Petaluman makes a difference through mentoring

As a young man growing up in Oakland, Robert Marcus had a choice of paths.

He credits adult mentors for making the difference in his life, guiding him to choose a road leading to personal success rather than personal disaster. Knowing the great difference that mentoring can make in the lives of at-risk youth led Marcus to the position he holds today, president and chief executive officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Marin and Petaluma.

The founding director of the STAR Clubhouse in Marin, Marcus has worked with the Boys and Girls Club since July 2010.

A firm believer in the mentorship model, he says, “I’ve had mentors who stepped up and played a huge part in my life, including my high school teacher, Mr. S., and my martial arts instructor/sensei.”

He said that key role models helped him choose the right path.

“As a young person growing up in Oakland … I was a potential statistic, a kid growing up in a challenging neighborhood with inconsistent parents, both dealing with their own fair share of issues,” he said. “However, I was able to draw on my positive experiences and the knowledge to choose the right path because of a few key people who helped me along the way.”

Marcus worked hard, becoming the first in his family to attend and graduate from college with his high school teacher’s personal involvement and encouragement. His martial arts instructor insisted that he work even harder to improve himself and imbued him with a positive outlook on life.

After high school, Marcus worked full-time to put himself through college, yet he still made sure to dedicate time to volunteer as a youth mentor.

“I had a full plate, but I knew that volunteering, as one person, to perhaps make a difference in one kid’s life, was a vital priority to the community around me and why I chose to give back,” he said.

The former Boys and Girls Clubs’ CEO from Marin County brought Marcus into the organization, after Marcus’ years of experience running the recreation program for the City of San Leandro. In his current post, Marcus oversees 13 Boys and Girls Clubs in Marin County and Petaluma, a youth organization that serves at least 5,300 kids a day, 3,000 or so in Petaluma alone.

Boys and Girls Clubs provide programming and enrichment activities for children ages 5 through 18 based on several principles, including health and life skills development, education, career development, the arts, leadership and character development, sports, fitness and recreation.

“Utilizing that framework, we seek to help our kids reach academic success, because healthy kids avoid delinquent behavior,” Marcus said. “We also want to develop an engaged citizenship.”

Marcus describes himself as a fairly reserved, introverted, mission-driven person who is about core values and developing healthy people. He enjoys being located in Petaluma.

“It’s a city that rallies around its people and their causes, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” he said.

(Contact Lynn Schnitzer at argus@arguscourier.com.)