Rebecca Ebeling has been named director of marketing and special events at The Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence. In her new role, she will be responsible for marketing, public relations, corporate and foundation relations, as well as special-event planning. Ebeling joins BGCP after a long career in higher education, having worked at Amherst College, University of Rhode Island and Wheelock College.
PBN: What are you looking forward to in your new position?
EBELING: I am looking forward to becoming a part of the nonprofit community in Rhode Island. As a native Rhode Islander, who spent the last four years working in Boston, I’m ready to make a difference in the lives of people in my home state, with an organization that is doing very important work.
PBN: As the longest continually operating Boys & Girls Club in the nation, what do you think the Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence has done differently from others around the country?
EBELING: Part of our longevity is based on the fact that the demand for our services hasn’t gone away. Another reason for our longevity is the adaptability of the organization in both programming and fundraising. Originally founded as a club for boys, the mission was expanded to officially include girls in 1990 and has gone from the typical “gym and swim” programming to providing homework help, food and sustenance, education programs, computer safety, job training, etc.
PBN: What is coming up for the Boys & Girls Clubs, and how can readers participate or help?
EBELING: One of our main projects right now is to reconnect with the more than 50,000 of our former members who are still in Rhode Island. Like any successful college or university, we are beginning to measure our success by the achievement of our alumni, many of whom have gone on to be very successful. We’re reaching out to our alumni through events like our Third Annual Alumni March and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in September at the R.I. Convention Center, and through the Web on Facebook and LinkedIn. We also have a strong corporate volunteer program. We actively solicit corporate groups to accomplish one-time volunteer projects sorely needed at the Clubs. Usually the companies that volunteer with us are looking for ways to both give back to the community and create team building opportunities for their staff. •
