Everyone knows Al Roker as the veteran weatherman on NBC’s “Today” show, but what shaped him into the person he is today is the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Roker was inducted into the BGCA Alumni Hall of Fame, and through his work he wants to make sure the next generation is involved in the club as well. Roker spoke to rolling out about what the Boys & Girls Clubs of America did for him and his thoughts on today’s generation of kids.
How did the Boys & Girls Clubs of America shape your life?
It made me come outside of my comfort zone and made me realize that there are other people that you need to respect. It’s one of those things: you think you’re just doing arts and crafts, but you are really getting along with others and seeing that there are different people out there. It’s different from school because you go to school with these kids every day, whereas this was a completely different group. It was one of those experiences that taught you how to respect others, how to get along with others and how to meet people who are different than you — which I think carries you through to your adult life.
How did you feel about being inducted into the Hall of Fame?
I am very honored. I hope it inspires younger people to reach outside to who they know day in and day out and to really try and meet people who are different from they are. When they realize it, they’ll realize that they’re more the same than they are different.
What goes through your mind when you see children today being resistant to being helped?
At the end of the day, everything is about social media platforms and this and that. Well, the childhood imagination is the greatest social platform, and the Boys & Girls Clubs fosters it. Yes, there are sports — and there are other things. There’s help with schoolwork — and all those things are important — but nurturing imagination, nurturing the idea that you can dream big, is so important, especially today.
