Dr. Davies honored by Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands

Dele Davies, MD, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNMC, was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands on Nov. 17, along with his fellow members of the executive board, with the Founder's Award. 

The award is given to a person whose involvement, either financial or through volunteering, provided the pivotal impetus for the institutionalization of the Boys & Girls Clubs movement in the Omaha community. Dr. Davies shared the award with Scott Heider, Tim Holland, John Levy, Erin Russell, Fred Schott and Nancy Williams. The awardees were responsible for the successful CEO search that led to a leadership transition from Ivan Gilreath, who retired after 10 years of exemplary leadership to the current CEO, Richard Webb.

Dr. Davies called the award an honor, "especially as I get to share it with great partners on the executive board and other leaders who have a long history of service to the clubs and who I have had the privilege of serving alongside for almost 10 years." He has served on the board since 2012 and has been board president since 2018.

"As a pediatrician and a parent, it has been very fulfilling to volunteer with a team that profoundly impacts almost 9,000 children (members) each year in the greater Omaha area. While I had high regard for the clubs prior to joining the board, my appreciation for the extraordinary impact that the high-quality after-school club programs and the highly trained staff have on the children and youth served has grown much deeper during my service on the board.

"I have had a front-row seat in witnessing the profound impact the excellent club programs have on the members. These include the award-winning 'Readers to Leaders' program that closes the reading gap for members, homework support, hands on STEM activities, leadership development opportunities, high-yield learning activities, academic success training and financial literacy classes among others."

Dr. Davies noted that UNMC and Nebraska Medicine have been committed partners with the Boys & Girls Clubs.

"We have faculty and staff from both organizations who either have brought their expertise to club members or partnered with the clubs in creating joint programming such as the Dusk to Dawn program, championed by Dr. Charity Evans in the UNMC Department of Surgery," he said. "In return, UNMC and other STEM institutions in Nebraska have benefited as many club members have matriculated to and graduated from health science programs here and across the state and are helping meet the workforce needs of the state."