When an artist gets too close to their work, the brush strokes become distorted. It takes space to see the bigger picture. For John Schnase, it was time for that distance.

“It’s just time to move on to something different,” he said.

Schnase has been the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) for nine years and it’s hard to imagine BGC events without his calm, smiling face to greet parents and children alike.  Schnase doesn’t want anyone to worry. He said he isn’t going far away and said the club will always be close to his heart.

Looking back, Schnase said the main lesson he has learned in his tenure with the club is the results of the deterioration of the family. Schnase is a strong believer in family and said that a wholesome family life leads to a strong economy and work ethic. He said he had what he calls a perfect childhood, making it surprising to him to see the situations some kids come from.

“It’s the few that really, really need us that opened my eyes, and tried me,” he said. “It’s not their fault. They’re just born into it.”

Funding has been the biggest struggle. Grant sources are spread razor-thin and there are so many good causes to fund. Fundraising in Lake County is even harder, Schnase said, with so many events happening every weekend. He said the Polson club is at capacity, with as many as 45 kids a day, and the board is looking for a new facility for the kids. A different facility would mean more kids would be able to join the club, Schnase said.  In Ronan, the club serves 60 to 80 kids a day.

 “I think if there’s one failing during the nine years, it was that I didn’t convey to the community the amount of need and good things happening [within the club],” Schnase said.

Even with its hardships, Schnase said it’s been a lot of fun. He said the community has been wonderful to the BCG.

The club was chartered in 1998 and began operations in 1999. Schnase came along in 2004. After helping to build the two above ground pools and serving as the interim director, the board of directors asked him to fill the role of executive director.

He said the BGC is a great program for kids of all backgrounds that need a safe and supportive place to go.  Schnase said there was never a good time for him to leave, but he feels good with how the club is currently working.

Influencing behaviors within the club is what Schnase is the legacy he is most proud of.

“We’ve see a lot of kids change. We’ve seen a lot of kids turn into really neat people,” Schnase said.

The theme at the club is ‘what you do affects other people.’ He said getting the little ones to understand that how they behave makes a difference in people around them is what he has tried to drive home.

“I think it’s important work,” Schnase said. “I don’t think people understand the consistent existence of the club means so much to those kids.”

He said if there was one message he wanted to leave to all the kids it would be to make their own decisions and be content with them. He hopes someone continues to convince the children of Lake County that they belong here, wherever here is for them.

“That they belong. I want them to stand alone and not be lonely.”