center at MHS, a project backed by Earnest. She believes Malibu’s community will only continue to thrive by taking care of its youth and working in partnership with parents, schools, and city leaders.
Reflecting on the last 20 years, Earnest said, “Having these types of organizations in your community, supported by the community, makes your community a better one. We’re a better community because we’ve extended our arms to support one another.”
